Southern baseball coach Roger Cador said there is always unfinished business in athletics. This holds true to the crosstown baseball rivalry between LSU and Southern’s baseball teams.
Last season, the two teams met at Lee-Hines Field in mid March as fans packed the grandstand and thousands lined up three and four deep along the highway, which runs parallel over the baseball field.
LSU pitcher Nate Bumstead and the Tigers carried a 3-2 lead going into the bottom of the fifth inning before a severe thunderstorm and a failed attempt to cover the field with a tarp forced the cancellation of the game. The two schools never made up the game.
“It was a close game,” said shortstop Blake Gill. “I think it was going to be a good game.”
A little more than a year later, the Tigers and Jaguars will try again at Lee-Hines field when Southern hosts LSU today at 6:30 p.m.
“It’s a great honor for the Southern program,” Cador said of LSU visiting Southern for the second straight year. “It shows a lot of class by [LSU coach] Smoke Laval after they came here last year.”
Both Cador and Laval agreed that this game not only benefits both teams but also the city of Baton Rouge.
“It’s good for the city,” Cador said. “It’s good for the community because bragging rights are involved.”
Laval said the Tigers (28-10, 8-7 Southeastern Conference) are looking forward to making the trip to the Bluff.
“That’s going to be fun,” he said. “It’s good for the whole city of Baton Rouge. It’s good for Roger [Cador] and Southern.”
LSU holds a 36-1 career record against the Jaguars (24-7, 17-3 Southwestern Athletic Conference). Southern’s only win came at Alex Box Stadium in 2001 in Skip Bertman’s final season as LSU head coach.
Cador said tonight’s game can be used as a teaching tool for the community.
“Here’s a program in LSU that has everything it needs and another program [Southern] that doesn’t have everything it needs,” Cador said. “And they are both successful.”
The Tigers enter tonight’s game after taking 2-of-3 from Georgia at The Box last weekend. Junior left-hander Lane Mestepey (4-1, 2.76 ERA) will make his seventh start on the mound for the Tigers.
Laval said senior right-hander Nate Bumstead could also see some innings after a rough outing against Georgia on Sunday. Bumstead went 1 1/3 innings against the Bulldogs and gave up five runs.
“Right now, that’s all I want to do is get out there and throw,” Bumstead said. “To get me back throwing on Tuesday would be great for my confidence and get the repetitions that I need.”
According to left fielder Ryan Patterson, the Tigers are anxious to get back out on the field after being dominated by Georgia 12-4 on Sunday.
“I think we’ll be ready to come out and play on Tuesday,” Patterson said. “I don’t care who we’re playing. I think we’ll be ready to go. Anytime they play us, they’re going to be ready to play. They want to beat us bad. I know one of the players on their team, and they’re real excited about it. I think they’re going to be ready to play so we need to play our game.”
Southern swept Arkansas-Pine Bluff in a four-game series, where the Jaguars outscored UAPB 48-5 over the four games. Southern will start right-hander Emary Frederick on the mound.
“We’ve done well the last few weeks,” Cador said. “I can’t say anything but good things. Of course, we can always do better.”