BATON ROUGE — Fifth-ranked LSU (3-0) plays its first road game of the 2016 season as the Tigers face Lamar (4-0) at 6 p.m. CT Wednesday at Vincent-Beck Stadium in Beaumont, Texas.
The game can be heard on WTGE-FM 100.7 in Baton Rouge, and live audio of the contest may be accessed at www.LSUsports.net/live
Wednesday’s game will be televised by Cox Sports Television, and it may be viewed online at www.ESPN3.com (subject to blackout; see map below)
LSU is ranked in the Top 10 in the college baseball polls released Monday, and the Tigers’ highest ranking is No. 5 in the Perfect Game poll. The Tigers posted a three-game sweep over Cincinnati last weekend to open the 2016 season.
Lamar is off to a sizzling start, as the Cardinals swept Southeast Missouri State in a three-game series last weekend before overwhelming Arizona, 15-4, on Monday night.
Former LSU player and assistant coach Will Davis is an assistant coach at Lamar this season, and he will become the Cardinals’ head coach at the end of this season, when 39th-year head coach Jim Gilligan retires. Gilligan has collected over 1,300 career victories, and he has directed Lamar to 13 NCAA Tournament appearances.
“We have tremendous respect for Jim Gilligan and what he has accomplished at Lamar,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “He’s among the all-time great coaches in college baseball history, and he has a very good team this season. This game takes on even more significance because of our relationship with Will Davis. We’re extremely proud of Will and we’re looking forward to competing against his new team on Wednesday night.”
Mainieri said sophomore right-hander Austin Bain will start Wednesday’s game on the mound for LSU. Bain, who will make his first appearance of the 2016 season, was 2-3 with a 3.95 ERA in 54.2 innings last season with 23 walks and 56 strikeouts.
Lamar will counter with junior right-hander Brent Janak, who is also making his 2016 season debut. Janak was 0-1 last season with a 10.12 ERA in 10.2 innings with 10 walks and six strikeouts.
LSU catcher Jordan Romero, making his NCAA Division I collegiate debut in last weekend’s series versus Cincinnati, batted .750 (3-for-4) in two games with one homer, four RBI and two runs scored. Romero, a transfer from LSU-Eunice, was the hero on two occasions during the Tigers’ 6-5, 12-inning victory on Friday night – he delivered a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the game at 3-3 and send it into extra innings, and he then lifted the Tigers to victory in the 12th with a two-out, walk-off single.
Junior centerfielder Jake Fraley enjoyed a productive weekend at the plate, batting .385 (5-for-13) with two triples, one RBI, two steals and five runs scored. Junior third baseman/shortstop Cole Freeman hit .400 (4-for-10) with one double, two RBI and two stolen bases.
LSU blasted five home runs in the weekend series, including four in Sunday’s 12-4 victory. The four-homer output on Sunday marked the first time the Tigers launched four dingers in a game since May 13, 2014, when LSU belted five home runs against Northwestern State, a 27-0 LSU victory in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.
Lamar also already has five homers this season, with outfielder Jacoby Middleton and infielder Reid Russell having launched two apiece.
The all-time series between LSU and Lamar is tied 5-5, and the Tigers have a five-game win streak in the series. The teams have met in each of the past four seasons in Baton Rouge – LSU defeated Lamar, 5-4, on April 18, 2012; the Tigers posted an 8-1 win over the Cardinals on February 19, 2013; LSU blanked Lamar, 5-0, on April 9, 2014; and the Tigers recorded an 11-2 win over the Cardinals on April 15, 2015.
The Tigers’ five-game win streak in the series began in 1995 with a 10-6 win over the Cardinals at the Winn-Dixie Showdown in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. Wednesday’s game marks LSU’s first visit to Beaumont since March 30, 1994, when Lamar defeated LSU, 4-3.
Tonight’s game vs. Lamar will be on CST. https://t.co/QLm4rFfZjR will also carry the game subject to blackout. pic.twitter.com/GKHcf4qI7i
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) February 24, 2016
#5 LSU Fighting Tigers (3-0) at Lamar Cardinals (4-0)
DATE/TIME
Tuesday, Feb. 24 – 6 p.m. CT
STADIUM
Vincent-Beck Stadium in Beaumont, Texas
RANKINGS
LSU – consensus Top 10; highest ranking No. 5 by Perfect Game
LU – unranked
RADIO
WTGE 100.7 FM in Baton Rouge only
www.LSUsports.net/live – live audio
www.LSUstats.com – live stats
TV
Cox Sports Television (available in markets shaded in black in map above)
ONLINE
www.ESPN3.com (online stream blacked out in markets that carry Cox Sports Television – available in green areas of the map in Tweet above)
SERIES RECORD
The all-time series between LSU and Lamar is tied 5-5, and the Tigers have a five-game win streak in the series. The teams have met in each of the past four seasons in Baton Rouge – LSU defeated Lamar, 5-4, on April 18, 2012; the Tigers posted an 8-1 win over the Cardinals on February 19, 2013; LSU blanked Lamar, 5-0, on April 9, 2014; and the Tigers recorded an 11-2 win over the Cardinals on April 15, 2015. The Tigers’ five-game win streak in the series began in 1995 with a 10-6 win over the Cardinals at the Winn-Dixie Showdown in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. Wednesday’s game marks LSU’s first visit to Beaumont since March 30, 1994, when Lamar defeated LSU, 4-3.
PITCHING MATCHUP
LSU – So. RHP Austin Bain (2-3, 3.95 ERA, 54.2 IP, 23 BB, 56 SO in 2015)
LU – Jr. RHP Brent Janak (0-1, 10.12 ERA, 10.2 IP, 10 BB, 6 SO in 2015)