BATON ROUGE — Third-ranked LSU (17-4) concludes its four-game road stretch at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday as the Tigers face Southeastern Louisiana at Zephyr Field in Metairie.
The game can be heard on the LSU Sports Network (WDGL 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge) and on the Internet at www.LSUsports.net.
LSU increased its current win streak to six games last weekend with a three-game sweep at No. 17 Georgia. The Tigers have won 22 of their last 23 regular-season series (dating back to the 2003 season), including the last 12 in a row.
LSU’s sweep at UGA was its first SEC sweep since April of 2003, when the Tigers won three straight over Tennessee in Baton Rouge, and last weekend marked the Tigers’ first SEC road sweep since March, 2003, when LSU also won three straight at Georgia.
LSU coach Smoke Laval will send junior right-hander Justin Meier (1-1, 4.85 ERA) to the mound on Wednesday. Meier earned a relief victory Sunday at Georgia, as he worked 1.1 innings, allowing one unearned run on one hit with one walk and two strikeouts.
SLU coach Dan Canevari, an LSU assistant for 12 seasons (1991-2002), will counter with sophomore right-hander Bernard Robert (2-3, 3.63 ERA).
The Lions, hitting .300 as a team with 21 homers, are led by catcher Randy Roth, who is batting .394 (37-for-94) with six doubles, three homers and 22 RBI.
During its six-game win streak, LSU is hitting .326 (71-for-218) as a team with 13 doubles, three triples and 14 homers. The Tigers have outscored their opposition, 55-25, in the six victories.
Senior outfielder Ryan Patterson batted .545 (6-for-11) in the UGA series with three homers, four RBI and four runs scored. Patterson, who is riding a 10-game hitting streak, has homered seven times in LSU’s last five games, and he has three two-homer games in that span, including a pair of blasts in Saturday’s 5-3 victory over Georgia.
In his last five games, Patterson is hitting .600 (12-for-20) with seven homers, 10 RBI and 11 runs. On the year, he is batting a team-high .423 (33-for-78) with seven doubles, nine homers, 20 RBI and 33 runs.
A pair of freshmen sparked the Tigers to a three-run eighth inning Sunday as LSU erased a 4-2 deficit against all-America reliever Will Startup to defeat Georgia. Redshirt freshman Jordan Mayer’s pinch-hit double scored two runs and tied the game at 4-4 before true freshman shortstop Michael Hollander later capped the inning with a two-out RBI single to give LSU a 5-4 lead.
LSU leads the overall series with SLU, 53-16, and the Tigers have won the last seven meetings between the schools. LSU is 26-2 against the Lions since 1990 — SLU’s only wins in that span came in 1991 (15-2) and 2002 (4-3), both in Alex Box Stadium.
GAME FACTS
# 3 LSU Fighting Tigers (17-4) vs. Southeastern Louisiana Lions (9-13)
DATE/TIME:
Wednesday, March 23 — 6:30 p.m. CST
STADIUM:
Zephyr Field — Metairie, La.
TICKETS:
Available at Zephyr Field box office — 504.734.5155
RANKINGS:
LSU (# 3 Baseball America, # 3 ESPN/Sports Weekly, # 3 Collegiate Baseball)
Southeastern Louisiana (unranked)
RADIO:
LSU Sports Network (WDGL 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge)
INTERNET:
Radio broadcast at www.LSUsports.net
TV:
None
SERIES RECORD:
LSU leads, 53-16
PITCHING MATCHUP
LSU — Jr. RHP Justin Meier (1-1, 4.85 ERA, 13.0 IP, 7 BB, 18 SO)
SLU — So. RHP Bernard Robert (2-3, 3.63 ERA, 34.2 IP, 9 BB, 32 SO)