BATON ROUGE — LSU (24-8, 8-4 SEC) continues Southeastern Conference action this weekend as the second-ranked Tigers face No. 29 Alabama at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa.
Game 1 of the series begins at 6:30 p.m. CT Friday, Game 2 starts at 6 p.m. CT Saturday, and first pitch for Game 3 is 2 p.m. CT Sunday.
The games will be carried by the affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network. The Baton Rouge affiliate is WDGL 98.1 FM. The games on Saturday and Sunday will be televised by Cox Sports Television (Cable Ch. 37 in Baton Rouge)
Live audio and stats of the games may be accessed in the Geaux Zone at www.LSUsports.net.
LSU is tied with Ole Miss for second place in the SEC Western Division, two games behind league-leading Arkansas (10-2).
The Tigers have won eight consecutive SEC series ? dating back to April 2008 ? including a 2-1 series victory last weekend at Georgia.
Alabama has won five straight games, including a series sweep of Tennessee last weekend in Tuscaloosa.
“We have another tremendous challenge on our hands this weekend,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “It seems like Alabama leads the league in every offensive category. They can really cause a lot of problems with the way they swing the bats. They also had excellent starting pitching in their series with Tennessee last weekend. Alabama is a very tough place to play, but I know our kids are excited to compete in a great college baseball environment”.
Mainieri said sophomore right-hander Anthony Ranaudo (3-2, 2.66 ERA) will start Friday’s game on the mound for LSU. Sophomore right-hander Austin Ross (4-3, 3.66 ERA) will start for the Tigers on Saturday, and senior right-hander Louis Coleman (7-1, 2.11 ERA) will be Sunday’s starting pitcher.
Ranaudo leads the SEC with 70 strikeouts this season, and he is No. 2 in the league in opponent batting average (.192). Coleman leads the conference in wins with seven, and he is No. 2 in strikeouts (63) and No. 3 in opponent batting average (.198)
Ross is No. 10 in the SEC in opponent batting average (.240).
Alabama coach Jim Wells, a former graduate assistant coach at LSU (1987-89), will counter with senior right-hander Austin Hyatt (5-1, 3.02 ERA), junior left-hander Del Howell (3-1, 3.27 ERA) and junior right-hander Adam Scott (1-0, 3.38 ERA).
LSU enters Friday’s game batting .305 as a team with 52 home runs and 71 stolen bases. LSU is fourth in the SEC in batting average, fifth in homers and first in steals. The Tigers have a 3.91 team ERA, which ranks No. 3 in the league.
LSU junior first baseman/catcher Sean Ochinko is fifth in the SEC with a .384 (43-for-112) batting average, and he is No. 7 in the league in RBI with 35. Ochinko has seven doubles and seven home runs on the year.
Junior outfielder Jared Mitchell leads the SEC in stolen bases with 23 steals in 26 attempts, and he is also No. 1 in the league in walks (31). He is hitting .349 (29-for-83) with five doubles, two triples, six homers and 21 RBI.
Alabama is batting a league-best .346 on the year, and the Crimson Tide leads the SEC in hits (384) and runs scored (296). Alabama is No. 2 in the conference with 66 home runs.
The Tide is led by senior outfielder Kent Matthes is who is batting .405 (45-for-111) and leads the SEC in home runs with 19. Matthes is No 2 in the league in RBI (54) and No. 1 in slugging percentage (1.036) and total bases (115).
Alabama freshman outfielder Taylor Dugas has the league’s best batting average (.439), and he is No. 1 in the SEC with 15 doubles.
LSU has won seven of the nine SEC regular-season series with Alabama this decade, including a 2-1 series victory last year in Baton Rouge. The Tigers have a 23-9 overall mark against Alabama over the past nine seasons (2000-08), including a 12-8 victory in the semifinal round of the 2008 SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala.
#2 LSU Fighting Tigers (24-8, 8-4) at #29 Alabama Crimson Tide (21-10, 6-6)
DATES/TIMES
Friday, April 10 ? 6:30 p.m. CT; Saturday, April 11 ? 6 p.m. CT; Sunday, April 12 ? 2 p.m. CT
STADIUM
Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
RANKINGS
LSU – No. 2 by Baseball America; No. 3 by NCBWA; No. 4 by Collegiate Baseball; No. 4 by USA Today/ESPN
Alabama ? No. 29 by NCBWA
RADIO
LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates
The Baton Rouge affiliate is WDGL 98.1 FM
INTERNET
www.LSUsports.net ? live audio and stats
TV
The games on Saturday and Sunday will be televised by Cox Sports Television (Cable Ch. 37 in Baton Rouge)
SERIES RECORD
Alabama leads, 189-147-3 (teams first met in 1906)
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Game 1
LSU ? So. RHP Anthony Ranaudo (3-2, 2.66 ERA, 44.0 IP, 18 BB, 70 SO)
UA ? Sr. RHP Austin Hyatt (5-1, 3.02 ERA, 50.2 IP, 5 BB, 41 SO)
Game 2
LSU ? So. RHP Austin Ross (4-3, 3.66 ERA, 39.1 IP, 4 BB, 36 SO)
UA ? Jr. LHP Del Howell (3-1, 3.27 ERA, 22.0 IP, 10 BB, 34 SO)
Game 3
LSU ? Sr. RHP Louis Coleman (7-1, 2.11 ERA, 47.0 IP, 11 BB, 63 SO)
UA ? Jr. RHP Adam Scott (1-0, 3.38 ERA, 18.2 IP, 3 BB, 18 SO)