BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 16 LSU (18-7, 1-5 SEC) plays host this weekend to Ole Miss (18-8, 3-3 SEC) in a three-game conference series that begins at 7 p.m. CT Friday.
Game 2 starts at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, and Game 3 will begin 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 also be heard on the affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network.
Saturday’s game will be televised by Cox Sports Television.
“We’re looking forward a great weekend of baseball against an excellent Ole Miss team, ” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “(Ole Miss coach) Mike Bianco has done a magnificent job in building their program, and they are a very well-coached team with a lot of talented players. Though we’ve had some very close losses in the league, our spirit isn’t broken and we’re ready to play at a high level.”
Mainieri said freshman right-hander Kurt McCune will start on the mound Friday for the Tigers, followed by freshman right-hander Kevin Gausman on Saturday and senior right-hander Ben Alsup on Sunday.
McCune fired a complete-game six-hitter last Friday to lead the Tigers to a 7-3 win over Georgia. McCune, in his first career SEC road start, limited Georgia to three runs on six hits with one walk and seven strikeouts as he recorded the first complete game of the season by an LSU pitcher.
McCune’s outing marked the first complete game by a Tigers’ hurler since May 29, 2010, when Ben Alsup recorded a complete-game victory over Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament
Bianco, an LSU catcher in 1988 and 1989, will counter with junior left-hander Matt Crouse, junior right-hander David Goforth and junior left-hander Austin Wright.
The Tigers are batting .309 as a team with 48 doubles, six triples, 18 homers and 49 steals on the year. The LSU pitching staff has a 3.62 ERA with 184 strikeouts and a .231 opponent batting average.
LSU is ranked No. 2 in the SEC in team batting average, and the Tigers are No. 8 in the league in staff ERA.
The Tigers are led at the plate by junior centerfielder Mikie Mahtook, who is hitting .375 with six doubles, two triples, eight homers and 27 RBI. Sophomore designated hitter Raph Rhymes is batting .360 with eight doubles, one homer and 20 RBI while freshman second baseman JaCoby Jones is hitting .341 with three doubles, one triple, three homers and 17 RBI.
Ole Miss is batting .286 with 44 doubles, four triples, 16 homers and 27 stolen bases. The Rebels’ pitching staff has a 2.61 ERA with 195 strikeouts and a .241 opponent batting average.
Ole Miss is No. 9 in the SEC in team batting average and the Rebels are third in the league in team ERA.
The Rebels are led at the plate by sophomore infielder Alex Yarbrough, who is hitting .347 with seven doubles, two triples, two homers and 16 RBI. Sophomore outfielder Tanner Mathis is batting .333 with five doubles and 20 RBI, while senior outfielder Matt Tracy is hitting .303 with two doubles, one homer and 13 RBI.
LSU leads Ole Miss, 161-140, in a series that began in 1906. LSU has captured eight of its last 12 regular-season series with Ole Miss, though the Rebels swept three games from the Tigers last season in Oxford. LSU rebounded to defeat Ole Miss, 8-0, in the semifinal round of the 2010 SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala.
Bianco has a 17-18 career mark against LSU since 2001, his first season at Ole Miss.
Ole Miss Rebels (18-8, 3-3 SEC) at #16 LSU Fighting Tigers (18-7, 1-5 SEC)
GAME DATES/TIMES
Friday, April 1 – 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 2 – 6:30 p.m.; Sunday, April 3 – 1 p.m.
STADIUM
Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.
RANKINGS
LSU -No. 16 by ESPN/USA Today; No. 17 by Baseball America; No. 25 by Collegiate Baseball
UM – unranked
RADIO
LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates/flagship station is WDGL 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge
INTERNET
www.LSUsports.net/HDbaseball – live video, audio and stats
TV
Cox Sports Television on Saturday; no TV on Friday and Sunday
SERIES RECORD
LSU leads Ole Miss, 161-140, in a series that began in 1906. LSU has captured eight of its last 12 regular-season series with Ole Miss, though the Rebels swept three games from the Tigers last season in Oxford. LSU rebounded to defeat Ole Miss, 8-0, in the semifinal round of the 2010 SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala.
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Game 1
LSU – Fr. RHP Kurt McCune (4-0, 1.56 ERA, 40.1 IP, 8 BB, 28 SO)
UM – Jr. LHP Matt Crouse (6-0, 1.27 ERA, 42.2 IP, 4 BB, 35 SO)
Game 2
LSU – Fr. RHP Kevin Gausman (2-2, 4.41 ERA, 34.2 IP, 12 BB, 33 SO)
UM – Jr. RHP David Goforth (0-4, 3.38 ERA, 37.1 IP, 14 BB, 22 SO)
Game 3
LSU – Sr. RHP Ben Alsup (3-3, 3.07 ERA, 29.1 IP, 11 BB, 23 SO)
UM – Jr. LHP Austin Wright (3-2, 3.06 ERA, 35.1 IP, 11 BB, 34 SO)