BATON ROUGE — Seven months have passed since Paul Mainieri became LSU’s baseball coach after 12 highly successful seasons at Notre Dame. In those seven months, Mainieri has begun the process of returning LSU to a position of prominence among the college baseball elite.
That process enters a new phase at 7 p.m. Friday when the Tigers play host to Saint Mary’s College (Calif.) in Alex Box Stadium. Game 2 of the series begins at Noon Saturday, and Game 3 will start at Noon Sunday.
Friday’s game will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network (WDGL 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge). Saturday’s game can be heard in Baton Rouge only on WTGE 107.3 FM, and Sunday can be heard in Baton Rouge only on WTGE 98.1 FM.
The audio broadcasts, streaming video and live stats are available in the Geaux Zone at www.LSUsports.net.
Mainieri, who enters his 25th season as a collegiate coach, said he is anxious for his LSU career to begin.
“A lot has happened in the past seven months,” Mainieri said. We have 6,000 season ticket holders and I swear to you I’ve met 10,000 of them out there this fall. People have told me everywhere I go that they have been season ticket holders for 15 years. Thirty to 40 people everywhere I go are telling me that. The enthusiasm, the energy and the concern for the baseball program here is why I came here.
“Our goal is to return LSU baseball to where it was and that was the very best baseball program in the entire country. We are not going to rest until we accomplish that goal. I don’t know how long it is going to take. I’m not in the prediction business. We have some great kids in the program. We are going to go out there every day and play as hard as we can.”
Junior left-hander Charlie Furbush, a transfer from Saint Joseph’s (Maine) will take the mound for the Tigers in Friday’s season opener. Furbush, a 2007 third-team preseason all-American, was 10-1 with a 2.89 ERA last season at Saint Joseph’s, an NCAA Division III school.
Charlie Furbush has earned the right to be our opening night pitcher,” LSU pitching coach Terry Rooney said. “You are going to see out of Charlie a young man that has tremendous stuff. He’s going to throw a fastball in the upper 80s, a curveball and a straight changeup. All of those pitches have continued to improve.
“The biggest challenge that Charlie Furbush has when he came here to LSU is that as great as his stuff is, the margin of error is a little bit different pitching here at Alex Box Stadium as it is to pitching in the Cape Cod League or up in Maine. That is something I have really strived to get Charlie to accomplish is to kind of slow down his delivery a bit and improve upon his command of strikes. He’s a tremendous competitor. I am looking forward to seeing that out of him this weekend.”
Saint Mary’s, a member of the West Coast Conference, has already played seven games in 2007 and enters Friday’s contest with a 3-4 mark. SMC coach Jedd Soto will send junior right-hander Sean Gleason (0-0, 6.75 ERA) to the mound on Friday. The Gaels will start freshman right-hander Brandon Berl (0-1, 6.94 ERA) on Saturday and freshman left-hander Anthony Aliotti (1-0, 1.17 ERA) on Sunday.
LSU’s opening night lineup will feature three full-time starters from last season — all-SEC shortstop Michael Hollander, Freshman all-American third baseman J.T. Wise and right fielder Steven Waguespack.
The Tigers will also start three true freshmen on Friday ? center fielder Jared Mitchell, first baseman Sean Ochinko and left fielder Blake Dean.
Second baseman Chris Jackson, the Tigers’ starting third baseman in 2005 who missed last season due to injury, returns to the lineup Friday. Catcher Robert Lara and designated hitter Steven Broschofsky — both part-time starters in 2006 ? will also start the season opener for LSU.
Aliotti, Saint Mary’s starting pitcher on Sunday, is also the Gaels’ leading hitter, batting .478 (11-for-23) with seven RBI. Freshman infielder Randy Wells is hitting .393 (11-for-28) with one double, one triple and nine RBI.
“I think it is about time I started earning a pay check,” Mainieri said. “I know come Friday night when there are a bunch of people in the stands, the goal is to score more runs than the other team. We are going to do our very best to do that. Obviously, you can’t win them all, but we are going to try to do that every time we go on the field to play.”
SERIES FACTS
Saint Mary’s Gaels (3-4) at LSU Fighting Tigers (0-0)
DATES/TIMES
Friday, Feb. 9 ? 7 p.m. CST; Saturday, Feb. 10 ? 12 p.m. CST; Sunday, Feb. 11 ? 12 p.m. CST
STADIUM
Alex Box Stadium (7,760) in Baton Rouge, La.
TICKETS
$8 adults, $5 children ages 3-12 — available at Alex Box Stadium each day two hours prior to first pitch; tickets may also be purchased and printed at www.LSUsports.net
Admission to any of LSU’s baseball games vs. Saint Mary’s is just $4 for adults and $2 for youth fans present an LSU men’s or women’s basketball ticket from this weekend’s action (men’s game vs. Arkansas; women’s game vs. Connecticut)
SPECIAL EVENTS/PROMOTIONS
FRIDAY
First 500 fans receive a free LSU Baseball T-shirt
SATURDAY
Free 2007 LSU Baseball posters will be given to fans as they exit the stadium
First Pitch delivered by Paul Mainieri‘s 1976 LSU teammates
SUNDAY
All kids ages 12 and under can run the bases of Alex Box Stadium after the game
RADIO
FRIDAY
LSU Sports Radio Network (WDGL 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge)
SATURDAY
WTGE 107.3 FM in Baton Rouge only
SUNDAY
LSU Sports Radio Network (WDGL 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge; not on full LSU Sports Radio Network only)
INTERNET
Audio broadcast, streaming video and live stats of all three games in the Geaux Zone at www.LSUsports.net
TV
None
SERIES RECORD
First Meeting
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Game 1
LSU ? Jr. LHP Charlie Furbush (10-1, 2.89 ERA, 74.2 IP, 22 BB, 115 SO in 2006 at Saint Joseph’s)
SMC ? Jr. RHP Sean Gleason (0-0, 6.75 ERA, 9.1 IP, 5 BB, 6 SO)
Game 2
LSU ? So. RHP Louis Coleman (5-6, 6.14 ERA, 80.2 IP, 33 BB, 50 SO in 2006)
SMC ? Fr. RHP Brandon Berl (0-1, 6.94 ERA, 11.2 IP, 1 BB, 10 SO)
Game 3
LSU ? TBA
SMC ? Fr. LHP Anthony Aliotti (1-0, 1.17 ERA, 7.2 IP, 2 BB, 2 SO)