2002 SEC Tournament May 22-26, Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, Birmingham

Transcription

1 2002 SEC Tournament May 22-26, Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, Birmingham Post-season chase begins: LSU enters the SEC Tournament having won 20 of its last 25 games. The 20-5 finish is the Tigers best record in the final 25 games of a regular season in school history. The Tigers swept Alabama this past weekend in Baton Rouge, denying the Crimson Tide the SEC overall title. The sweep of Alabama is the Tigers first in the final regular season series since sweeping Mississippi State in LSU ended the season on a 12-game winning streak at home, outscoring foes during that stretch. The Tigers won 16 of their last 21 SEC games after starting 2-5 in the league. LSU is 15 5 against teams in this year s SEC tourney, and is one of three schools to play each of the other teams in the field. First up: LSU is in bracket two of the SEC Tournament, facing Auburn first on Wednesday, then South Carolina or Arkansas on Thursday. The Tigers won two of three from Auburn in April, winning 9-4, losing 11-3 then taking the rubber match 9-5. LSU is 5-2 vs. Auburn in the SEC Tournament, but lost a 6-2 decision in Birmingham in LSU lost two of three at South Carolina in Columbia (9-8, 2-4, 3-4), but the Tigers have won both meetings with the Gamecocks in post-season play, a 6-3 win in 1992 and a 6-0 whitewash in The Tigers swept Arkansas at Baton Rouge this year (3-0, 8-0, 13-5), and have won four of six SEC Tournament meetings, although the Razorbacks won 8-4 in 1998 and 9-8 in LSU also won a 5-2 decision at the 1987 College World Series when Arkansas played in the Southwest Conference. The other side: LSU has fared well against bracket two teams Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi State. LSU of course swept Alabama over the weekend and has won eight straight from the Crimson Tide. LSU took two meetings in the 2000 tournament, but got swept in the 1999 NCAA Super Regional. The teams are tied 6-6 in all post-season meetings. The Tigers also swept Georgia earlier this year and have won 9 of 10 in the post-season against the Bulldogs. LSU won two of three from Florida two weeks ago, and although LSU is just 5-8 against Florida in the SEC Tourney, they are 9-8 in all post-season meetings, with the other four wins coming in College World Series play. LSU split with Mississippi State earlier this year at home, but the Bulldogs hold a 6-5 lead in SEC Tourney games. The Tigers won a 1998 CWS game from MSU to even the post-season score at 6-6. Champions: LSU has won more SEC Tournament championships (6) than any other school. The Tigers have also been runner-up on five different occasions. LSU s SEC Tournament mark is good for a.638 winning percentage, the best in the league. LSU has not been two-and-out in the tournament since About the Tournament... Record LSU enters at overall and finished in the SEC (2nd in West, 4th overall) Rankings #9 in Baseball America, #10 in Collegiate Baseball, #12 in ESPN/Baseball Weekly Radio All games will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Network (WDGL-98.1 FM in Baton Rouge) with Jim Hawthorne, Charles Hangriff and Bill Franques calling the action. All games can also be heard on the Internet at Live statistics for all games will be available at the SEC s official home on the web, com. Live TV Games on Wednesday and Thursday, plus the two if necessary games on Saturday night will be televised by Comcast Sports Southeast Games on Friday and Saturday, along with the championship game on Sunday, will be televised by Fox Sports Net with Dave Neal (play-by-play) and Larry Conley (color) Tournament history LSU is all-time in the tournament, and the Tigers.638 winning percentage is the best in the league. Last Year The Tigers won their first three games by defeating Florida (10-0) and Ole Miss (13-2 and 12-6), but fell in the championship game by a 4-1 count to Mississippi State. Championships LSU has won six SEC Tournament titles (1986, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 2000) and has been to the finals on five other occasions (1987, 1991, 1995, 1997 and 2001). Coach Smoke Laval Smoke Laval is in his first year at LSU and has a career mark of , including a mark in seven years ( ) at Louisiana-Monroe. For More Information on the Tigers in Birmingham, contact David Steinle via cell phone at (225) or at the Courtyard Marriott Hoover at (205)

2 LSU in the SEC Tournament since 1990 Date Opponent Site Result 5/20/01 Mississippi St. Birmingham L, 4-1 5/19/01 Ole Miss Birmingham W, /17/01 Ole Miss Birmingham W, 13-2 (7) 5/16/01 Florida Birmingham W, 10-0 (7) 5/21/00 Florida Birmingham W, 9-6 5/20/00 Alabama Birmingham W, 6-5 5/18/00 Alabama Birmingham W, /17/00 Georgia Birmingham W, /21/99 Arkansas Birmingham L, 9-8 5/20/99 Kentucky Birmingham W, 10-0 (7) 5/19/99 Auburn Birmingham L, 6-2 5/15/98 Mississippi St. Birmingham L, 7-5 5/14/98 South Carolina Birmingham W, 6-0 5/13/98 Arkansas Birmingham L, 8-4 5/18/97 Alabama Columbus, Ga. L, /17/97 Alabama Columbus, Ga. W, /16/97 Tennessee Columbus, Ga. W, /15/97 Auburn Columbus, Ga. W, 5-2 5/18/96 Kentucky Birmingham L, /17/96 Florida Birmingham L, 6-2 5/16/96 Tennessee Birmingham W, 3-1 5/21/95 Alabama Starkville L, 9-8 5/21/95 Arkansas Starkville W, 7-6 5/20/95 Auburn Starkville W, 7-5 5/19/95 Mississippi St. Starkville W, /18/95 Alabama Starkville L, 9-8 5/22/94 Auburn Oxford W, 5-4 5/22/94 Auburn Oxford W, 3-2 5/20/94 Arkansas Oxford W, 6-4 5/19/94 Alabama Oxford W, 3-2 5/23/93 Mississippi St. Baton Rouge W, 7-3 5/22/93 Auburn Baton Rouge W, /22/93 Arkansas Baton Rouge W, /21/93 Mississippi St. Baton Rouge L, 5-3 5/20/93 Ole Miss Baton Rouge W, 6-1 5/17/92 Florida New Orleans W, /17/92 South Carolina New Orleans W, 6-3 5/16/92 Georgia New Orleans W, 5-3 5/15/92 Florida New Orleans L, 3-1 5/14/92 Arkansas New Orleans W, 8-1 5/13/92 Vanderbilt New Orleans W, 7-2 5/19/91 Florida Baton Rouge L, 8-4 (7) 5/19/91 Mississippi St. Baton Rouge W, 9-4 (7) 5/18/91 Florida Baton Rouge L, 7-1 (7) 5/17/91 Mississippi St. Baton Rouge W, 8-2 5/16/91 Kentucky Baton Rouge W, 8-7 5/20/90 Mississippi St. Birmingham L, 3-1 5/19/90 Vanderbilt Birmingham W, /18/90 Mississippi St. Birmingham W, /17/90 Florida Birmingham W, 6-4 SEC West Division tournament from All Birmingham games contested at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. For results prior to 1990, please consult pages of the 2002 LSU media guide. All-Time in the tournament: At Birmingham: 13-8 Under Skip Bertman: Championships: 6 ( ) Runner-up: 5 ( ) Lucky seven? LSU will be going for its seventh SEC Tournament championship this week in Birmingham, and five of the six times the Tigers have claimed a trophy on Sunday, it has led to bigger and better things down the road. That s because in every year LSU has won a championship except for 1992, the Tigers have gone on to the College World Series. The Tigers used tournament championships in 1993 and 2000 as springboards to two of their five national championships under Skip Bertman. The 1992 team that won the tourney in New Orleans lost in the South I Regional that year to eventual runner-up Cal St.