Game 1 of the LSU-MSU series is set
for 6:30 p.m. CDT Friday, Game 2 will start at 2 p.m. CDT Saturday, and Game 3
begins at 1:30 p.m. CDT Sunday.
“We are looking forward to a trip
to Starkville,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “For
me this will be the first time I've been to Starkville since I was at Notre Dame in 2000,
when we played in the NCAA Regional there. I'm really looking forward to going
back to Starkville and renewing some old acquaintances.
“One thing I'm not looking forward
to is facing the Bulldogs, because they are playing very well right now. Our
team has made some important strides in recent games. We've got some tough games
ahead of us, but the kids are feeling confident that we're improving. We're
looking forward to playing in what I consider one of the great venues in college
baseball."
Mississippi State in is second place in the SEC Western Division
with an 8-5 mark, two games behind Arkansas (11-4). The Bulldogs posted a 4-3 win
at Tennessee
last Friday, but the remaining two games of the league series were canceled due
to inclement weather.
LSU is in fifth place in the SEC
West with a 6-8-1 record. The Tigers captured two of three games from Ole Miss
last weekend in Alex Box Stadium.
Junior left-hander Charlie Furbush
(3-4, 4.29 ERA) will start Friday’s game on the mound for LSU. Furbush pitched
effectively in last Friday’s 4-3 LSU win over Ole Miss, scattering 10 hits over
6.1 innings while allowing three runs with one walk and two
strikeouts.
Mississippi State coach Ron Polk will counter on
Friday with sophomore right-hander Chad Crosswhite (4-1, 3.31 ERA), who will be
making his third start of the season. Crosswhite is 3-0 in SEC play with a 3.86
ERA.
Sophomore left-hander Ryan Byrd
(5-1, 3.65 ERA) will start Game 2 at Mississippi State after a brilliant outing
last Saturday versus Ole Miss. Byrd fired LSU’s first complete game of the
season, limiting the Rebels to two runs on seven hits in nine innings with no
walks and three strikeouts.
Byrd’s win marked the first SEC
complete-game victory for an LSU pitcher since Clay Dirks defeated Tennessee on May 14, 2005
in Alex Box Stadium.
LSU freshman designated
hitter/outfielder Blake Dean was named Southeastern Conference Freshman of the
Week Monday by the league office in Birmingham,
Ala. Dean, a native of Crestview, Fla., paced the Tigers in hitting last week,
leading LSU to three wins in four games. Dean batted .529 (9-for-17) on the week
with two doubles, one triple, one homer, four RBI and four
runs.
Dean extended his hitting streak to
19 games with a ninth-inning homer in Wednesday’s loss to UNO – he is hitting
.397 (31-for-78) during the streak with six doubles, one triple, two homers, 12
RBI and 13 runs.
Freshman first baseman Sean Ochinko
is hitting .421 (8-for-19) in the Tigers’ last five games with two doubles and
two RBI. Sophomore second baseman Nicholas Pontiff is also swinging at hot bat,
hitting .400 (8-for-20) in the last five games with one double, four RBI and
four runs.
LSU is batting .305 (53-for-174) as
a team in its last five contests, averaging nearly 11 hits per
outing.
Mississippi State leads the SEC this season with a
robust .340 team batting average. The Bulldogs have collected 72 doubles, six
triples and 28 homers, and they are averaging over eight runs per game.
MSU shortstop Brandon Turner is
batting a team-high .431 (56-for-130) with 10 doubles, one triple, one homer and
33 RBI. Catcher Edward Easley is hitting .400 (52-for-130) with seven doubles
and a team-best eight homers.
First baseman Mitch Moreland leads
the Bulldogs with 13 doubles and 40 RBI, and he has contributed five
homers.
Mississippi State leads the all-time series with LSU,
192-157-1, and the series is tied 12-12 in the 24 meetings this decade.
The Tigers have won eight of the
last 13 meetings between the clubs, though Mississippi State posted a 2-1 series victory last season in
Baton Rouge.
LSU has won three of its last four
series in Starkville, capturing two of three games at
Dudy Noble Field in 1999, 2001 and 2005. Neither team has recorded a sweep in
the series since 1992, when LSU won all three games in Alex Box Stadium over the
Bulldogs.
SERIES
FACTS
LSU Fighting Tigers (21-17-1, 6-8-1
SEC) at # 15 Mississippi State Bulldogs (24-8, 8-5
SEC)
DATES/TIMES
Friday, April 20 – 6:30 p.m. CDT;
Saturday, April 21 – 2 p.m. CDT; Sunday, April 22 – 1:30 p.m.
CDT
STADIUM
Dudy Noble Field in Starkville,
Miss.
RANKINGS
Mississippi State is ranked No. 15 by Collegiate Baseball, No. 18
by USA Today/ESPN and No. 20 by Baseball America
SERIES
RECORD
Mississippi State leads, 192-157-1 (series began in
1905)
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Game
1
LSU – Jr. LHP Charlie Furbush (3-4,
4.29 ERA, 56.2 IP, 23 BB, 59 SO)
MSU – So. RHP Chad Crosswhite (4-1,
3.31 ERA, 32.2 IP, 15 BB, 27 SO)
Game 2
LSU – So. LHP Ryan Byrd (5-1, 3.65
ERA, 44.1 IP, 8 BB, 28 SO)
MSU – Jr. LHP Justin Pigott (3-3,
5.50 ERA, 52.1 IP, 10 BB, 34 SO)
Game
3
LSU – TBA
MSU – Sr. RHP Josh Johnson (2-2,
7.02 ERA, 33.1 IP, 12 BB, 40 SO)