BATON ROUGE, La. – The 13th-ranked LSU baseball squad (7-2) plays host to Dartmouth (0-0) this weekend in a three-game series in Alex Box Stadium. First pitch for Game 1 is 7 p.m. Friday, Game 2 starts at 2 p.m. Saturday, and Game 3 begins at 11 a.m. Sunday.
The LSU-Dartmouth series will be carried by the affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network, with Baton Rouge affiliate WDGL 98.1 FM serving as the flagship station. Live video and audio of the game may be accessed in the Geaux Zone at www.LSUsports.net/live.
LSU has won two games already this week, defeating Grambling State 17-10 on Tuesday at home and overpowering McNeese State, 19-10, in Lake Charles on Wednesday. Dartmouth, which was 30-12 last season and finished second in the Ivy League, will play its 2012 season opener Friday against the Tigers.
“We’ve faced Ivy League clubs in each of the past three seasons, and we’re very aware of the high level at which they compete,” LSU coach Paul Mainieri said. “Dartmouth was one of the best teams in the Ivy League last year, and they return a lot of experienced players, so we know we’ll have our hands full this weekend.”
Friday’s game marks the first meeting between LSU and Dartmouth, but LSU has played host to an Ivy League school in each of the three previous seasons. The Tigers swept two games from Harvard in 2009 and two games from Brown in 2010, and LSU won two of three games over Princeton in 2011.
LSU has scored 36 runs on 35 hits in its two wins this week, batting .417 as a team. Junior first baseman Mason Katz, who has reached base in 12 consecutive plate appearances over the past three games, is 7-for-7 so far this week with two doubles, one homer and four RBI.
Senior third baseman Tyler Hanover is 6-for-9 this week with three doubles and seven RBI, and junior rightfielder Raph Rhymes is 6-for-10 this week with one double and eight RBI.
Katz leads LSU on the year with a .500 (14-for-28) cumulative average, and he has four doubles, one triple, one homer and 10 RBI. Hanover is hitting .394 (13-for-33) with four doubles and seven RBI, and Rhymes is batting .394 (13-for-33) with one double and 12 RBI.
Mainieri said that sophomore right-hander Kevin Gausman (2-0, 0.69) will start Friday’s game for LSU, followed by sophomore right-hander Ryan Eades (1-1, 0.79 ERA) and sophomore right-hander Kurt McCune (1-1, 3.00 ERA).
Gausman defeated Appalachian State last Friday, firing seven shutout innings while allowing four hits with no walks and seven strikeouts. Gausman, who has thrown 12.1 consecutive scoreless innings, lowered the opponents’ batting average against him to .170.
Eades, who suffered a hard-luck, 1-0 loss to Appalachian State last Saturday, has recorded three walks and 13 strikeouts in 11.1 innings and opponents are hitting just .135 against him.
Dartmouth coach Bob Whalen will send junior left-hander Kyle Hunter (5- 3, 3.77 ERA in 2011) to the mound in Friday’s series opener. Sophomore lefty Mitch Horacek (3-2, 6.86 ERA in 2011) will start on Saturday and junior left-hander Michael Johnson (3-0, 4.39 ERA) will take the hill on Sunday.
Dartmouth’s top returning hitter is senior shortstop Joe Sclafani, who batted .349 last year with four homers and 34 RBI. Junior designated hitter Ennis Coble hit .361 with one homer and 40 RBI, and junior catcher Chris O’Dowd batted .329 with seven homers and 23 RBI.
Dartmouth Big Green (0-0) at #13 LSU Fighting Tigers (7-2)
DATES/TIMES
Friday, March 2 – 7 p.m. CT; Saturday, March 3 – 2 p.m. CT; Sunday, March 4 – 11 a.m. CT
STADIUM
Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. (10,326)
RANKINGS
LSU – No. 13 by Collegiate Baseball; No. 14 by Baseball America; No. 20 by ESPN/USA Today
Dartmouth – unranked
RADIO
LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates
The Baton Rouge affiliate is WDGL 98.1 FM
Pregame show starts 30 minutes prior to first pitch
INTERNET
www.LSUsports.net – live video, audio and stats
TV
none
PROMOTIONS
On Saturday, the first 2,000 fans will receive an LSU Baseball tumbler.
SERIES RECORD
First meeting between LSU and Dartmouth … LSU has played host to an Ivy League school in each of the three previous seasons – the Tigers swept two games from Harvard in 2009 and from Brown in 2010, and LSU won two of three games over Princeton in 2011.
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Game 1
LSU – So. RHP Kevin Gausman (2-0, 0.69 ERA, 13.0 IP, 2 BB, 14 SO)
DC – Jr. LHP Kyle Hunter (2011 stats: 5-3, 3.77 ERA, 62.0 IP, 16 BB, 43 SO)
Game 2
LSU – So. RHP Ryan Eades (1-1, 0.79 ERA, 11.1 IP, 3 BB, 13 SO)
DC – So. LHP Mitch Horacek (2011 stats: 3-2, 6.86 ERA, 40.2 IP, 8 BB, 17 SO)
Game 3
LSU – So. RHP Kurt McCune (1-1, 3.00 ERA, 9.0 IP, 3 BB, 6 SO)
DC – Jr. LHP Michael Johnson (2011 stats: 3-0, 4.39 ERA, 26.2 IP, 12 BB, 20 SO)