-Fullerton. The Tigers six tournament championships are the most, followed by Alabama, Florida and Mississippi State with five each. Four schools (Arkansas, South Carolina, Georgia and Kentucky) have all failed to win a single tournament crown. No two-and-out for the Tigers LSU has now qualified for the SEC Tournament a record 18 consecutive years, but what s even more amazing is LSU s aversion to the infamous two and barbecue syndrome. LSU has won at least one game in every SEC tournament appearance except in 1985, when Georgia and Florida knocked the Tigers out after two games at Alex Box Stadium. LSU has gone 1-2 five times since then (1988, 1989, 1996, 1998 and 1999), but every other team has had a two-and-out appearance in the SEC Tourney since LSU s record in SEC Tourney play ranks the Tigers first in both victories and winning percentage (.638). The sweeps are in For the first time since 1992, LSU enters the SEC Tournament on the heels of a sweep, having taken three from Alabama last weekend at Baton Rouge. The Tigers have now won their last four SEC series heading into the post-season, something they ve done only three times since 1976, with 1986 and 1999 being the other years. In fact, four of the eight teams in Birmingham this week (LSU, Florida, South Carolina and Mississippi State) swept their last series of the regular season to bring momentum to Hoover Met.

3 LSU vs. #5 Auburn LSU won season series, 2-1 (9-4, 3-11, 9-5) at Auburn, April 5-7 All-Time series: LSU leads, (since 1907) Smoke Laval vs. Auburn: 2-1 Steve Renfroe vs. LSU: 3-3 Last SEC Tournament Meeting: 5/19/99 at Birmingham Auburn won, 6-2 SEC Tournament Meetings: LSU leads, 5-2 Notes: The visiting team has won the regular season series each of the last three years. LSU vs. #1 South Carolina LSU lost season series, 2-1 (9-8, 2-4, 3-4) at Columbia, April All-Time Series: LSU leads, (since 1992) Smoke Laval vs. USC: 1-2 Ray Tanner vs. LSU: 5-8 Last SEC Tournament Meeting: 5/14/98 at Birmingham LSU won, 6-0 SEC Tournament Meetings: LSU leads, 2-0 Notes: The Gamecocks series victory in April was their first in seven tries vs. LSU. LSU vs. #8 Arkansas LSU swept season series, 3-0 (3-0, 8-0, 13-5) at Baton Rouge, April All-Time Series: LSU leads, (since 1960) Smoke Laval vs. Arkansas: 3-1 Norm DeBriyn vs. LSU: Last SEC Tournament Meeting: 5/21/99 at Birmingham Arkansas won, 9-8 SEC Tournament Meetings: LSU leads, 3-2 Notes: LSU has won 11 straight over the Razorbacks in Baton Rouge, but has lost nine of the last 10 at other sites. Teams met in 1987 CWS, with LSU winning 5-2. LSU vs. #2 Alabama LSU swept season series, 3-0 (3-0, 6-5, 5-1) May at Baton Rouge All-Time Series: Alabama leads, (since 1906) Smoke Laval vs. Alabama: 5-4 Jim Wells vs. LSU: (15-18 at Alabama) Last SEC Tournament Meeting: 5/20/00 at Birmingham LSU won, 6-5 SEC Tournament Meetings: Tied, 5-5 Notes: LSU has won eight straight over the Crimson Tide, the Tigers longest streak in the 96-year history of the series. LSU vs. #3 Florida LSU won season series, 2-1 (5-4 in 10 inn., 3-6, 8-5) May at Gainesville All-Time Series: LSU leads, (since 1971) Smoke Laval vs. Florida: 2-1 Pat McMahon vs. LSU: 9-10 (8-8 at Mississippi St. from ) Last SEC Tournament Meeting: 5/16/01 at Birmingham LSU won, 10-0 (7 innings) SEC Tournament Meetings: Florida leads, 8-5 Notes: LSU is 4-0 vs. Florida in the College World Series, winning twice in both 1991 and LSU vs. #6 Georgia LSU swept season series, 3-0 (8-2, 14-4, 13-4) April at Baton Rouge All-Time Series: LSU leads, (since 1975) Smoke Laval vs. Georgia: 3-0 David Perno vs. LSU: 0-3 Last SEC Tournament Meeting: 5/17/00 at Birmingham LSU won, 11-3 SEC Tournament Meetings: LSU leads, 7-1 Notes: LSU won 23 of the 26 meetings between the schools in the 1990s. Only two SEC schools to win a national championship. LSU vs. #7 Mississippi State Teams split season series, 1-1 (4-15, 7-3), with third game getting rained out, March at Baton Rouge All-Time Series: MSU leads, (since 1905) Smoke Laval vs. MSU: 2-10 (1-9 at UL-Monroe) Ron Polk vs. LSU: (58-43 at MSU, 4-3 at Georgia) Last SEC Tournament Meeting: 5/20/01 at Birmingham MSU won, 4-1 (championship) SEC Tournament Meetings: MSU leads, 6-5 Notes: Oldest SEC series for LSU. LSU vs. other SEC teams in the Tournament Vs. Ole Miss: LSU leads, 3-0 Last tourney meeting vs. Ole Miss: 5/19/01 at Birmingham LSU won, 12-6 Vs. Tennessee: LSU leads, 2-0 Last tourney meeting vs. Tennessee: 5/16/97 at Columbus, Ga. LSU won, 12-5 Vs. Vanderbilt: LSU leads, 2-0 Last tourney meeting vs. Vanderbilt: 5/13/92 at New Orleans LSU won, 7-2 Vs. Kentucky: Tied, 2-2 Last tourney meeting vs. Kentucky: 5/20/99 at Birmingham LSU won, 10-0 in 7 innings

4 Tigers continue consistent winning in SEC LSU may have fallen short of the overall SEC title and missed out on the West title for just the third time in 11 years, the Tigers continued to be the most consistent winners in the SEC in Consider these facts: LSU is playing in its record 18th consecutive SEC Tournament. Only Mississippi State, which is in the tournament for the 16th straight year, has also played in every tournament since LSU has now won 18 or more conference games in each of the last seven seasons and 14 times in the last 15 years. LSU has now posted a winning record in the SEC in every season since 1985, and has not suffered a losing season in the league since 1983, the year before Skip Bertman s arrival. Since 1999, every other league team has posted a.500 record or worse in the league, and every other team has suffered at least one losing record since The Tigers are the only SEC West team to post a winning record vs. division foes in each of the last seven years. LSU has had a winning record in the West in 10 of the 11 years since the league returned to division play in 1992, missing only in LSU was 10-4 this year vs. the West. LSU has never had a losing record vs. the SEC East, including this year s 9-6 mark. LSU has finished first or second in the West nine times since 1992, missing only in 1995 (fourth) and 1999 (third). LSU is just two wins shy of its 15th consecutive 40- win season, which would extend its current league record. Tigers close regular season with a home