NCAA Super Regional Friday-Sunday, June 6-8 Alex Box Stadium
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Baylor—NCAA Super Regional Friday-Sunday, June 6-8 Alex Box Stadium Omaha or bust: LSU hosts Baylor in the NCAA super regional About the NCAA Super Regional round, seeking its first trip to Omaha since 2000. Game times (CDT) Ø LSU is one of four schools, along with Florida St., Miami and Stan- 6:05 p.m. Friday, 11:35 a.m. Saturday, 1:35 p.m. Sunday ford, to reach the super regional round in all five years the format has been in place. Team Records Ø The Tigers are hosting a super regional for the first time since #2 national seed LSU is 43-19-1 and went 3-0 in winning the Baton 2000, when the Tigers swept UCLA. Rouge regional, defeating Northeastern, Tulane and UNC Wilmington. Ø LSU has lost its last four super regional games, losing the final two The Tigers won the Southeastern Conference regular season champion- games of the 2001 series to Tulane after winning game one, and ship with a 20-9-1 mark, and finished second to Alabama in the SEC losing both games to Rice last year. tournament. Ø The Tigers are 1-6 all-time on the road in super regional games, losing both games to Alabama in the first year of the format in Baylor is 44-21 and went 3-0 in winning the Hattiesburg regional, de- feating Murray St., Southern and Southern Miss. The Bears finished 1999. fifth in the Big 12 Conference at 15-12, and were runners-up to Texas Ø LSU enters the weekend with the highest all-time winning percent- in the Big 12 tournament. age in the NCAA tournament (.740, 97-34), including a 57-10 mark at home. Radio All games will be broadcast live by the LSU Sports Network and can be Scouting the Bears: Baylor finished fifth in the rugged Big 12 heard on WDGL-98.1 FM in Baton Rouge. Jim Hawthorne and Charles Conference, but swept through the Hattiesburg regional as Hanagriff call the action. the No. 1 seed. Live Television Ø Baylor is playing for the fourth consecutive weekend away from Friday’s game will be syndicated by ESPN and shown on Cox Sports Waco. The Bears closed the regular season at Nebraska, then Television in south Louisiana. Saturday’s game will be televised na- played in the Big 12 tournament at Oklahoma City and the Hatties- tionally by ESPN2, and Sunday’s game will be televised nationally by burg regional before coming to Baton Rouge. ESPN. Bob Stevens (play-by-play) and Ben McDonald (color) call the Ø The Bears are in the super regional for the first time since 1999, action for all three games. when they lost in three games at home to Oklahoma St. Ø Baylor is seeking its first College World Series appearance since Internet going in 1977 and 1978 under coach Mickey Sullivan. Live audio from the LSU Sports Network will be available at www. Ø Baylor is making its sixth consecutive regional appearance under lsusports.net, while live statistics from all 8 super regionals will be coach Steve Smith after making only five trips from 1947 through available at www.ncaasports.com. 1997. Ø The Bears are 15-17 this season vs. ranked opponents, although NCAA representative three of those opponents (Oklahoma St., Texas Tech and USC) did Nebraska Assistant Athletic Director Butch Hug will serve as tourna- not reach the field of 64. ment director. Ø The Bears and Tigers have four common opponents this year: Cen- Tournament umpires (assigned by the NCAA) tenary, Houston, Kansas and Long Beach St. Joe Burleson (crew chief—Las Vegas), Jim Garman (Rancho Palos Ø Baylor’s top hitter is junior right fielder David Murphy, a first team Verdes, Calif.), Perry Costello (Lansing, Mich.) and Frank Sylvester All-Big 12 selection who is hitting .420 with 11 home runs and 64 (Philadelphia) RBI. Ø Murphy was the first round pick of the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday Rankings in the Major League draft. LSU: #7 Collegiate Baseball, #8 Baseball America and #11 ESPN/USA Ø The Bears have launched 81 home runs this year, led by 17 from Today center fielder Chris Durbin, 12 by catcher Josh Ford and 11 each Baylor: #11 Baseball America, #12 Collegiate Baseball, #15 ESPN/ by Murphy and third baseman Michael Griffin. USA Today Ø Baylor boasts the Big 12 strikeout leader in senior right-hander Steven White, who has fanned 121 batters in 121 innings while NCAA Tournament Record going 