New Orleans Privateers (7-40) vs. No. 3 LSU (45-7)
Tuesday, May 14, 2013 • 6:30 p.m. CST • Alex Box Stadium • Cox Sports TV • WGSO 990 AM
Live Audio • Live Stats • UNO Twitter • Game Notes
BATON ROUGE, La. – The New Orleans Privateer baseball team will resume its 2013 schedule on Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. against No. 3 LSU at Alex Box Stadium.
The game will be broadcast on Cox Sports Television with Lyn Rollins and Ronnie Rantz. Radio coverage of the contest can be found on WGSO 990 AM and WGSO.com with live stats provided through UNOPrivateers.com.
UNO (7-40) will end a nearly two-week hiatus from competition as spring semester final exams plus a rainout of a scheduled doubleheader against Mississippi Valley State have kept the squad off the field.
The Privateers last competed on May 1 in a 3-1 loss at Tulane on May 1.
Right-handed pitcher
Alex Smith (3-8) received the start in that contest and will also receive the nod from UNO head coach Bruce Peddie on Tuesday night. Smith allowed just four hits to the Green Wave with that appearance becoming his eighth with at least seven innings in 13 starts to date this season.
At the plate,
Zach Liberto is the Privateers' top hitter with a .280 batting average.
Jonathan Coco and
Andre Damiens rank second and third with averages of .274 and .264, respectively. Damiens along with
Dan Perkins are responsible for UNO's longest current hitting streak at five games.
Seth Laigast had the most impressive performance for the Privateer offense at TU, collecting two hits in three at-bats. It was the infielder's second multi-hit game of the season and fourth of his career.
Across the diamond, UNO will contest its sixth game of the season against a nationally-ranked opponent.
Prior to LSU (45-7), the Privateers played a pair of games against then-No. 3 Arkansas and a three-game set against then-No. 10 Oklahoma. A three-game series against No. 28 Campbell awaits this weekend.
Coached by UNO alum Paul Mainieri, LSU won 2 of 3 at Texas A&M to clinch the Southeastern Conference West Division crown. The Tigers are 31-3 at home this season and will send right-handed pitcher Hunter Newman (1-0, 2.63 ERA) against the Privateers.
LSU is led offensively by Alex Bregman (.394, 50 runs, 15 doubles, 47 RBIs) and Mason Katz (.376, 13 home runs, 63 RBIs).
Tuesday's meeting is the 88
th all-time between LSU and UNO dating back to 1977. The Tigers carry a 53-34 advantage in the series, which the Privateers initially led 18-5 by the conclusion of the 1984 season when the UNO baseball program became the first from the state to make it to the Division I College World Series.
Following this weekend, the Privateers will pay a visit to Big South North Division champion and No. 28 ranked Campbell (43-9) to conclude the campaign.
UNO will head to the Southland Conference in 2014 with roughly 30 home games on tap for a renovated Maestri Field. The home opener for the squad is slated for Feb. 15 when LSU pays a visit as part of a season-opening three-game series which will also include two games at Alex Box Stadium.