dozen The Tigers may be away from home for the third time in the last four weeks, but barring the unforeseen, LSU will likely get the opportunity to return to Alex Box Stadium and build on a 12-game home winning streak. The streak started on March 30, when the Tigers bounced back from the nadir of a 15-4 loss to Mississippi State the previous night and took a 7-3 victory. Since then, the Tigers have added 11 notches to that belt, including three-game sweeps of Georgia, Arkansas and Alabama. The Tigers outscored their opponents over the final 12 home games of the regular season, allowing no more than five runs in any game and posting three shutouts. LSU also allowed just two home runs during that stretch compared to 16 for Tiger hitters, while posting a edge in batting average. The 12-game home winning streak is the longest for the Tigers since a 18-game streak in Second half turnaround When LSU got beat 15-4 on March 29 by Mississippi State, some thought the Tigers were headed down the bleak road of mediocrity, one that would end without a berth in even the SEC Tournament. But since that start, the Tigers have made one of the most remarkable turnarounds in school history, going 22-5 and putting themselves in position to be a top eight seed for the NCAA Tournament. Here s a numerical breakdown of how the Tigers overcame their slow start in dramatic fashion: Category 1st 28 2nd 27 Batting Avg Slugging Pct Runs Scored BA w/risp BA w/runners on BA w/2 out Home Runs ERA Opponent BA Opp. BA w/risp Opp. BA w/2 out Complete Games 3 6 Shutouts 1 3 Runs Allowed Fielding Pct Errors Run production at the bottom The batting average for the bottom three places in the LSU batting order might be an average.278, but a closer look inside the numbers shows the Tigers have been getting key run production at the bottom of the order. Of the Tigers 53 home runs, 19 have come from spots seven through nine in the order, including seven of those by Chris Phillips, who has hit eighth or ninth for the entire season. Thanks in large part to Phillips 38 RBI on the year, the bottom three spots in the order have produced 113 RBI, good for 31.6 percent of the Tigers total RBI production. The ninth position has been especially good LSU, as the Tigers primary ninth-place hitters, Phillips (vs. right-handers) and Jon Zeringue (vs. left-handers) have combined for a.326 batting average. LSU eighth-place hitters have posted a.356 average in the second half of the year.

5 Holt reaches sweet 16 Now that he s playing full-time at second base, J.C. Holt will have the opportunity to prove that he indeed is one of the reasons for the Tigers hot play in the second half of the season. Holt enters the SEC Tournament on a 16-game hitting streak, batting.459 (28-for-61) with 12 RBI during the streak. Holt has seven multi-hit games during the streak, including a three-hit outing on Saturday in the first game of the Alabama series and a pair of four-hit games vs. Georgia and Arkansas. Holt s streak is the second longest on the Tigers this year, trailing only Wally Pontiff s 19-game streak from February 23 through March 26. In the second half of the season, Holt is tied with Sean Barker for the team lead in batting average at.431 (31-for-72), and in the Tigers 8-2 stretch over the last 10 games, Holt leads LSU with a.462 mark. Holt is third on the team for the season with a.356 batting average, and has stolen 10 bases in 11 attempts. Holt has also thrived in the clutch. He is hitting.368 this season with runners in scoring position and two out, and is batting.341 in all situations with RISP. And despite not playing that much this year against lefthanded pitching, Holt is still hitting southpaws at a.368 clip, and is also doing just fine against righthanders with a.354 mark. Heath a Sunday solider Three straight Sundays, three home runs for Matt Heath. The senior left fielder made his last regular season home game a special one with a solo home run in the sixth inning against Alabama that made it 3-1. Heath also hit three-run home runs in the Tigers victories at Tennessee on May 5 and at Florida on May 12, helping the Tigers win the rubber matches of those two series. Heath is tied with Aaron Hill and Chris Phillips for the team lead with seven home runs and leads the Tigers with 48 runs scored. The home runs must be consolation for Heath, who is one of the few Tigers who have struggled in the second half, as the former Florida Gator is hitting just.277 since March 30, although he is hitting.353 with 11 RBI in the Tigers last 10 outings. Mr. Consistency Sean Barker has been LSU s model of consistency all season long. The iron man right fielder has played all but one of the Tigers 493 on defense this year, and he is the only LSU player to start every game in Barker enters the SEC Tournament with a career.375 batting average, ranking him second on the Tigers career list only behind the great Todd Walker, who hit.396 from and twice earned All- America honors in Baton Rouge. Of course, Barker leads the Tigers in home runs (5) and RBI (55) this year, and has stolen 21 bases in 25 attempts. But pure numbers don t do justice for the California native. Consider these facts: Barker has collected two or more hits in 29 of 55 games this year, and has knocked in two or more runs in 14 games this year. Barker has 12 games with three hits or more. Barker is 5-for-5 in steal attempts of third base this year. Barker s batting average has never been below.333 the entire season. Barker led the Tigers with a.381 average in SEC games, and leads the team with a.393 mark with runners in scoring position. Barker leads the Tigers with a.431 batting average in the second half of the season, helping the Tigers go 22-5 during that stretch. Pontiff aces final, Cormier LSU third baseman Wally Pontiff actually might have found it a relief to play 18 innings of baseball last Saturday against Alabama. That s because the Tigers team captain had to take a final exam from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. that afternoon, then rush over to Alex Box Stadium for the first game of the series with the Crimson Tide. Pontiff didn t disappoint on the diamond, as his double in the seventh inning started the Tigers three-run uprising that proved to be the game s only runs in a 3-0 triumph over Alabama ace Lance Cormier. Pontiff finds himself on three LSU career lists heading into the SEC Tournament. The Metairie native is currently tied for 10th with former infield mate Mike Fontenot with a.347 career batting average, while Pontiff stands 10th in career hits with 241 and tied for seventh in doubles with 49. Pontiff continues to lead LSU in on-base percentage at.453, and is batting.346 on the year.

