BATON ROUGE – No. 7 LSU (12-1) opens a three-game series against No. 6 Cal State Fullerton at 7 p.m. Friday in Alex Box Stadium. Game 2 is set for 2 p.m. Saturday, and Game 3 begins at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Live video, audio and stats of the games may be accessed in the Geaux Zone at www.LSUsports.net/live. The games can be also be heard on the affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network.
The games on Friday and Sunday will be televised by Cox Sports Television.
The series features two Top 10 teams – LSU is ranked No. 7 this week in the Collegiate Baseball magazine poll, and the Tigers are No. 8 in the USA Today/ESPN ranking. Cal State Fullerton is ranked No. 6 by Baseball America and No. 8 by Collegiate Baseball.
The tradition-rich LSU and Cal State Fullerton programs have combined to win 10 national championships. LSU has six titles (1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000 and 2009), and Cal State Fullerton has four (1979, 1984, 1995 and 2004).
“We are extremely excited for what we think will be a tremendous weekend of college baseball,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “Fullerton has had one of the premier programs in the country for many years, and they have another great club this season. Their program has always been rooted in great pitching and defense, and it will be our goal this weekend to try to match them in those areas.”
Mainieri said that freshman right-hander Kurt McCune (3-0) will start on the mound Friday for the Tigers, followed by freshman right-hander Kevin Gausman (2-0) in Game 2 and senior right-hander Ben Alsup in Game 3.
Cal State Fullerton coach Dave Serrano will counter with three junior right-handers over the weekend – Noe Ramirez (2-1), Tyler Pill (1-0) and Colin O’Connell (2-0).
“We’ve got two freshmen and a senior with limited experience pitching for us against three very talented and experienced juniors,” Mainieri said, “so that appears to give them an advantage on paper. We will certainly have to compete at the highest level to have success in this series.”
The LSU pitching staff enters the series with a 2.69 team ERA and a .192 opponent batting average. The CSF staff has a 2.09 team ERA and a .217 opponent batting average, and has allowed just one home run.
Junior right-hander Matty Ott has a chance this weekend to become LSU’s all-time saves leader. Ott earned his second save of the season and the 29th save of his career last Wednesday versus Mississippi Valley State, tying Rick Greene (1990-92) as LSU’s all-time saves leader. Ott worked a perfect ninth inning against MVSU with one strikeout to earn the record-tying save.
LSU sophomore right-hander Kevin Berry has worked six perfect innings in seven relief appearances this season. He has recorded no walks and four strikeouts, and he recorded his first save of the season Saturday against Princeton. Berry blanked Princeton for 1.1 innings with two strikeouts.
LSU enters the series batting .321 as a team with 14 homers and 22 steals on the year. The Tigers are led at the plate by freshman second baseman JaCoby Jones, who is hitting .439 (18-for-41) on the year with three homers and 14 RBI. Sophomore designated hitter Raph Rhymes is batting .385 (20-for-52) with seven doubles, one homer and 17 RBI while junior centerfielder Mikie Mahtook has a team-high six homers to go along with three doubles and 14 RBI.
Cal State Fullerton is hitting .267 on the year with 15 doubles, five triples and no home runs. The Titans are paced offensively by sophomore infielder Richy Pedroza, who is batting .422 (19-for-45) with three doubles and five RBI. Junior infielder Anthony Trajano is hitting .333 (7-for-21) with one double, one triple and eight RBI, while junior first baseman Nick Ramirez is batting .289 (13-for-45) with three doubles, one triple and eight RBI.
Cal State Fullerton leads the all-time series with LSU, 4-3. Friday’s game marks the first meeting between the schools since the opening round of the 2003 College World Series, when the Titans defeated the Tigers, 8-2. CSF also posted a 20-6 win over LSU in the 1994 CWS.
The series marks Cal State Fullerton’s fourth trip to Baton Rouge, but its first in the regular season. The Titans competed in NCAA Regionals in the original Alex Box Stadium in 1992, 1995 and 1998, with LSU winning two of the three meetings between the teams in those tournaments.
The schools first met in the 1987 NCAA South II Regional final in New Orleans, where the Tigers recorded a 7-3 win to advance to the CWS. The Titans defeated LSU a year later in the schools’ only regular-season meeting, a 7-2 CSF victory in the 1988 Busch Challenge at the Louisiana Superdome.
#6 Cal State Fullerton Titans (8-3) at #7 LSU Fighting Tigers (12-1)
GAME DATES/TIMES
Friday, March 11 – 7 p.m.; Saturday, March 12 – 2 p.m.; Sunday, March 13 – 1 p.m.
STADIUM
Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. (10,150)
RANKINGS
LSU – No. 7 by Collegiate Baseball; No. 8 by ESPN/USA Today; No. 16 by Baseball America
Cal State Fullerton – No. 6 by Baseball America; No. 8 by Collegiate Baseball; No. 12 by ESPN/USA Today
RADIO
LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates/flagship station is WDGL 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge
INTERNET
www.LSUsports.net/live – live audio, video and stats
TV
Friday – Cox Sports Television
Saturday – None
Sunday – Cox Sports Television
SERIES RECORD
Cal State Fullerton leads the all-time series with LSU, 4-3. Friday’s game marks the first meeting between the schools since the opening round of the 2003 College World Series, when the Titans defeated the Tigers, 8-2.
PITCHING MATCHUPS
GAME 1
LSU – Fr. RHP Kurt McCune (3-0, 1.47 ERA, 18.1 IP, 5 BB, 13 SO)
CSF – Jr. RHP Noe Ramirez (2-1, 1.71 ERA, 21.0 IP, 4 BB, 21 SO)
GAME 2
LSU – Fr. RHP Kevin Gausman (2-0, 2.55 ERA, 17.2 IP, 4 BB, 22 SO)
CSF – Jr. RHP Tyler Pill (1-0, 1.86 ERA, 19.1 IP, 8 BB, 17 SO)
GAME 3
LSU – Sr. RHP Ben Alsup (2-1, 2.30 ERA, 15.2 IP, 9 BB, 12 SO)
CSF – Jr. RHP Colin O’Connell (2-0, 0.82 ERA, 22.0 IP, 0 BB, 12 SO)