BATON ROUGE — LSU coach Paul Mainieri takes his squad on the road for the first time this season when the Tigers travel to DeLand, Fla., this weekend for a three-game series versus Stetson.
The series opens at 6 p.m. CST Friday at Stetson’s Melching Field. Game 2 begins at 1 p.m. CST Saturday, and Game 3 will start at Noon CST Sunday.
The games on Friday and Sunday will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network (WDGL 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge). Saturday’s game can be heard on WTGE 107.3 FM in Baton Rouge only.
The audio broadcast and streaming video of all three games are available in the Geaux Zone at www.LSUsports.net.
“We’re looking forward to this trip because it will provide a great barometer as to where we are right now,” Mainieri said. “I have great respect for the Stetson program. Their coach (Pete Dunn) has won over 1,000 games, and they are a perennial NCAA Regional team. We will have a real challenge this weekend.”
LSU enters this series with a 3-0 mark after a season-opening sweep last weekend of Saint Mary’s (Calif.) in Alex Box Stadium. Stetson, the Atlantic Sun Conference champion in each of the past two seasons, has a 3-1 record as the Hatters won two of three games against Southern Illinois last weekend and defeated Bethune-Cookman, 13-6, on Tuesday night.
LSU and Stetson met for the first time last season, when the Tigers captured two of three games in Alex Box Stadium. Stetson played in the 2006 NCAA Atlanta Regional, where the Hatters lost consecutive games to Georgia Tech and Michigan.
Junior left-hander Charlie Furbush (1-0, 0.00 ERA) will start Friday’s game on the mound for LSU. Furbush earned the win in last weekend’s, limiting Saint Mary’s to no runs on five hits in 5.2 innings with three walks and seven strikeouts. Furbush struck out the first five Saint Mary’s batters he faced in pacing LSU to the victory.
The Tigers’ Saturday starter, sophomore right-hander Louis Coleman, delivered a solid outing in leading the Tigers to a win in Game 2 last weekend. Coleman limited Saint Mary’s to just one run on six hits in six innings with one walk and seven strikeouts.
Mainieri said he would wait to name Sunday’s starting pitcher until after the game on Saturday. Sophomore left-hander Ryan Byrd posted a win in his first career LSU start last Sunday, allowing two runs on five hits in five innings.
Dunn, who has won 1,005 games in 28 seasons at Stetson’s coach, will counter with junior right-hander Corey Kluber (1-0, 1.80 ERA) on Friday, sophomore right-hander Jake Hitchcock (1-0, 2.57 ERA) on Saturday and senior left-hander Chris Ingoglia (1-0, 0.00 ERA) on Sunday.
Ingoglia, a second-team all-conference pitcher last season, was named the Atlantic Sun Pitcher of the Week on Monday after firing six shutout innings with eight strikeouts in a win over Southern Illinois.
LSU freshman left fielder Blake Dean enjoyed a tremendous collegiate debut last weekend, batting .571 (4-for-7) in the series with one double, one homer, four runs and five RBI. Dean launched a three-run homer in his first collegiate at-bat on Friday, giving LSU a 3-0 first-inning lead.
Dean, a native of Crestview, Fla., is one of LSU’s seven native Floridians returning to play in their home state this weekend. The others are sophomore catcher Robert Lara (Fort Lauderdale), freshman first baseman Sean Ochinko (Parkland), junior infielder Jason Lewis (Crawfordville), sophomore third baseman J.T. Wise (Apopka), freshman right-handed pitcher Chris Sorce and sophomore right-handed pitcher Nolan Cain (Cantonment).
“I’m excited that our players from Florida will have the chance to play in their home state,” Mainieri said. “We also welcome the opportunity to gain exposure for our program in that particular region of Florida.”
DeLand, Fla. is located in the central region of the state, approximately 60 miles north of Orlando.
LSU will be without the services this weekend of starting second baseman Chris Jackson, who was diagnosed with a stomach ulcer on Tuesday and is out indefinitely.
Jackson helped lead LSU last weekend to a season-opening sweep of Saint Mary’s (Calif.), batting .300 (3-for-10) with four steals, two runs, two walks and one RBI. He was the Tigers’ lead-off hitter in Sunday’s 6-2 win over the Gaels.
The likely candidates to replace Jackson at second base are sophomores Buzzy Haydel and Nicholas Pontiff, and freshman Ryan Schimpf.
Stetson, batting .273 through its first four games, is led by freshman infielder Casey Frawley (.455, 1 2B, 3 RBI) and senior infielder Braedyn Pruitt (.357, 1 HR, 4 RBI).
SERIES FACTS
LSU Fighting Tigers (3-0) at Stetson Hatters (3-1)
DATES/TIMES
Friday, Feb. 16 ? 6 p.m. CST; Saturday, Feb. 17 ? 1 p.m. CST; Sunday, Feb. 18 ? 12 p.m. CST
STADIUM
Melching Field (2,500) in DeLand, Fla.
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)
INTERNET
LSU Sports Radio Network audio broadcast, live streaming video (via Stetson in Geaux Zone) of all three games at www.LSUsports.net
TV
None
SERIES RECORD
LSU leads, 2-1
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Game 1
LSU ? Jr. LHP Charlie Furbush (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5.2 IP, 3 BB, 7 SO)
SU ? Jr. RHP Corey Kluber (1-0, 1.80 ERA, 5.0 IP, 2 BB, 1 SO)
Game 2
LSU ? So. RHP Louis Coleman (1-0, 1.50 ERA, 6.0 IP, 1 BB, 7 SO)
SU ? So. RHP Jake Hitchcock (0-0, 2.57 ERA, 7.0 IP, 2 BB, 5 SO)
Game 3
LSU ? TBA
SU ? Sr. LHP Chris Ingoglia (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 6.0 IP, 2 BB, 8 SO)