BATON ROUGE — Fourth-ranked LSU (34-12, 14-7 SEC) travels to Fayetteville, Ark., this weekend for a Southeastern Conference showdown with No. 7 Arkansas (29-12,13-7) at Baum Stadium.
Game 1 of the series begins at 6:30 p.m. CT Friday, Game 2 starts at 2 p.m. CT Saturday, and first pitch for Game 3 is 1 p.m. CT Sunday.
The games will be carried by the affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network. The Baton Rouge affiliate is WDGL 98.1 FM.
Live video, audio and stats of all three games may be accessed in the Geaux Zone at www.LSUsports.net.
The games on Friday and Sunday will be televised by Cox Sports Television (Cable Ch. 37 in Baton Rouge).
LSU is tied with Georgia (14-7) for first place in the overall SEC standings. The Tigers are in sole possession of first place in the SEC Western Division, one-half game ahead of Arkansas (13-7).
“Our players are very excited about facing Arkansas this weekend,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “We’re looking forward to seeing huge crowds and a great college baseball environment, just like the one we have here at home. Arkansas is an outstanding team; they play with passion and heart and they know how to win games. It’s our challenge this weekend to match their grit and resolve.”
Mainieri said sophomore right-hander Anthony Ranaudo (5-2, 2.89 ERA) will start Friday’s game on the mound for LSU. Senior right-hander Louis Coleman (8-2, 3.07 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Tigers on Saturday, and sophomore right-hander Austin Ross (4-5, 4.92 ERA) will be Sunday’s starting pitcher.
Ranaudo leads the SEC with 98 strikeouts this season, and he is No. 1 in the league in opponent batting average (.204). He was named one of six National Players of the Week Monday by Collegiate Baseball magazine after recording a career-best 15 strikeouts on April 24 versus Auburn.
The 15 Ks represented the most by an LSU pitcher since Kurt Ainsworth recorded 16 strikeouts at Tennessee on April 2, 1999.
Coleman leads the conference in wins with eight, and he is No. 2 in strikeouts (86) and No. 4 in opponent batting average (.227).
Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn will counter with junior left-hander Dallas Keuchel (6-1, 4.30 ERA) on Friday, sophomore right-hander Brett Eibner (4-2, 3.23 ERA) on Saturday and junior right-hander TJ Forrest (2-3, 4.74 ERA), a former LSU hurler. Forrest pitched for the Tigers in 2007 before transferring to Bossier Parish (La.) Community College.
LSU enters Friday’s game batting .315 as a team with 74 home runs and 88 stolen bases. LSU is second in the SEC in batting average, fourth in homers and first in steals. The Tigers have a 4.37 team ERA, which ranks No. 4 in the league.
LSU is led at the plate by sophomore second baseman DJ LeMahieu, who is hitting .369 with eight doubles, three triples, three homers and 23 RBI. LeMahieu enters Friday’s game riding a 13-game hitting streak.
LeMahieu helped lead LSU to a sweep of Auburn last weekend, batting .500 (7-for-14) in the series with one double and three RBI. His biggest hit of the weekend came on Saturday, as he delivered a walk-off, two-out RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Tigers a 7-6 win.
Junior outfielder/DH Blake Dean has been torrid at the plate over the past 15 games. Dean is hitting .458 ( 27-for-59) in that span with six doubles, eight homers and 25 RBI.
Junior outfielder Ryan Schimpf has also been swinging a hot bat over the past 15 games, as he is hitting .436 (24-for-55) in that period with four doubles, eight homers and 19 RBI.
Schimpf and Dean combined to accomplish a rare feat, as they launched back-to-back homers twice in the same inning during Wednesday’s 13-2 win over Tulane. The home runs ? all solo shots ? came during a 10-run, 10-hit fifth inning.
Arkansas is 12th in the SEC with a .277 team batting average, and Razorbacks rank seventh in the league in home runs (55) and eighth in stolen bases (50).
Arkansas is led at the plate by senior Chase Leavitt, who is hitting .346 (45-for-130) with 11 doubles, one triple, one homer and 24 RBI.
Sophomore infielder Andy Wilkins is batting .315 (46-for-146) with 10 doubles, 13 homers and 34 RBI, and senior infielder Ben Tschepikow is hitting .310 (49-for-158) with five doubles, three triples, eight homers and 33 RBI.
LSU leads the all-time series with Arkansas, 45-21, and the Tigers have won four straight SEC series over the Razorbacks. The last series win for Arkansas over LSU came in 2004 in Baton Rouge.
LSU has won three straight series in Fayetteville; the Tigers’ last series loss at Arkansas came in 2001, when the Hogs swept the Tigers at Baum Stadium.
#4 LSU Fighting Tigers (34-12, 14-7) at # 7 Arkansas Razorbacks (29-12, 13-7)
LSU is tied with Georgia (14-7) for first place in the overall SEC standings. The Tigers are in sole possession of first place in the SEC Western Division, one-half game ahead of Arkansas.
DATES/TIMES
Friday, May 1 ? 6:30 p.m. CT; Saturday, May 2 ? 2 p.m. CT; Sunday, May 3 ? 1 p.m. CT
STADIUM
Baum Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark.
RANKINGS
LSU – No. 4 by Collegiate Baseball; No. 5 by Baseball America; No. 5 by USA Today/ESPN
Arkansas – No. 7 by Collegiate Baseball; No. 8 by USA Today/ESPN; No. 12 by Baseball America
RADIO
LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates
The Baton Rouge affiliate is WDGL 98.1 FM
INTERNET
www.LSUsports.net ? live video, audio and stats for all three games
TV
Cox Sports Television on Friday and Sunday; No TV on Saturday
SERIES RECORD
LSU leads, 45-21 (teams first met in 1960)
LSU has won its last four SEC series vs. Arkansas ? the Razorbacks’ last series win over LSU came in 2004 in Baton Rouge
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Game 1
LSU ? So. RHP Anthony Ranaudo (5-2, 2.89 ERA, 65.1 IP, 23 BB, 98 SO)
UA ? LHP Dallas Keuchel (6-1, 4.30 ERA, 60.2 IP, 12 BB, 46 SO)
Game 2
LSU ? Sr. RHP Louis Coleman (8-2, 3.07 ERA, 67.1 IP, 16 BB, 86 SO)
UA ? RHP Brett Eibner (4-2, 3.23 ERA, 39.0 IP, 18 BB, 43 SO)
Game 3
LSU ? So. RHP Austin Ross (4-5, 4.92 ERA, 53.0 IP, 11 BB, 48 SO)
UA ? RHP TJ Forrest (2-3, 4.74 ERA, 43.2 IP, 17 BB, 35 SO)
Quoting LSU Coach Paul Mainieri
“Our players are very excited about facing Arkansas this weekend. We’re looking forward to seeing huge crowds and a great college baseball environment, just like the one we have here at home. Arkansas is an outstanding team; they play with passion and heart and they know how to win games. It’s our challenge this weekend to match their grit and resolve.”