BATON ROUGE — The third-ranked LSU baseball team (13-2) returns to action at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday when the Tigers play host to Nicholls State (11-4) in Alex Box Stadium.
The Tigers will wear green caps and helmets, and white jerseys trimmed in green on Wednesday in recognition of St. Patrick’s Day. The jerseys feature the interlocking LSU logo on the left chest and a shamrock on the right sleeve.
Fans will have the opportunity to bid on the unique uniforms during a Tiger Athletic Foundation auction this summer.
The game 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 may be accessed in the Geaux Zone at www.LSUsports.net.
LSU is ranked No. 3 this week in the Collegiate Baseball and USA Today/ESPN polls, and No. 7 in the Baseball America poll released Monday.
The Tigers have appeared in the Top 10 of at least one college baseball poll for 28 consecutive weeks, a streak that began on May 19, 2008.
LSU coach Paul Mainieri said that sophomore left-hander Chris Matulis will start Wednesday’s game against the Colonels, marking his first appearance since he defeated Pepperdine on March 4. Matulis, who has been bothered by a sore forearm, worked five innings in the win over Pepperdine, allowing one run on four hits with six walks and two strikeouts.
Nicholls State coach Chip Durham will counter with sophomore left-hander Ryan Cooper (2-0), who has a 1.06 ERA in 17 innings of work this season.
“Coach Durham has done an outstanding job with the Nicholls program, and he has his team playing very well,” Mainieri said. “They’ve won 11 of their last 12 games so they’re coming in here with a lot of confidence. We know we have a very strong challenge in front of us.”
LSU senior first baseman Blake Dean was named Louisiana Sportswriters Association Hitter of the Week Tuesday after he batted .643 (9-for-14) in four games with two doubles, three homers, nine RBI and six runs. In the Tigers’ series versus Kansas, Dean hit .600 (6-for-10) with one double, two homers, five RBI and three runs.
In Saturday’s 4-2 win over the Jayhawks, Dean drove in all four LSU runs – he lined a two-run single in the fifth to tie the game at 2-2, and he launched a two-run homer in the seventh to lift the Tigers to the victory. Dean is hitting .424 (25-for-59) on the year with six doubles, four homers, 22 RBI and 15 runs.
Sophomore rightfielder Mikie Mahtook hit .538 (7-for-13) in the Tigers’ four games last week with one double, one triple, five RBI, two runs and two stolen bases. Junior centerfielder Leon Landry batted .467 (7-for-15) during the week with one double, one triple, one homer, six RBI, four runs and one steal
Sophomore right-hander Matty Ott earned his sixth save of the season Saturday versus Kansas, increasing his career total to 22. Ott is in second place on the all-time LSU saves list, trailing only Rick Greene, who had 29 saves for the Tigers from 1990-92. Ott worked 1.1 innings to earn the save on Saturday, striking out all four Kansas hitters that he faced.
Senior infielder Adam Miley is hitting .357 for the Colonels with three homers and 17 RBI, while junior infielder Chase Jaramillo is batting .359 with two homers and 12 RBI. Nicholls State is hitting .305 as a team with eight homers and 33 steals in 42 attempts.
LSU leads the all-time series with Nicholls State, 44-22; however, the Colonels posted a 3-1 victory over the Tigers last season in Alex Box Stadium. LSU had won 17 straight games over Nicholls State prior to last season’s loss to the Colonels.
Nicholls State Colonels (11-4) at # 3 LSU Fighting Tigers (13-2)
DATE/TIME
Wednesday, March 17 – 6:30 p.m. CT
STADIUM
Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. (10,150)
RANKINGS
LSU – No. 3 by Collegiate Baseball; No. 3 by USA Today/ESPN; No. 6 by NCBWA; No. 7 by Baseball America
Nicholls State – unranked
RADIO
LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates/The Baton Rouge affiliate is WDGL 98.1 FM
INTERNET
www.LSUsports.net – live video, audio and stats
TV
None
SERIES RECORD
LSU leads, 44-22
Nicholls State defeated LSU, 3-1, in the last meeting between the teams on April 15, 2009 in Alex Box Stadium
PITCHING MATCHUP
LSU – So. LHP Chris Matulis (2-0, 0.90 ERA, 10.0 IP, 6 BB, 7 SO)
NSU – So. LHP Ryan Cooper (2-0, 1.06 ERA, 17.0 IP, 4 BB, 10 SO)