May 14, 2008

Auburn-LSU Game Notes in PDF Format

Thursday night's series-opening game between Auburn and LSU at 6pm CT at Plainsman Park will mark the final regular-season series for the Auburn baseball team this year. Auburn enters the game two-and-a-half games out of eighth place going into the final weekend of play.

Auburn (28-25, 11-16 SEC) will use the same rotation this weekend that it has employed for the past two weeks, sending R-Fr. LHP Grant Dayton (7-1, 3.65) to the mound in the series-opener on Thursday, So. RHP Taylor Thompson (3-5, 5.71) to the hill on Friday and Jr. RHP Luke Greinke (4-4, 4.47) on Saturday.

LSU (36-16-1, 15-11-1), which owns the nation's longest active winning streak at 13 games, will send Jr. LHP Ryan Verdugo (7-2, 3.44) to the mound on Thursday, Jr. LHP Blake Martin (4-3, 4.80) on Friday but has not decided on a starter for Saturday yet.

So. IF Joseph Sanders carries a 17-game hitting streak into the series, having hit a home run in three straight games. The streak is the second 17-game hitting streak of the year for Auburn as Jr. IF Matt Hall also put one together earlier in the season.

Auburn's offense has been firing on all cylinders of late, hitting 21 home runs in its last 13 games to bring the season total up to 53, which is the 10th-best single-season mark in Auburn history. The team also has 129 doubles, which is eighth-best all-time, and 195 extra-base hits, also eighth.

Fr. IF Hunter Morris enters the weekend in a position to become Auburn's first freshman triple crown winner since DeWayne Friend in 1983 as he currently leads the team with a .367 batting average and is tied for the team lead with Sanders with 49 RBI. The category he trails in is home runs, in which he has 11 and Jr. OF Mike Bianucci has 12.

Game times for the series are 6pm CT on Thursday and Friday and 2pm on Saturday. The first 500 fans into the game on Friday will receive a ceramic coffee mug from Century 21/Paramount Real Estate while the first 500 into Saturday's game will receive an AU travel mug courtesy of Barber's Dairy.