Grambling State Tigers (11-16) at LSU Fighting Tigers (20-12)
DATE/TIME
• Tuesday, April 13 @ 6:30 p.m. CT
STADIUM
• Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field in Baton Rouge, La.
RADIO
• LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates
• Live audio at www.LSUsports.net/live; Live stats at www.LSUstats.com
ONLINE
• The game may be viewed on SEC Network +, accessible at Watch ESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app
SERIES RECORD VS. GRAMBLING
LSU leads the all-time series with Grambling, 9-0, with all nine games having been played in Baton Rouge, beginning with the first meeting between the schools in 2009. LSU defeated GSU, 9-0, on April 2, 2019, in the most recent meeting between the teams.
PITCHING MATCHUP
LSU – Fr. RH Will Hellmers (5-1, 3.46 ERA, 26.0, 9 BB, 29 SO)
GSU – TBA
QUOTING PAUL MAINIERI
“We’ve played Grambling nine times since 2009, and it’s always a very competitive game. They’re playing really well right now and earned a series victory last weekend over Southern, so I know they’ll come here with a lot of confidence. I’d like to see some of our guys pitch on Tuesday who didn’t travel to Kentucky with us last weekend. Theo Millas threw really well in our last midweek game, and I’d like to see him get another opportunity. We’ve got a couple of kids that are working their way back – Zachary Murray and Brooks Rice – and we need to get them into a game. I want to see Javen Coleman in a game again and see what he can do, and I’d like to see Alex Brady on the mound again. We need to find out what the best options are going to be for us with our bullpen going into the South Carolina series this weekend.”
ABOUT LSU
• LSU is No. 26 in this week’s official NCAA RPI ratings, and the Tigers are No. 6 in strength of schedule.
• LSU is No. 3 in the nation in home runs with 52 on the year; Old Dominion and Arkansas lead the nation with 54.
• LSU won three of its four games last week, including an SEC series victory at Kentucky over the weekend … the Tigers batted .343 in last week’s four games with 41 runs on 49 hits, including six doubles, three triples and six homers.
• Freshman shortstop Jordan Thompson batted .600 (9-for-15) with one triple, three RBI and six runs scored in four games last week, helping lead LSU to three victories … in the Tigers’ series win at Kentucky, Thompson hit .667 (8-for-12) with one triple, two RBI and three runs scored … Thompson also walked once in the series and was hit by a pitch, posting an on-base percentage of .714 in 14 plate appearances … Thompson’s two-out RBI single in the top of the ninth inning Saturday at Kentucky gave LSU a vital insurance run in the Tigers’ 8-6 win.
• LSU ace Landon Marceaux pitched brilliantly in the Tigers’ Game 1 win at Kentucky Friday, limiting the Wildcats to two runs – one earned – in 7.1 innings with seven hits, no walks and eight strikeouts … Marceaux retired 12 of the first 13 batters he faced, and he did not allow a Kentucky baserunner to advance beyond first base until the sixth inning … Marceaux defeated a Kentucky team that was No. 3 in the SEC in cumulative batting average entering Friday’s game … he lowered his cumulative ERA this season to 1.89.
• Designated hitter Cade Beloso batted .545 (6-for-11) in four games last week with one double, seven RBI and three runs scored … in LSU’s series victory at Kentucky, Beloso batted .500 (5-for-10) with one double, seven RBI and two runs scored … he also drew a walk and was twice hit by a pitch, posting a .571 on-base percentage for the series … in LSU’s 15-2 win over UK on Friday night, Beloso collected four RBI with a pair of two-run singles … he contributed a sacrifice fly and an RBI single in Saturday’s LSU win, and he added another run-scoring single in Sunday’s game … Beloso raised his batting average 38 points over the course of last week’s four games, from .202 to .240.
• Junior right-hander AJ Labas delivered a quality start for the Tigers on Saturday, defeating Kentucky and clinching a series win … Labas limited the Wildcats to three runs on six hits in six innings with one walk and six strikeouts, firing 98 pitches.
• Third baseman Cade Doughty batted .444 (8-for-18) and collected two doubles and five RBI last week … first baseman Tre’ Morgan registered a double, two homers, six RBI and three runs scored, and leftfielder Gavin Dugas lined his first career triple, blasted two homers, drove in four runs and scored five times.
ABOUT GRAMBLING
• Grambling is 8-4 in Southwestern Athletic Conference games, and the Tigers won two of three SWAC games over Southern last weekend.
• GSU began the 2021 season by losing its first 12 games, but the Tigers are 11-4 in their past 15 contests.
• The Tigers are hitting .268 as a team with 42 doubles, six triples and 25 home runs; GSU has recorded 52 steals in 64 attempts.
• Grambling is led at the plate by outfielder Jahmoi Percival, who is hitting .340 with five doubles, three triples, two homers and 22 RBI … infielder Cameron Bufford is batting .295 with team highs of six doubles, six homers and 23 RBI … outfielder Joseph Gunn is second on the squad with five homers.
(Release via LSU Athletics)