6 Pettit having remarkable May May has usually been a time of pain and broken dreams for LSU pitcher Bo Pettit, as the Houston native saw action just twice in May in his first three seasons, as arm injuries ended his campaigns one week before end of the regular season. Now that he s healthy, Pettit has turned May into a personal mission, as he enters the SEC Tournament with a 3-0 mark and a 1.50 ERA. In his three outings this month vs. Tennessee, Florida and Alabama, Pettit has gone 24.0 innings, giving up just four runs and 14 hits, striking out 21 while allowing just a.165 batting average to his opponents. Pettit threw his second complete game of the season vs. the Crimson Tide last Sunday, giving up just one run on five hits as the Tigers completed a three-game sweep. Pettit had never faced the Tide prior to the outing, as injuries had forced him to be a spectator in both 2000 and Pettit went 8.0 innings on May 12 at Florida and 7.0 innings on May 5 at Tennessee, giving him six quality starts in nine outings since April 1. Like the rest of the LSU team, Pettit started slowly, going just 2-4 with a 4.38 ERA in his first eight starts, but turning it around to go 6-2 with a 2.47 ERA since. For the year, Pettit has 102 strikeouts and is 8-6 with a solid 3.38 ERA. Mestepey the Magnificent It was just another day at the office for LSU s Lane Mestepey, as the sensational sophomore southpaw twirled a five-hit shutout at Alabama in the opener of that series, allowing just five singles and no walks as the Tigers were on their way to a sweep of the Crimson Tide. Mestepey has certainly avoided the sophomore slump that often afflicts players who start out with great freshman campaigns, as Mestepey is 10-3 with a 2.76 ERA heading into the SEC Tournament. He needs just one win to match his total from 2001, when he was SEC and national Freshman of the Year, and his ERA is almost a full run lower than his 3.75 mark that led the SEC in The Zachary native is on track to become just the second LSU starting pitcher to post an ERA below three since The last to do so was Eddie Yarnall, who turned in a 2.38 ERA in Bullpen not needed LSU s bullpen has gotten about as much work as the Maytag repair man during the Tigers late season stretch run, thanks to the resiliency of the LSU rotation. In the second half of the season, LSU relievers have thrown a total of 61.1 innings, good for just 25.7 percent of the innings pitched by the Tigers since March 30. Of those innings, 26.0 of those are courtesy of Jake Tompkins, who, ironically, made his first career relief appearances on March 30 vs. Mississippi State. Tompkins is 2-0 with a 2.77 ERA and four saves out of the bullpen in 13 appearances. The bullpen has combined for just 35 appearances since March 30, meaning the Tigers are rarely, if ever, using more than one reliever in any given game. In fact, LSU has used four or more pitchers in a game just four times in the last 27 outings, and two of those were midweek games vs. New Orleans (April 2) and Southern (April 16). The other games were on April 6 at Auburn and in last Saturday s second game vs. Alabama. Going the distance In this day and age of relievers, it s hard to believe, but the Tigers have more complete games than saves this year. Tiger hurlers have fired three complete games in May alone and have gone the route nine times this year, the most since the 1995 staff posted nine complete games. The last time LSU had 10 or more complete games was in 1993 with 15. The Tigers combined for just 10 complete games in the last two years (four in 2000, six in 2001). Lane Mestepey has as many complete games as LSU did all of last year, as last Saturday s 3-0 shutout of Alabama was his sixth career complete game and the 11th of his career, although he s still way behind the LSU record for complete games of 27 done by Pat Moock from Bo Pettit has two complete games, including the regular season finale over Alabama, while Brian Wilson got his complete game in a shutout of Arkansas on April 27. No LSU starting pitcher has failed to reach the sixth inning of an SEC game since April 7, when Jason Vargas was pulled in the second inning at Auburn.