8-4. LSU is 97-34 (.740), the highest winning percentage in NCAA tourna- Ø The Bears’ closer, Zane Carlson, has notched 11 saves in 30 relief ment history. The Tigers are just 3-6 in NCAA super regional play, win- appearances. ning the 2000 series in two games over UCLA, but going 1-6 in three road series at Alabama, Tulane and Rice. About the series: LSU has won the last four meetings and Last Year in the super regional holds a 5-2 all-time edge. LSU was swept in two games by Rice, losing at Houston 6-0 and 3-0. Ø LSU swept a three-game series to open the 1997 season, winning 13-2, 11-5 and 8-3 at Alex Box Stadium. Coaches Ø In that series, LSU hit eight home runs, including a pair by fresh- Smoke Laval, LSU (2nd year at LSU, 87-41-1; 9th year overall, 328- man catcher Brad Cresse. 200-1) Ø The 1997 Baylor team featured two current major league pitchers, Steve Smith, Baylor (9th year, 342-201-1) Kip Wells (White Sox) and Jason Jennings (Colorado). Ø The Tigers and Bears have met just once in the post-season, with Up Next LSU beating Baylor 13-6 in an elimination game of the 1993 South The winner advances to the College World Series and plays the winner Regional in Baton Rouge. of the Arizona St.-Cal St. Fullerton super regional on Friday, June 13. Ø The teams split two games in Waco in 1916, while Baylor won in 1960 in Baton Rouge. Game 1 probable starting pitcher: #41 RHP Nate Bumstead Jr.-JC, 6-1, 215, Las Vegas, Nev. (College of Southern Idaho) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS 2003: Named a second team All-SEC pitcher with a 11-2 record and a 3.92 ERA in 17 appearances (13 starts) over 96.1 innings Ø The Tigers’ leader in wins at 11-2, and has walked just 25 batters in 96 1/3 innings. Ø Went 7 2/3 innings to pick up 11th win in second round of Baton Rouge regional vs. Tulane (5/31). Ø Named to the Baton Rouge regional all-tournament team for his efforts vs. Tulane. Ø Went 9 -1 with a 3.36 ERA in games vs. SEC opponents, working at least seven innings in all nine of those wins. Ø Turned in sterling performance at SEC Tournament vs. Mississippi St. (5/23), giving up just two runs on 11 hits in throwing complete game victory to win 10th game. Ø Allowed just one earned run over eight innings to pick up victory in the Tigers’ SEC clinching win at Arkansas (5/16). Ø Suffered worst outing of the year vs. Auburn (5/11), when he gave up five runs on seven hits in just 2/3 of an inning. Ø Has given up both of the Tigers’ biggest innings this year—7 runs vs. Kansas (2/16, Game 2, 3rd inning) and vs. Au- burn (5/11, 1st inning). Ø Has made his way to the SEC starting rotation after spending most of the firth month in the Tiger bullpen. Ø Has pitched at least seven complete innings in seven of eight SEC starts this season. Ø Looking to bounce back from worst outing of the year vs. Auburn (5/11), when he gave up five runs on seven hits in just 2/3 of an inning. Ø Fell just one out shy of his second complete game of the year at Mississippi St. (5/4), nonetheless picking up the win by giving up just one run in 8 2/3 innings. Ø Turned in yet another outstanding outing, as he gave up no earned runs in seven innings vs. Tennessee (4/27), strik- ing out seven. Ø Gave up two runs in seven-plus innings at Vanderbilt (4/20), salvaging the series finale with his fifth consecutive SEC win. Ø Turned in outstanding performance vs. Ole Miss (4/13), giving up just two runs and three hits in eight innings while striking out a career high 10. Ø Fired first career complete game vs. South Carolina (4/6), striking out seven and walking only one. Allowed four runs, but only one run through the first eight innings. Ø Turned in masterful outing in first conference appearance at Georgia (3/23), striking out a career high eight over 8.0 innings to earn the win. Ø Won second consecutive start at Alabama (3/30), lasting seven innings and settling down after throwing three wild pitches in the first inning. Ø Made stellar LSU debut on short notice vs. Northwestern St. (2/9), allowing two runs in 7.0 innings and striking out four. Took shutout into the seventh inning. Ø Had rough second start vs. Kansas (2/16, Game 2), giving up eight runs on nine hits in 2 2/3 innings. Ø Rebounded from Kansas game to pitch two scoreless innings vs. UL-Monroe (2/18). Ø Allowed one run in 2.2 innings at Long Beach St.