Tulane Green Wave (9-12) at #15 LSU Fighting Tigers (14-7)

DATE/TIME

Wednesday, March 21 – 6:30 p.m. CT

STADIUM

Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field in Baton Rouge, La. (10,326)

Tickets available at http://bit.ly/2DI0Its

RANKINGS

LSU – No. 15 by Collegiate Baseball; No. 18 by Baseball America

Tulane – unranked

RADIO

LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates, including WDGL 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge

Live audio at www.LSUsports.net/live

Live stats at www.LSUstats.com

ONLINE

The game may be viewed on SEC Network+, accessible at WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app

SERIES RECORD

LSU leads Tulane, 180-130-3, in a series that began with the first intercollegiate athletic event in LSU history, a 10-8 victory for the Tiger baseball squad over Tulane in 1893. LSU won nine of 10 meetings with the Green Wave from 2011-15, but Tulane has won four straight games over the Tigers over the past two seasons. Paul Mainieri has a 13-9 mark against Tulane in his 12-season coaching tenure at LSU.

PITCHING MATCHUP

LSU – Fr. RHP Nick Storz (first collegiate appearance)

TU – Fr. RHP Josh Bates (1-0, 4.30 ERA, 14.2 IP, 8 BB, 12 SO)

SPECIAL PROMOTIONS

Prostate Cancer Awareness Night – LSU players will wear light-blue batting helmets in recognition of the effort to treat prostate cancer

QUOTING PAUL MAINIERI

“Tulane beat us twice last year, and losing to an archrival is not a lot of fun. I'm hoping we'll play well on Wednesday and get an important midweek victory. Tulane has played a very difficult non-conference schedule against teams like Ole Miss, Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State, so they've faced some outstanding opposition. It should be an exciting night, and we're looking forward to a great matchup with Tulane.”

ABOUT THE TIGERS

• Freshman right-hander Nick Storz is scheduled to make his first career LSU appearance on the mound as Wednesday night's starting pitcher. Storz had a bone spur removed from his shoulder during the offseason, delaying his 2018 debut. Storz, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., was selected in the 31st round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers.

• LSU won three of four games last week, and the Tigers are No. 15 in this week's Collegiate Baseball poll, marking the 120th consecutive week the Tigers have appeared in the poll … LSU has been ranked every week since the beginning of the 2012 season.

• Sophomore outfielder Zach Watson hit .556 (10-for-18) in four games last week with two doubles, one homer, seven RBI, five runs and two stolen bases … Watson, LSU's lead-off hitter, posted an on-base percentage of .600 … he led the Tigers to an SEC series victory over 24th-ranked Missouri, batting .571 (8-for-14) with two doubles, one homer, five RBI, four runs and two steals … in Sunday's win over Missouri that clinched the series victory, Watson was 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored, and he extended his current hitting streak to seven games … Watson is LSU's second-leading hitter this season, batting .364 (20-for-55) with four doubles, two homers, nine RBI, 12 runs and five stolen bases.

• Junior second baseman Brandt Broussard hit .400 (4-for-10) in the Missouri series with one triple, one RBI, two runs, one stolen base, three walks and a .538 on-base percentage … Broussard is LSU's leading hitter this season, batting .388 (26-for-67) on the year with three doubles, one triple, 13 RBI, 12 runs and a team-best nine stolen bases.

⛳️⚾️Take me out to the ballgame!⚾️⛳️



Former Tiger @BennyTaylor92 throws out the first pitch at tonight's @LSUbaseball game ahead of this week's @LouisianaOpen.



Goal: "Try not to embarrass myself." 😜 pic.twitter.com/kLRsIcoAJd — Web.com Tour (@WebDotComTour) March 21, 2018

ABOUT THE GREEN WAVE

• Tulane is hitting .261 as a team this season with 45 doubles, four triples, 10 homers and 22 steals in 26 attempts. The Green Wave pitching staff has a 5.36 ERA with 140 strikeouts in 186.1 innings and a .271 opponent batting average.

• Tulane starting pitcher Josh Bates is a true freshman making his fourth career collegiate start. Bates is a product of Bishop Moore Catholic High School in Orlando, Fla.

• The Green Wave is led at the plate by sophomore infielder Jonathon Artigues, who is hitting .346 with five doubles, one triple, one homer, 11 RBI, 16 runs and three stolen bases.

• Junior outfielder Grant Witherspoon is hitting .289, and he's the Green Wave's leader in homers (3), RBI (17) and slugging percentage (.494).