7 RISP back in gear LSU went just 6-for-38 with runners in scoring position at Florida, but after the weekend against Alabama, the Tigers appear to be in the RBI groove again. LSU batted a solid.384 (10-for-26) with RBI opportunities in the Alabama series, raising the Tigers average with RISP to an even.300 on the season. In SEC games, LSU hit.318 in those situations, 19 points higher than the.299 mark posted in conference play in Since March 30, the Tigers are batting.333 in RISP situations, compared to the.267 mark that the Tigers posted in the first half of the season. Both Aaron Hill and Sean Barker are hitting.393 with RBI opportunities to lead the Tigers in that category, while Chris Phillips is batting.378 in those situations. Double vision=victory When LSU gets to at least 10 hits in a game, more often than not the Tigers will come out victorious. Sunday s win over Alabama in the regular season finale gave the Tigers 14 consecutive wins when they reach double figures in hits, with the last setback coming on April 6 at Auburn. LSU is 27-4 this year when they get 10 or more hits in a game, compared to when they fail to reach 10 hits. However, LSU proved they can win without getting a lot of hits, as evidenced by their game two win over Alabama last Saturday, as LSU was out-hit 11-6 but still triumphed. The season low for hits is five, done twice this month against Tennessee and Florida. Tompkins disinherits runners Want a reason behind why Jake Tompkins has been so effective out of the bullpen? Why not take a look at the Tigers inherited runner statistics. Tompkins has allowed just one of the 14 runners he has inherited to cross the plate, and he has shut the door on the last seven runners he has inherited. He did it again last Saturday in the second game against Alabama, leaving a pair of Crimson Tide runners on base to preserve a 6-5 victory. Since March 30, LSU relievers have allowed just six of 28 inherited runners to score. Breakup Blake The second longest hitting streak on the Tigers belongs to a most unlikely figure, and that s first baseman Blake Gill. Gill has an eight-game hitting streak heading into the SEC Tournament, and he is hitting a cool.500 (13- for-26) during the streak with seven runs scored and four RBI. On Sunday, Gill added an exclamation point to extend his streak, collecting his first hit of the season off of a left-handed pitcher, lacing an RBI single to left off of Alabama relief ace Taylor Tankersley. Gill had been 0-for-21 vs. southpaws until that hit. Surprisingly, Gill has been one of the Tigers best hitters in the second half of the season, batting.358 with 13 RBI and a solid.433 on-base percentage. Maybe teams would be well advised to be careful to Gill in Birmingham this week. The Florida native is batting.386 with 13 RBI this year vs. the other seven teams in the tournament, the second best average on the team behind J.C. Holt s.407 mark. Gill has now raised his season average to an even.300, making him one of six regulars to bat.300 or better in the regular season. Back in the Top 10 For the first time since losing tehir first SEC series to Vanderbilt, the Tigers find themselves in the top 10 in two of the three polls. A look at LSU s ascent back to the college baseball elite: Date (Record) BA CB BBW Pre-Season Feb. 4 (0-0) Feb. 11 (3-0) Feb. 18 (6-1) Feb. 25 (8-3) Mar. 4 (10-4) Mar. 11 (13-5) Mar. 18 (14-8) Mar. 25 (15-11) NR NR 22 Apr. 1 (17-12) NR NR RV Apr. 8 (20-13) NR NR RV Apr. 15 (24-13) NR 27 RV Apr. 22 (26-15) NR NR RV Apr. 29 (30-15) May 6 (33-16) May 13 (35-17) May 20 (38-17)

8 LSU s Quality Starts Date Opponent Pitcher Line (Decision; pitcher of record if not starter) 2/9 BSC Mestepey 7.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 6 K (ND) (Wilson) 2/12 SLU Vaught 6.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 8 K (ND) (David) 2/15 Mercer Pettit 7.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 12 K (W) 2/17 Mercer Tompkins 6.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 6 K (W) 2/23 at Houston Mestepey 9.0 IP, 11 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 K (W, CG) 3/2 Long Beach St. (2) Mestepey 8.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K (W) 3/3 Long Beach St. Tompkins 8.0 IP, 12 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 8 K (ND) (Wilson) 3/8 UL-Monroe Pettit 6.1 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 10 K (ND) (David) 3/9 UL-Monroe Mestepey 8.0 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K (W) 3/12 UL-Lafayette Lafayette Tompkins 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 6 K (ND) (Mestepey) 3/15 Vanderbilt Pettit 9.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 12 K (W, CG, SHO) 3/23 at Ole Miss Mestepey 9.0 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 K (W, CG) 3/30 Mississippi St. Mestepey 6.1 IP, 10 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K (W) 4/2 UNO Pettit* 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (W) 4/5 Auburn Mestepey 6.2 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K (W) 4/10 at Tulane Pettit* 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K (W) 4/12 Georgia Mestepey 9.0 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K (W, CG) 4/13 Georgia Wilson 7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER (W) 4/14 Georgia Pettit 8.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K (W) 4/16 Southern Harris 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (W) 4/19 at South Carolina Mestepey 8.2 IP, 12 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (W) 4/23 at UL-Monroe Harris 7.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K (W) 4/26 Arkansas Mestepey 9.