UPDATE: First pitch between LSU and TCU will be 7:35 p.m. CT due to the previous game going long.
BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 2 LSU (8-1) faces No.1 TCU (7-1) at 7:35 p.m. Friday in the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic at Minute Maid Park in Houston.
The Tigers will meet Baylor (9-0) at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, and LSU plays Texas Tech (9-1) at 10 a.m. on Sunday.
The games may be heard on the LSU Sports Radio Network (WDGL 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge) on Friday and Sunday. Saturday’s game will be carried in Baton Rouge only on WTGE 100.7 FM.
Radio broadcasts of all three games may be heard at www.LSUsports.net/live, with live stats for the games available at www.LSUstats.com.
Friday’s game versus TCU will be televised on FS2 and Fox Sports Net affiliates around the country (Fox Sports Southwest in Louisiana). The games on Saturday and Sunday will also be televised by FSN affiliates, including Fox Sports Southwest in Louisiana.
This weekend’s series marks LSU’s second appearance in Minute Maid Park. The Tigers won all three of their games in the 2015 Houston College Classic, defeating Houston, Baylor and Nebraska.
LSU has won five straight games, including a 3-2 victory over Nicholls on Tuesday in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. The streak also includes a three-game sweep of Maryland last weekend, which was ranked in the Top 25 preseason polls. LSU batted .370 (37-for-100) in the Maryland series with five doubles, four triples, two homers and 29 runs. The Tigers were also 5-for-5 in stolen base attempts against the Terrapins, and LSU committed just one error in the three-game series
LSU coach Paul Mainieri said the Tigers are looking forward to the challenge of facing three ranked opponents from the Big 12. TCU is No. 1, Baylor is No. 17, and Texas Tech is No. 10.”
“We are certainly very excited to play against some great teams in a big-league ball park,” Mainieri said. “It will be similar to the SEC Tournament in a way, because you’re playing on consecutive days against different teams. The atmosphere should be tremendous with Houston having such a large population of LSU alumni. We’re expecting great crowds and three great ball games this weekend.”
Junior right-hander Alex Lange (2-0) will start Friday’s game on the mound for the Tigers, with senior left-hander Jared Poche’ (2-0) getting the start on Saturday. Freshman right-hander Eric Walker (1-0) is scheduled to start Sunday’s weekend finale.
Lange had an excellent outing last Friday against Maryland, firing 12 strikeouts, just one shy of his career high. He worked six innings against the Terps, allowing one run on six hits with two walks while throwing 88 pitches.
Poche’ nearly fired a no-hitter for the second straight weekend, as he tossed eight hitless innings against Maryland last Saturday. The Terrapins broke up the no-hit bid with an infield single to lead off the ninth inning, and Poche’ exited the game after throwing 98 pitches. Poche’, who threw a complete-game, seven-inning no-hitter against Army on February 18, improved to 2-0 with the win over Maryland, limiting the Terps to no runs on one hit in eight innings with two walks and six strikeouts.
LSU leads the all-time series with TCU, 6-3, and the teams’ first meeting came in 1967. Friday’s game marks the first matchup between the teams since the 2015 College World Series, when the Horned Frogs defeated the Tigers twice – once in the opening round (10-3) and once in an elimination game (8-4).
LSU leads the all-time series with Baylor, 9-3, and the teams’ first meeting came in 1916. The Tigers and the Bears last met in the 2015 Houston College Classic in Minute Maid Park, where LSU posted a 2-0 win over BU. The most significant matchup between the teams came in 2003, when LSU defeated Baylor in two of three games to win an NCAA Super Regional at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge.
Sunday’s game will mark the first meeting between LSU and Texas Tech.
#2 LSU Fighting Tigers (8-1)
Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic
DATES/TIMES
Friday, March 3 – LSU vs. TCU, 7:35 p.m. CT
Saturday, March 4 – LSU vs. Baylor, 3:30 p.m. CT
Sunday, March 5 – LSU vs. Texas Tech, 10 a.m. CT
STADIUM
Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas
RANKINGS
LSU – No. 2 by Perfect Game; No. 3 by Collegiate Baseball; No. 4 by Baseball America; No. 4 by D1 Baseball
TCU – No. 1 in all college baseball polls
Baylor – No. 17 by Collegiate Baseball
Texas Tech – No. 10 by D1 Baseball; No. 12 by Collegiate Baseball; No. 21 by Baseball America
RADIO
Friday and Sunday – LSU Sports Radio Network; in Baton Rouge on WDGL 98.1 FM
Saturday – in Baton Rouge on WTGE 100.7 FM
Radio broadcast and live stats for all LSU baseball games are available at www.LSUsports.net
TV
Friday vs. TCU – FS2, Fox Sports Southwest, Fox Sports Southwest Plus
Saturday vs. Baylor – Fox Sports Southwest, Fox Sports Southwest Plus
Sunday vs. Texas Tech – Fox Sports Southwest
ONLINE
All three games may be viewed on Fox Sports GO. Games on FOX Sports GO can be streamed live on FOXSportsGO.com or on the FOX Sports GO app, which can be downloaded from iTunes, Google Play, Amazon App Store and Windows Store.
SERIES RECORD
vs. TCU – LSU leads the all-time series with TCU, 6-3, and the teams’ first meeting came in 1967. Friday’s game marks the first matchup between the teams since the 2015 College World Series, when the Horned Frogs defeated the Tigers twice – once in the opening round (10-3) and once in an elimination game (8-4).
vs. Baylor – LSU leads the all-time series with Baylor, 9-3, and the teams’ first meeting came in 1916. The Tigers and the Bears last met in the 2015 Houston College Classic in Minute Maid Park, where LSU posted a 2-0 win over BU. The most significant matchup between the teams came in 2003, when LSU defeated Baylor in two of three games to win an NCAA Super Regional at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge.
vs. Texas Tech – Sunday’s game marks the first meeting between LSU and Texas Tech.
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Game 1
LSU – Jr. RHP Alex Lange (2-0, 0.82 ERA, 11.0 IP, 2 BB, 18 SO)
TCU – Sr. RHP Brian Howard (1-1, 3.27 ERA, 11.0 IP, 2 BB, 10 SO)
Game 2
LSU – Jr. LHP Jared Poche’ (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 15.0 IP, 2 BB, 10 SO)
Baylor – Jr. RHP Montana Parsons (1-0, 3.38 ERA, 10.2 IP, 7 BB, 9 SO)
Game 3
LSU – Fr. RHP Eric Walker (1-0, 4.00 ERA, 9.0 IP, 3 BB, 12 SO)
Texas Tech – So. RHP Ryan Shetter (1-0, 2.13 ERA, 12.2 IP, 2 BB, 16 SO)