The No. 13 LSU baseball team (10-2) always draws a crowd when it faces Tulane (10-2) in New Orleans, and that probably won’t change when the two teams meet tonight at 6:30 p.m.
Of the 10 largest crowds in Turchin Stadium history, five have come for games against the Tigers. The highest attendance, 5,131, came last season when Tulane and LSU squared off on April 5.
Though that number pales in comparison to Alex Box Stadium’s largest crowd — 12,313 fans for a 2010 Alabama game — it doesn’t prevent Turchin Stadium from being one of the more contentious venues on the Tigers’ schedule.
“The people share their feelings about what they think of us in a rather direct way,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “It’s all done in good fun, but some of the things they say can be rather piercing if you let it.”
The rivalry dates back to 1893, when LSU played its first intercollegiate game in connection with a military field day. Team captain E.B. Young led LSU to a 10-8 victory, beginning a history between the schools that has seen 301 games.
LSU leads the series, 173-125-3, and won both games in 2011.
“I didn’t know it was that big of a rivalry until this year,” said freshman pitcher Aaron Nola. “Tulane’s playing good baseball, and we’re all looking forward to it.”
Nola will make his second career start today. The Baton Rouge native threw five innings against McNeese State in Lake Charles on Feb. 29, striking out six and allowing three runs while earning the victory.
The freshman said he feels more comfortable heading into start No. 2, and Mainieri said these early tests on the road should prepare Nola for the remainder of the season.
“This is just another step in his development,” Mainieri said. “I wanted to get him in two hostile environments. I thought that would harden him up for the [Southeastern Conference].”
When Nola faces Tulane, he’ll see a team that already has a taste for the SEC. The Green Wave won two out of three games against Alabama this past weekend, outscoring the Tide, 18-15, in the series.
“They’re a good team,” said junior first baseman Mason Katz. “They played real well against Alabama. It’s going to be a good test for us.”
For Katz, the biggest test will come in matching his production from the past week. Katz hit 13-for-19 in the last five games, with three home runs and eight RBIs. Katz has increased his season batting average to .500 and leads the team with a .950 slugging percentage.
The Tulane lineup has its own strengths from the top to the bottom. The Green Wave has five players who have started all 12 games with batting averages of .333 or higher. Junior shortstop Brennan Middleton, a Parkview Baptist alumnus, leads the team with a .525 batting average.
“I just have to do what I’ve been doing,” Nola said of facing the Tulane offense. “I have to throw strikes, pound the zone, keep my confidence and don’t let up the focus.”
LSU will face Tulane starting pitcher Alex Byo, a fellow Parkview Baptist alumnus, who is 1-1 through two starts. Byo threw seven innings in his last outing against Southeastern Louisiana, allowing just one run on five hits.
“It’s a challenge that we’re embracing, that we’re looking forward to, that we want,” Mainieri said. “Hopefully we’ll play well and hopefully we’ll find a way to win. Either way it’s going to be a good experience in terms of building this team and getting it prepared for the SEC.”
 
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Contact Hunter Paniagua at [email protected].