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K (W, CG, SHO) 4/27 Arkansas Wilson 9.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 8 K (W, CG, SHO) 4/30 at UNO Tompkins* 4.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 10 K (W) 5/4 at Tennessee Mestepey 8.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (L, CG) 5/5 at Tennessee Pettit 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 6 BB, 7 K (W) 5/10 at Florida Metsepey 7.0+ IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K (ND) (Tompkins) 5/12 at Florida Pettit 8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 6 BB, 5 K (W) 5/18 Alabama (G1) Mestepey 9.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K (W, CG, SHO) 5/19 Alabama Pettit 9.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 9 K (W, CG) Quality starts by pitcher: Mestepey 14, Pettit 8, Tompkins 4, Wilson 2, Harris 2, Vaught 1. A quality start is when a pitcher goes 6.0 or more innings and gives up fewer than four earned runs. Complete game victories, regardless of runs allowed, always count as quality starts. Games eventually lost by LSU are in bold. *--Games in which starter was throwing predetermined number of innings; would have qualified for quality start if completed six innings. LSU Comeback Victories Date Opponent Largest Deficit How Took Lead (inn.)# Final 2/9 BSC 9-7 (8) Pontiff RBI single (9 th ) /10 BSC 5-4 (13) Hill 2-RBI double (13 th ) 6-5 (13) 2/16 Mercer 6-2 (5) Vargas grand slam (7 th ) 9-6 2/20 at Centenary 6-5 (7) Raymer 2-run double (9 th ) 7-6* 2/23 at Houston 4-0 (5) Pontiff 3-run double (6 th ) 8-4 3/3 Long Beach St. 3-1 (6) Heath solo HR (11 th ) 5-4 3/8 UL-Monroe 3-0 (8) Hahn RBI triple (8 th ) 4-3 3/10 UL-Monroe 5-4 (6) Harris 2-run HR (7 th ) 8-7** 3/26 at SLU 1-0 (1) Hill RBI single (4 th ) 9-7 4/12 Georgia 2-0 (3) Zeringue 2-run HR (4th) 8-2 4/19 at South Carolina 2-0 (3) Columbus 2-run HR (4th) 9-8 4/23 at UL-Monroe 2-1 (2) Holt 3-run HR (4th) /28 Arkansas 3-1 (5) Pontiff bases loaded walk (6th) /4 at Tennessee (G2) 4-0 (3) Phillips RBI single (7th) /12 at Florida 1-0 (2) Phillips sac fly (4th) 8-5 5/18 Alabama (G2) 1-0 (3) Hahn RBI triple (4th) 6-5 Games in which LSU deficit in bottom of the 1 st inning are not counted. #--Play that gave LSU the lead it never relinquished. *--LSU surrendered lead and trailed 5-4 after 6 th.; **--LSU surrendered lead and trailed 5-4 after 5 th. Innings Pitched Breakdown Team Starters (%) Relievers (%) LSU (70.2) (29.8) Opponents (61.5) (38.5) Innings Scored Breakdown LSU: 196 of 478 (41.0%) Opponents: 139 of 492 (28.2%)

9 LSU s Pinch Hit Home Runs (6) Date Opponent Batter (batting for) Pitcher Inn. Runs After HR Final 2/16 Mercer Vargas (Gill) Jones 7th Grand Slam /17 Mercer Harris (Pontiff) Paolantonio 7th Grand Slam /20 at Centenary Hahn (Wiethorn) Waak 7th 2-run /30 Mississippi St. Wiethorn (Hahn) Dowe 6th Solo (Leadoff) /14 Georgia Gill (Columbus) Carswell 5th Grand Slam /12 at Florida Heath (Zeringue) Coleman 8th 3-run LSU s Extra Inning Games (3-0) Date Opponent Innings After 9 Final Winning Play 2/9 Birmingham-Southern W, 6-5 Hill 2-run double overcomes 5-4 deficit 3/3 Long Beach St W, 5-4 Heath solo home run ends 30-degree game 5/10 at Florida W, 5-4 Barker scores on Rose error on Raymer SO LSU in Save Situations (saves in bold) Date Opponent Pitcher Line Pitcher Result Final 2/8 BSC David 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R H (1) W, /8 BSC Guidry 0.1 IP, 1 h, 3 ER, 2 BB BS (1) W, /9 BSC David 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1K BS (1) W, 6-5 (13) 2/12 SLU David 1.1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K BS (2), L (0-1) L, 4-3 2/15 Mercer Guidry 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB S (1) W, 7-4 2/24 at Houston Guidry 2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB H (1) L, /24 at Houston Wilson 1.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 K BS (1), L (2-1) L, /5 Tulane Guidroz 3.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 K BS (1), L (0-1) L, 6-5 3/8 UL-Monroe Wilson 1.0 IP, 1 K S (1) W, 4-3 3/10 UL-Monroe Guidry 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 K H (2) W, 8-7 3/10 UL-Monroe Wilson 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB S (2) W, 8-7 3/24 at Ole Miss David 2.0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 2 BB BS (3) L, /24 at Ole Miss Guidry 0.1 IP, 2 ER, 2 BB BS (2), L (0-1) L, /24 at Ole Miss Wilson 0.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 K BS (2) L, /30 Mississippi St. Tompkins 2.2 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 4 K S (1) W, 7-3 4/2 UNO Wilson 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB H (1) W, 8-1 4/2 UNO Vargas 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K H (1) W, 8-1 4/7 at Auburn Tompkins 3.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K S (2) W, 9-5 4/10 at Tulane Harris 3.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 K H (1) W, 9-5 4/16 Southern David 1.0 IP, 0 H, 1 K H (2) W, /16 Southern J. Hill 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 K H (1) W, /19 at South Carolina Tompkins 0.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER S (3) W, 9-8 4/30 at UNO Harris 3.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 5 K H (1) W, /18 Alabama (G2) Hararis 0.1 IP H (2) W, 6-5 5/18 Alabama (G2) Vargas 0.0 IP H (2) W, 6-5 5/18 Alabama (G2) Tompkins 3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K S (4) W, 6-5 A hold is credited when a pitcher enters with a save situation and holds the lead, but is pulled before the game is over. LSU Bullpen Statistics Pitcher ERA W-L APP SV IP H R ER BB SO 2B 3B HR AB B/Avg WP HBP BK SFA SHA Justin Hill Billy Brian Jason Vargas Jason Determann Jake Tompkins Brian Wilson Clay Harris Brad David Lane Mestepey Lukas Guidroz Weylin Guidry David Shank David Miller Totals Opponents

