LSU Gold

Wally Pontiff Jr. Foundation Baseball Classic Preview

by Bill Franques
The Paul Mainieri Show - Week 4 +0
Wally Pontiff Jr. Foundation Baseball Classic Preview

BATON ROUGE, La. – Seventh-ranked LSU (27-9-1) travels to Metairie, La. on Tuesday to face Southern Mississippi (21-16) at 7 p.m. CT in the 11th annual Wally Pontiff Jr. Foundation Baseball Classic at Zephyr Field.

The game can be heard on the LSU Sports Radio Network, including Baton Rouge flagship WDGL-FM 98.1 FM. Live audio and stats of the games may be accessed in the Geaux Zone at www.LSUsports.net/live.

Television coverage will be produced by the Jumbo Sports Network and the game can be seen on Cox Sports Television

Wally Pontiff Jr., an all-SEC third baseman at LSU, died in 2002 at the age of 21 due to a heart abnormality. Proceeds from Tuesday’s game will go to the Wally Pontiff Jr. Foundation, which benefits charitable organizations throughout Louisiana.

LSU, ranked in the Top 10 of at least one poll for 44 consecutive weeks, has won seven of its last eight games, including five of its last six SEC contests.

LSU will depart right after Tuesday’s game for Memphis, Tenn., where the Tigers will visit the St. Jude Children’s Hospital on Wednesday, then travel to Oxford, Miss. for the series at Ole Miss that begins on Thursday.

“We’ve played pretty well over the last eight games, but we have a very challenging week ahead,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “Southern Miss has another very good club that is in second place in Conference USA, and we’re going to one of the toughest places to win in the SEC in Ole Miss. We’ve made progress in getting ourselves back into the thick of our league race, but we’ve got to continue to get better. That starts on Tuesday with all of our focus on Southern Miss.

“We’re certainly excited to be participating again in the Wally Pontiff Jr. Classic. It’s a privilege to play in such a meaningful event, and the Pontiff family has done an amazing job in raising funds for so many worthwhile causes throughout our state.”

LSU freshman right-hander Alden Cartwright (1-0, 1.23 ERA) will make his first career collegiate start Tuesday night, while Southern Miss coach Scott Berry will counter with sophomore right-hander Cody Carroll (2-0, 2.88 ERA).

The Tigers have a 269 team batting average with 18 homers and 27 stolen bases in 41 attempts. The LSU pitching staff’s ERA is 2.40, which ranks fourth in the SEC.

The Tigers are led at the plate by sophomore centerfielder Andrew Stevenson, who is hitting .352 with one double, four triples and 18 RBI.  Junior catcher Kade Scivicque is hitting .351 with four doubles, four homers and 24 RBI.

Southern Miss is hitting .243 as a team with 16 homers and 14 steals in 26 attempts. The Golden Eagles have a 3.53 team ERA.

USM is led at the plate by sophomore infielder Tim Lynch, who is batting .308 with eight doubles, one homer and 23 RBI. Junior catcher Matt Durst is hitting .287 with six doubles, one triple, four homers and 24 RBI.

LSU leads Southern Miss, 37-11-2, in a series that began in 1970. LSU has won the last six meetings between the clubs, including an 8-3 victory in 2012 at Zephyr Field. The Golden Eagles’ last victory over LSU came on March 11, 2007, a 5-3 win in a regular-season matchup in the original Alex Box Stadium. The Tigers are 3-0 against USM in Wally Pontiff Jr. Classic games at Zephyr Field with wins in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

LSU’s first game at Zephyr Field occurred in 1998 vs. Tulane, and the Tigers have an all-time record of 21-12 at the AAA minor league facility.

LSU is 8-2 in the Wally Pontiff Jr. Foundation Classic, which began in 2004 when the Tigers posted a 9-3 win over Southeastern Louisiana. The Tigers are 1-0 vs. Southeastern Louisiana, 1-1 vs. Rice, 1-1 vs. New Orleans, 1-0 vs. UL-Lafayette, 3-0 vs. Southern Miss and 1-0 vs. Southern in Wally Pontiff Jr. Classic games.

Southern Miss Golden Eagles (21-16) at #7 LSU Fighting Tigers (27-9-1)
11th Annual Wally Pontiff Jr. Foundation Baseball Classic

DATE/TIME
Tuesday, April 15 – 7 p.m. CT

STADIUM
Zephyr Field in Metairie, La.

RANKINGS
LSU – No. 7 by USA Today; No. 8 by Perfect Game; No. 12 by Baseball America; No. 14 by Collegiate Baseball
USM – unranked

RADIO
LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates (WDGL 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge)

INTERNET
LSUsports.net – live audio in the Geaux Zone/free live stats

TV
Cox Sports Television

SERIES RECORD/EVENT HISTORY
LSU leads Southern Miss, 37-11-2, in a series that began in 1970. LSU has won the last six meetings between the clubs, including an 8-3 victory in 2012 at Zephyr Field. The Golden Eagles’ last victory over LSU came on March 11, 2007, a 5-3 win in a regular-season matchup in the original Alex Box Stadium. The Tigers are 3-0 against USM in Wally Pontiff Jr. Classic games at Zephyr Field with wins in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
Wally Pontiff Jr., an all-SEC third baseman at LSU, died in 2002 at the age of 21 due to a heart abnormality. Proceeds from Tuesday’s game will go to the Wally Pontiff Jr. Foundation, which benefits charitable organizations throughout Louisiana.
LSU’s first game at Zephyr Field occurred in 1998 vs. Tulane, and the Tigers have an all-time record of 21-12 at the AAA minor league facility.
LSU is 8-2 in the Wally Pontiff Jr. Foundation Classic, which began in 2004 when the Tigers posted a 9-3 win over Southeastern Louisiana. The Tigers are 1-0 vs. Southeastern Louisiana, 1-1 vs. Rice, 1-1 vs. New Orleans, 1-0 vs. UL-Lafayette, 3-0 vs. Southern Miss and 1-0 vs. Southern in Wally Pontiff Jr. Classic games.

PITCHING MATCHUP
LSU – Fr. RHP Alden Cartwright (1-0, 1.23 ERA, 14.2 IP, 3 BB, 13 SO)
USM – So. RHP Cody Carroll (2-0, 2.88 ERA, 25.0 IP, 10 BB, 20 SO)