BATON ROUGE, La. – Top-ranked LSU (51-10) opens the NCAA Baton Rouge Super Regional at 7 p.m. CT Saturday in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field as the Tigers meet Louisiana-Lafayette (42-21). The winner of the best of three series advances to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
Game 2 of the Super Regional will be played at either 5 or 6 p.m. CT on Sunday, and Game 3, if necessary, will be played Monday at a time to be announced.
Saturday’s game will be televised by ESPN2, and Sunday’s game will be carried on either ESPN2 or ESPNU. The television network for Monday will be announced if Game 3 is necessary.
All of the games will be carried on affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network, including WDGL 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge. Live audio and stats may be accessed at www.LSUsports.net, and the games may be viewed at WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app.
LSU is ranked No. 1 this week in all of the college baseball polls, marking the ninth week in a row and the 12th week overall the Tigers are No. 1 in at least one poll. LSU has won 28 of its last 33 games and 21 of its last 25.
LSU captured the NCAA Baton Routge Regional championship last weekend with consecutive wins over Lehigh and UNC Wilmington (twice). The Tigers claimed the 2015 Southeastern Conference championship, securing their league-best 16th SEC title and their third championship during coach Paul Mainieri’s nine season-tenure. LSU also won the SEC Western Division title for the 18th time in school history and for the fifth time under Mainieri.
Mainieri said Friday after the Tigers’ practice that his team is looking forward to facing another Louisiana school with a trip to Omaha on the line.
“As soon as (UL-Lafayette) won (its regional) I sent a text message to (UL-Lafayette coach) Tony (Robichaux) to congratulate him, “ Mainieri said. “I knew it was going to be an epic weekend here in Baton Rouge. It’s great for the state. The enthusiasm will be off the charts. We are just excited. I know our players and our coaches have such tremendous respect for them and know a lot of them. It will be great to be on the same field. The stakes are obviously very high. We are going to approach them as if they are any other team, and they are the team that’s standing in our way of getting to Omaha.”
LSU enters the NCAA Super Regional No. 2 in the nation in base hits (722) and No. 3 in the nation in team batting average (.319). LSU has the best batting average (.319) and ERA (2.84) among SEC teams.
LSU has stolen 123 bases this season, the fourth-higest total in school history and the most by a Fighting Tiger squad since the 1992 club recorded 125 steals. The school record is 156 steals established by the 1987 team that advanced to the College World Series.
Four Tigers have received All-America recognition from Collegiate Baseball magazine – shortstop Alex Bregman (1st team), pitcher Alex Lange (first team), catcher Kade Scivicque (second team) and first baseman Chris Chinea (third team).
Bregman is one of four finalists for the Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the top amateur baseball player in the U.S. Scivicque is one of three finalists for the Johnny Bench Award, presented annually to the nation’s most outstanding catcher.
Lange, LSU’s starting pitcher on Saturday, was named earlier this week Collegiate Baseball magazine’s National Freshman Pitcher of the Year. He was voted the Most Outstanding Player of NCAA Baton Rouge Regional after posting a complete-game shutout of UNC-Wilmington last Saturday, limiting the Seahawks to six hits while recording two walks and 12 strikeouts.
Lange is No. 2 in the SEC in earned run average (1.76 ERA), No. 2 in wins (11-0), No. 2 in strikeouts (110) and No. 5 in opponent batting average (.206).
LSU leads the all-time series with UL-Lafayette, 51-24, as the squads first met in 1912. LSU has won 11 of the 16 meetings with ULL since 2000, including an 8-6 win earlier this season (March 31) over the Cajuns in the Wally Pontiff Jr. Classic at Zephyr Field in Metairie, La. LSU has a 6-1 mark against ULL in NCAA Tournament games – the most recent NCAA meeting came in the championship round of the 2013 NCAA Baton Rouge Regional, when LSU posted a 5-1 victory over the Cajuns. LSU coach Paul Mainieri has a 7-3 career mark against UL-Lafayette.
2015 NCAA BATON ROUGE SUPER REGIONAL
UL-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns (42-21) vs. #1 LSU Fighting Tigers (51-10)
DATES/TIMES
Saturday, June 6 – 7 p.m. CT
Sunday, June 7 – 5 or 6 p.m. CT
Monday, June 8 – time TBA
STADIUM
Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field in Baton Rouge, La.
LSU RANKINGS
(No. 2 National Seed in NCAA Tournament) – No. 1 Baseball America; No. 1 USA Today; No. 1 D1 Baseball; No. 1 Collegiate Baseball; No. 1 Perfect Game; No. 1 NCBWA
RADIO
LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates, including WDGL 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge
LSUsports.net – live audio and live stats
TV
Saturday – ESPN2
Sunday – ESPN2 or ESPNU
Monday – TBA
STARTING PITCHERS IN GAME 1
LSU – Fr. RHP Alex Lange (11-0, 1.76 ERA, 97 IP, 43 BB, 110 SO)
ULL – Fr. RHP Wyatt Marks (6-1, 3.32 ERA, 59.2 IP, 16 BB, 62 SO)
LSU IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
LSU has the highest all-time NCAA Tournament winning percentage (137-53, .721), and the Tigers are appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the 28th time. LSU has an 88-21 mark in regional games, a 14-10 record in super regional games and a 35-22 mark in the College World Series. The Tigers have won 21 regional titles, six super regional titles and six College World Series championships (1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2009). The Tigers are playing in their 11th NCAA Super Regional, including their eighth Super Regional at home. LSU has a 13-5 mark in NCAA Super Regional games at home and have won six of the seven previous Super Regional series played at Alex Box Stadium.