10 LSU s SEC leading 62 double plays in 2002 Date Opponent Inn. Batter Players Involved 2/8 Birmingham-Southern 7th Tucker Pontiff-Scelfo-Gill (5-4-3) 2/10 Birmingham-Southern 4th Godwin Hill-Scelfo-Columbus (6-4-3) 2/15 Mercer 2nd Jones Pontiff-Gill (5-3) 2/16 Mercer 8th Jackson Scelfo-Holt-Vargas (6-4-3) 2/17 Mercer 2nd Lynch Raymer-Gill (8-3 fly out) 2/20 at Centenary 8th Williams Wilson-Scelfo-Gill (1-6-3) 2/23 at Houston 3rd Musselwhite Pontiff-Gill-Vargas (5-4-3) 2/23 at Houston 9th Cho Holt-Vargas-Pontiff-Welch ( ) 3/2 Long Beach (G1) 9th Genung Pontiff-Gill-Vargas (5-4-3) 3/2 Long Beach (G2) 4th Wright Gill-Holt-Vargas (4-6-3) 3/2 Long Beach (G2) 6th Genung Pontiff-Gill (5-4 foul fly) 3/3 Long Beach 1st Jennings Gill-Holt-Vargas (4-6-3) 3/3 Long Beach 3rd Jennings Phillips-Gill (2-4 strikeout-throw out; Reed CS) 3/5 Tulane 3rd Feldman Pontiff-Gill-Wiethorn (5-4-3) 3/5 Tulane 7th Madden Scelfo-Gill-Wiethorn (6-4-3) 3/10 UL-Monroe 3rd Wolfe Pontiff-Gill-Columbus (5-4-3) 3/10 UL-Monroe 4th Welch Pontiff-Gill-Columbus (5-4-3) 3/10 UL-Monroe 7th Eady Holt-Gill-Columbus (6-4-3) 3/12 UL-Lafayette 1st Coles Holt-Scelfo-Harris (4-6-3) 3/19 at UL-Lafayette 1st Sneed Hill-Scelfo-Harris (6-4-3) 3/19 at UL-Lafayette 7th Sneed Hill-Harris (6-3 line drive) 3/23 at Ole Miss 2nd Christian Holt-Hill-Harris (4-6-3) 3/23 at Ole Miss 4th Tolbert Holt-Hill-Harris (4-6-3) 3/24 at Ole Miss 7th Rogers Holt-Hill-Harris (4-6-3) 3/26 at SLU 3rd Krajancic Pontiff-Holt-Gill (5-4-3) 3/29 Mississippi St. 2nd Goodson Scelfo-Hill-Harris (4-6-3) 3/30 Mississippi St. 5th Tucker Hill-Scelfo (6-4 line drive) 3/30 Mississippi St. 6th Burkley Hill-Scelfo (6-4 line drive) 3/30 Mississippi St. 9th Goodson Harris-Hill-Harris (3-6-3) 4/2 UNO 4th Trevizo Pettit-Hill-Columbus (1-6-3) 4/7 at Auburn 7th Huddleston Hill-Holt-Gill (6-4-3) 4/7 at Auburn 8th Schade Hill-Gill (6-3) 4/10 at Tulane 5th Clark Pontiff-Scelfo-Columbus (5-4-3) 4/12 Georgia 1st Szabo Pontiff-Columbus (5-3 line drive) 4/13 Georgia 3rd Sammons Hill-Holt-Gill (6-4-3) 4/13 Georgia 5th Szabo Hill-Holt-Gill (6-4-3) 4/13 Georgia 7th Blaze Hill-Holt-Gill (5-4-3) 4/13 Georgia 8th Westphal Hill-Holt-Gill (6-4-3) 4/13 Georgia 9th Lytle Scelfo-Gill (6-3) 4/14 Georgia 5th Lytle Scelfo-Hill-Columbus (4-6-3) 4/16 Southern 3rd Mason Columbus (unassisted line drive) 4/19 at South Carolina 1st Dyson Scelfo-Columbus (4-3) 4/20 at South Carolina 1st Peters Hill-Scelfo-Coulumbus (6-4-3) 4/23 at UL-Monroe 3rd Lind Heath-Hill-Gill (7-6-3 fly ball) 4/23 at UL-Monroe 6th Wolfe Gill-Hill-Gill (3-6-3) 4/26 Arkansas 2nd Clark Hill-Holt-Gill (6-4-3) 4/27 Arkansas 2nd Fletcher Raymer-Gill (8-3 fly ball) 4/27 Arknasas 4th Wishy Holt-Hill-Gill (4-6-3) 4/27 Arkansas 5th Toops Hill-Holt-Gill (6-4-3) 4/28 Arkansas 1st Pitts Phlllips-Hill (2-6 strikeout-throw out; Bridges CS) 4/28 Arkansas 9th Fletcher Tompkins-Holt-Gill (1-4-3) 5/4 at Tennessee (G2) 1st Bibee Hill-Scelfo-Columbus (6-4-3) 5/5 at Tennessee 4th Rigsby Scelfo-Hill-Columbus (4-6-3) 5/5 at Tennessee 9th Hopkins Pontiff-Scelfo-Columbus (5-4-3) 5/10 at Florida 6th Rose Hill-Holt-Harris (6-4-3) 5/10 at Florida 9th Shealy Hill-Holt-Harris (6-4-3) 5/10 at Florida 10th Rose Pontiff-Harris (5-3) 5/11 at Florida 1st Osborn Holt-Gill (4-3) 5/11 at Florida 5th Osborn Pontiff-Holt-Gill (5-4-3) 5/18 Alabama (G1) 6th Hearod Pontiff-Holt-Gill (5-4-3) 5/18 Alabama (G2) 3rd Boyd Hill-Holt-Wiethorn (6-4-3) 5/18 Alabama (G2) 7th Garner Holt-Hill-Wiethorn (4-6-3)

11 About LSU s Record. Home Away Neutral Day Night Turf Indoors Extra Innings One-Run Games Doubleheaders SEC Vs. SEC West Vs. SEC East Non-Conference Vs. Ranked Teams* Vs. in-state Vs. Southland Vs. C-USA Vs. Big West Vs. Atlantic Sun Vs. Big South Vs. Sun Belt Vs. SWAC Vs. Independents Vs. RH starters Vs. LH starters With RH starter With LH starter When Scoring First When opponent scores first Leading after Tied after Trailing after Leading after Tied after Trailing after When Scoring When Scoring 4 or fewer When Allowing When Allowing 4 or fewer When both score When both score 4 or fewer With 10+ Hits Yielding 10+ Hits Yielding 5 or fewer hits With 5 or fewer hits More Hits Fewer Hits Equal Hits Starters Relievers Starter Goes 6+ innings Starter Goes fewer than 4 inn..3-4 With no HR With 3+ HR Allowing no HR Allowing 3+ HR Sunday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Game 1 of series Game 2 of series Game 3 of series White Purple Black Gray Sleeveless Blown Saves...6 Games won on final AB...5 Games lost on final AB...2 Comeback wins...16 Comeback losses...8 Shutouts...6 Times shut out...1 Longest Game: 4:23 (BSC, 2/9 in 13 innings) Shortest Game: 1:51 (Arkansas, 4/26) Biggest Lead Overcome: 4 (twice) Largest Lead Blown: 5 (Tulane, 3/5) * ranked at time of game LSU on Live TV (5-5) Date Opponent Score/Time Network 2/24 at Houston L, Jumbo 3/19 at UL-Lafayette L, 7-0 Jumbo 3/24 at Ole Miss L, 10-7 Jumbo 4/7 at Auburn W, 9-5 Jumbo 4/10 Tulane (Superdome) W, 9-5 Jumbo 4/21 at South Carolina L, 4-3 Jumbo 5/3 at Tennessee ppd., rain Comcast 5/4 at Tennessee L, 2-1 SEC-TV 5/5 at Tennessee W, 6-2 Jumbo 5/10 at Florida W, 5-4 (10) Sunshine 5/12 at Florida W, 8-5 Jumbo. 5/22 Auburn (SEC) 5 p.m. Comcast 5/23 Ark./S.C. (SEC) 1 p.m./8 p.m. Comcast All Jumbo games also on Comcast Sports Southeast; SEC-TV games on Fox Sports Net South/Southwest. LSU on Tape-Delay TV (all home): 13-5 LSU in one-run games (10-7) Date Opponent Final 2/8 Birmingham-Southern W, /9 Birmingham-Southern W, 6-5 (13) 2/12 Southeastern Louisiana L, 4-3 2/20 at Centenary W, 7-6 2/24 at Houston L, /3 Long Beach St. W, 5-4 (11) 3/5 Tulane L, 6-5 3/8 UL-Monroe W, 4-3 3/10 UL-Monroe W, 8-7 3/12 UL-Lafayette L, 2-1 3/17 Vanderbilt L, 8-7 3/23 at Ole Miss W, 6-5 4/19 at South Carolina W, 9-8 4/21 at South Carolina L, 4-3 5/4 at Tennessee (G1) L, 2-1 5/10 at Florida W, 5-4 (10) 5/18 Alabama (G2) W, 6-5

