BATON ROUGE – Seventh-ranked LSU (22-6) plays host to Louisiana College (10-14) at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in Alex Box Stadium, as the teams meet for the first time since 1998.
The matchup was scheduled as a make-up game after the March 12 LSU-Notre Dame contest was rained out. LSU fans may use their Game #15 ticket from the Notre Dame game for admission to Tuesday’s LSU-Louisiana College game. Tickets are also on sale on www.LSUtix.net.
The game 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, audio and stats of the game may be accessed in the Geaux Zone at www.LSUsports.net.
“I’m very glad Louisiana College has this opportunity to play here, and I know they’re excited about the game,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “We may be equally excited because we’re going to give some of our reserves playing time so they’ll stay sharp as we get into the second half of the season. I think it will generate a lot of enthusiasm within our team to give some different players a chance to start.”
Mainieri said that freshman right-hander Cody Glenn (1-0, 5.11 ERA) will start on the mound for the Tigers, and LSU will utilize several pitchers in preparation for this week’s SEC series at Florida.
LSU’s three-game SEC sweep of third-ranked Arkansas last weekend was the Tigers’ first league sweep over a ranked team since May 3-4, 2008 at Kentucky. LSU’s three homers in its 10-6 win over Arkansas on Friday marked the Tigers’ first three-homer game since May 21, 2010 versus Mississippi State.
LSU junior leftfielder Raph Rhymes was named SEC Player of the Week Monday after he enjoyed a phenomenal week at the plate, batting .588 (10-for-17) with one homer, six RBI and three runs in leading LSU to four wins in four games. Rhymes batted .583 (7-for-12) in the Tigers’ sweep of Arkansas with one homer, six RBI, one run, one steal and a .643 on-base percentage. Rhymes, who is currently riding a nine-game hitting streak, is the leading hitter in the SEC this season, batting .491 (53-for-108) on the year with six doubles, one homer, 34 RBI, 22 runs and a .533 on-base percentage
Sophomore catcher Ty Ross batted .462 (6-for-13) in the Arkansas series with one double, one homer, two RBI and three runs. Ross provided the game-winning, walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning in Saturday’s 2-1 victory over the Razorbacks.
Sophomore second baseman JaCoby Jones batted .429 (6-for-14) in the Arkansas series with a double and an RBI, while senior shortstop Austin Nola hit .400 (4-for-10) with one double and two RBI.
Junior left-hander Chris Cotton appeared in all three Arkansas games in relief, firing a total of 2.2 scoreless innings and allowing just one hit with one walks and one strikeout. The LSU bullpen was exceptional throughout the series, limiting Arkansas to just one run on five hits in 8.2 innings with one walk and 11 strikeouts.
Louisiana College is an NCAA Division III school, and the Wildcats compete in the American Southwest Conference. Louisiana College is batting .265 as a team with eight homers and 22 stolen bases in 33 attempts.
The Wildcats are led at the plate by senior second baseman Jordan Marks, who is batting .322 with seven doubles, five homers and 22 RBI.
LSU leads Louisiana College, 19-2, in a series that began in 1914. Tuesday’s game marks the first meeting between the teams since 1998, when the Tigers posted a 7-2 win over the Wildcats in the original Alex Box Stadium. Louisiana College’s last win in the series came in 1994, when the Wildcats defeated the Tigers, 7-5, in Alex Box Stadium.
Louisiana College Wildcats (10-14) at #7 LSU Fighting Tigers (22-6)
DATE/TIME
Tuesday, April 3 – 6:30 p.m. CT
STADIUM
Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. (10,326)
RANKINGS
LSU – No. 7 by Collegiate Baseball; No. 12 by USA Today/ESPN; No. 12 by Baseball America
LC – 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 for all three games; live video on Sunday
TV
No TV
SERIES RECORD
LSU leads the series with Louisiana College, 19-2, and Tuesday’s meeting marks the first between the schools since 1998 when the Tigers defeated the Wildcats, 7-2, in the original Alex Box Stadium.
PITCHING MATCHUP
LSU – Fr. LHP Cody Glenn (1-0, 5.11 ERA, 12.1 IP, 4 BB, 14 SO)
LC – TBA