BATON ROUGE — LSU (9-1) begins its final non-conference weekend series at 7 p.m. Friday when the Tigers play host to Stetson (6-4) in Alex Box Stadium.
Game 2 starts at 1 p.m. Saturday, and first pitch for Game 3 is 1 p.m. Sunday.
Tickets for each game are $8 for adults and $4 for children ages 3-12. Tickets are available at Alex Box Stadium each day two hours prior to first pitch, or they may be purchased and printed at www.LSUsports.net.
The games will be carried by the affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network. The Baton Rouge affiliates will be WDGL 98.1 FM on Friday and Sunday and 104.5/104.9 FM on Saturday.
Live audio and video of the games may also be accessed in the Geaux Zone at www.LSUsports.net.
LSU won has seven straight games, including a pair of victories this week over Michigan State. LSU begins Southeastern Conference play next weekend at Tennessee.
“The Stetson series will give us an indication of where we are with conference play beginning next week,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “Stetson has an outstanding program ? they are a perennial NCAA Regional team with very talented players. I’m anxious to see how we perform in what will be a very competitive environment.”
LSU and Stetson have met in each of the previous two seasons, with the teams splitting six games. The Hatters won two of three games over the Tigers last season in DeLand, Fla.
LSU’s seven-game win streak is the club’s longest since the 2006 Tigers won nine straight prior to the start of SEC play.
Mainieri said senior right-hander Jared Bradford will start Friday’s game on the mound for LSU. Bradford defeated Duquesne in his last start on February 29, limiting the Dukes to no earned runs on three hits in six innings with three walks and seven strikeouts.
Bradford, a 2008 preseason all-American, enters Friday’s game with a 2-0 mark and a 0.71 ERA.
Junior left-hander Ryan Verdugo (2-0, 0.90 ERA) will start Saturday’s contest for the Tigers, and junior southpaw Blake Martin (1-0, 2.31 ERA) will take the mound on Sunday.
Stetson coach Pete Dunn will counter this weekend with an accomplished pitching staff that includes junior right-hander Blake Marsocci (2-0, 2.84 ERA) and senior right-hander Nick Pugliese (2-0, 2.92 ERA).
LSU junior first baseman Matt Clark has launched six homers in the Tigers’ last five games. Clark’s grand slam in the Tigers’ 12-1 victory over Michigan State on Wednesday was the first grand slam by an LSU player since Blake Gill unloaded one against Arizona State on March 13, 2005.
Clark, a transfer from Riverside (Calif.) Community College, is hitting .382 (13-for-34) on the season with team-highs of six homers and 16 RBI.
Sophomore leftfielder Blake Dean has also posted impressive numbers, as he is hitting a team-high .455 (15-for-33) with four homers and 15 RBI. Dean, a 2007 Freshman all-American, is riding a six-game hitting streak, and he is batting .667 (8-for-12) with runners in scoring position.
Stetson is led at the plate by infielder Jeremy Cruz, who is hitting a blistering .564 (22-for-39) with three doubles, two triples, four homers and 17 RBI. Infielder Aaron Crittenden is batting .405 (15-for-37) with two doubles, three homers and 11 RBI.
The Hatters are hitting .303 as a team with 11 home runs. Stetson’s pitching staff has a 4.43 ERA and has recorded 77 strikeouts and 30 walks in 89.1 innings of work.
Stetson Hatters (6-4) at LSU Fighting Tigers (9-1)
DATES/TIMES
Friday, March 7 ? 7 p.m. CST; Saturday, March 8 ? 1 p.m. CST; Sunday, March 9 ? 1 p.m. CST
STADIUM
Alex Box Stadium (7,760) in Baton Rouge, La.
RANKINGS
Neither team is ranked
TICKETS
$8 adults, $4 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
RADIO
LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates (the Baton Rouge affiliate on Friday and Sunday is WDGL FM 98.1; the Baton Rouge affiliate on Saturday is 104.5/104.9 FM)
INTERNET
www.LSUsports.net ? live video, audio and stats
TV
None
SERIES RECORD
Series tied, 3-3 (LSU won two of three games in Baton Rouge in 2006; Stetson posted a 2-1 series victory over the Tigers in DeLand, Fla. in 2007)
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Game 1
LSU ? Sr. RHP Jared Bradford (2-0, 0.71 ERA, 12.2 IP, 4 BB, 16 SO)
SU — TBA
Game 2
LSU ? Jr. LHP Ryan Verdugo (2-0, 0.90 ERA, 10.0 IP, 6 BB, 13 SO)
SU ? TBA
Game 3
LSU ? Jr. LHP Blake Martin (1-0, 2.31 ERA, 11.2 IP, 6 BB, 14 SO)
SU — TBA