LOS ANGELES – Defending national champion LSU begins its quest for a third straight College World Series appearance at 2 p.m. PT Friday when the Tigers face UC Irvine in the first game of the NCAA Los Angeles Regional.
The second-seeded Tigers (40-20) will take on the third-seeded Anteaters (37-19) at UCLA’s Jackie Robinson Stadium. Top-seeded UCLA will face No. 4 seed Kent State at 6 p.m. PT Friday.
The regional continues with second-round games on Saturday and will conclude on either Sunday or Monday. The winner of the Los Angeles Regional will meet the winner of the Fullerton (Calif.) Regional in a Super Regional next weekend.
All games of the NCAA Los Angeles Regional will be televised by Cox Sports Television. The LSU games can be heard on the affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network, and live audio and stats will be available at www.LSUsports.net/live.
All four teams practiced for 75 minutes Wednesday at Jackie Robinson Stadium. LSU took a spirited round of batting practice as the Tigers acclimated themselves to the UCLA facililty.
LSU coach Paul Mainieri said that junior right-hander Austin Ross (5-4, 5.07 ERA) will start Friday’s game on the mound for the Tigers. UC Irvine coach Mike Gillespie will counter with senior left-hander Daniel Bibona (9-2, 2.10 ERA), who hasn’t pitched in over a month due to a ribcage injury.
“We thought Austin would be a good matchup for UC Irvine’s style of play,” Mainieri said. “They take a lot of pitches, and they don’t strike out very much, so you need someone who will throw strikes. Austin has been very effective in his recent starts, and we hope he can give us another very strong outing.”
Ross is coming off a strong outing last Thursday at the SEC Tournament, where he defeated Vanderbilt by working a season-high eight innings.
LSU and UC Irvine last met in the 2008 NCAA Super Regional in Baton Rouge, where the Tigers won two of three games over the Anteaters to advance to the College World Series.
Bibona was the starting pitcher in Game 2 of the ’08 Super Regional, and he limited the Tigers to three runs on nine hits in 7.1 innings with one walk and eight strikeouts. UC Irvine led the game 7-2 through seven innings, but LSU rallied for a dramatic 9-7 victory, scoring seven runs over the final two innings.
The Anteaters are hitting .304 as a team with 33 homers and 36 stolen bases. Infielder Jeff Cusick leads UC Irvine at the plate, batting .379 with 19 doubles, eight homers and 56 RBI. Infielder Brian Hernandez is hitting ..333 with 18 doubles, two triples, four homers and 42 RBI, while infielder Casey Stevenson is batting .318 with 15 doubles, four triples, four homers and 38 RBI.
LSU has won six of its last seven games, including four straight wins to claim the SEC Tournament title last weekend in Hoover, Ala. The Tigers batted .369 in the tournament as a team, producing 55 hits in four games.
Shortstop Austin Nola was named the MVP of the tournament as he batted .438 with three doubles, one triple and four two-out RBI. Second baseman Tyler Hanover hit .526 in the tournament with three doubles and five RBI, and he produced the game-winning single in the championship game versus Alabama. First baseman Blake Dean batted .533 in the tournament with one homer and four RBI.
“This could be the toughest regional in the NCAA tournament,” Mainieri said, “but our players are excited about this opportunity. We’ve enjoyed being in Southern California and experiencing a different part of the country, but now it’s time to get down to business.”
#3 seed UC Irvine Anteaters (37-19) vs. #2 seed LSU Tigers (40-20)
GAME DATE/TIME
Friday, June 4 – 2 p.m. PT
STADIUM
Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif.
RANKINGS
LSU – No. 21 Collegiate Baseball, No. 23 Baseball America, No. 23 USA Today/ESPN, No. 23 NCBWA
UCI — No. 19 NCBWA, No. 21 Baseball America, No. 21 USA Today/ESPN, No. 26 Collegiate Baseball
RADIO
LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates/flagship station is WDGL 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge
INTERNET
www.LSUsports.net – live audio and stats
TV
Cox Sports Television
SERIES RECORD
LSU leads the all-time series with UC Irvine, 2-1. The Tigers won two of three games over the Anteaters in the 2008 NCAA Baton Rouge Super Regional at the original Alex Box Stadium.
PITCHING MATCHUP
LSU – Jr. RHP Austin Ross (5-4, 5.07 ERA, 81.2 IP, 19 BB, 93 SO)
UCI – Sr. LHP Daniel Bibona (9-2, 2.10 ERA, 90.0 IP, 15 BB, 100 SO)