12 Baseball Coaching Staff Head Coach: Ray Smoke Laval (Jacksonville, 1977, 13th year overall at LSU) Pitching/Third Base Coach: Dan Canevari (Miami, Fla., 1980; 12th year) Hitting/First Base Coach/Recruiting Coordinator: Henry Turtle Thomas (High Point, 1975; 3rd year) Volunteer Coach: Jody Autrey (LSU, 2001; 3rd year) Administrative Assistant: Brady Wiederhold (Kennesaw St., 1994; 1st year) Baseball Support Staff Trainer: Shawn Eddy (West Virginia, 1994; 6th year) Strength Coach: Jim Nowell (Southern Miss, 1990; 2nd year) Publicist: Bill Franques (LSU, 1985; 14th year) Secretary: Virginia Robertson (9th year) Equipment Managers: George Branigan (2nd year), B.J. Branigan (1st year), Ryan Babin (1st year), Steadman Nall (1st year) Student Trainer: Dawn Didier (1st year) Staying in Touch Baseball Office Phone: (225) Alex Box Stadium Press Box: (225) Bill Franques, Office: (225) Bill Franques, Home: (225) For interviews with coach Smoke Laval or any member of his staff, please contact Virginia Robertson in the LSU Baseball Office weekday mornings. For player interviews, please contact Bill Franques. Players are generally available before and after practice. Practices are usually held starting at 1 p.m. in Alex Box Stadium and are open to the media. LSU coach Smoke Laval Ray Smoke Laval may be following a legend at LSU in Skip Bertman, but Laval is no stranger to the LSU program, having served 10 years ( ) under Bertman as his top assistant and as a graduate assistant to Jack Lamabe (1979) before that. Laval, who was named Bertman s successor on July 18, 2000, came back to Baton Rouge after seven successful seasons at Louisiana-Monroe. Laval guided the Indians to a record from and led ULM to three NCAA regional appearances, including the regional final in 2000 against LSU. He was named the Southland Conference Coach of the year in 1999 and led the Indians to the SLC crown in 1999 and During Laval s tenure as Bertman s top assistant, LSU won 483 games, reached the College World Series five times, and won the national championship in 1991 and Laval worked with 24 future major league players during that time and recruited nine first-team All- Americans. Laval s Career Record Year School W-L Pct UL-Monroe UL-Monroe UL-Monroe UL-Monroe UL-Monroe UL-Monroe UL-Monroe LSU Overall (8th year) UL-Monroe (7 yrs.) Six Tigers named to SEC Academic Honor Roll Six LSU baseball players were named to the 2002 SEC Academic Honor Roll, which was released late Monday afternoon by the SEC office. The most prominent member of the team from LSU is junior third baseman and team captain Wally Pontiff, who carries a 3.25 GPA in biological sciences. Pontiff was named earlier this month to the Verizon District VI Academic Team, which makes him eligible for Academic All-America honors. Pontiff is a two-time member of the team, which is open to sophomores in classification and higher who have completed a minimum of 24 hours with a 3.0 GPA or higher. The other members of the honor roll from LSU are all pitchers. Ledaing the way is junior right-hander Chad Vaught, who has a 3.53 GPA in zoology, and he is joined by junior left-hander Brad David (3.13, management), senior right-hander David Miler (3.14, civil engineering), senior right-hander Justin Hill (3.49, general studies) and former Tiger hurler Tim Nugent (3.16, general business). Nugent, who pitched for LSU from , was eligible for the team since the information to compile the team was based upon the academic year. All of the above except for Hill were also on the honor roll last year, while Nugent was also a member in both 1999 and Pontiff is attempting to become just the fifth Tiger to earn Academic All-America honors, joining Eddy Furniss (three times, first team in 1996), Warren Morris (first team in 1995), Tim Lanier and Chris Demouy.

13 2002 LSU GAME-BY BY-GAME LOG (38-17, SEC) LSU Opp. Date Opponent Score/Time r--h --e r--h --e W --L--SV (LSU in CAPS) Time A tt. 2/2 LSU ALUMNI-3 W, TOMPKINS-Greene 2:53 4,842 2/8 BIRMINGHAM-SOUTHERN W, WILSON-Hicks 3:16 7,223 2/9 BIRMINGHAM-SOUTHERN W, 6-5 (13) DETERMANN-Godwin 4:23 7,168 2/10 BIRMINGHAM-SOUTHERN W, TOMPKINS-Johnson 3: /12 SOUTHEASTERN LA. L, Gonzales-DAVID-Stempel 2:48 7,624 2/15 MERCER W, PETTIT-Morrison-GUIDRY 2:53 7,200 2/16 MERCER W, HARRIS-Stone 2:56 7,547 2/17 MERCER W, TOMPKINS-Jones 2:30 7,562 2/20 at Centenary-1 W, WILSON-Buhl 2:58 3,559 2/22 at Houston L, SULLIVAN-Pettit 3:22 3,335 2/23 at Houston W, MESTEPEY-Wagner 2:53 4,098 2/24 at Houston L, Crain-WILSON 3:21 3,788 3/2 LONG BEACH ST. L, Alvarez-PETTIT-Jamison 3:02 7,218 3/2 LONG BEACH ST. W, MESTEPEY-Eisentrager 2:37 7,037 3/3 LONG BEACH ST. W, 5-4 (11) WILSON-Alliston 3:26 7,019 3/5 TULANE L, Aubrey-GUIDROZ-Charron 2:53 7,854 3/8 UL-MONROE W, DAVID-Carro-WILSON 2:50 7,529 3/9 UL-MONROE W, MESTEPEY-McConnell 2:12 7,414 3/10 UL-MONROE W, DAVID-Graves-WILSON 3:09 7,288 3/12 UL-LAFAYETTE L, Gabriel-MESTEPEY 2:18 7,704 3/15 VANDERBILT W, PETTIT-Sowers 2:40 7,375 3/16 VANDERBILT L, Little-MESTEPEY 2:36 7,341 3/17 VANDERBILT L, Shapiro-WILSON-Sues 3:13 7,151 3/19 at UL-Lafayette L, Gros-VARGAS 2:12 3,476 3/22 at Ole Miss L, Pickens-PETTIT 2:57 3,071 3/23 at Ole Miss W, MESTEPEY-Montrenes 3:09 4,195 3/24 at Ole Miss L, Morris-GUIDRY-Yates 3:22 3,872 3/26 at Southeastern La. W, VARGAS-Labiche 2:50 3,334 3/29 MISS. ST. L, Maholm-PETTIT 3:02 7,726 3/30 MISS ST. W, MESTEPEY-Brock-TOMPKINS 2:40 7,575 3/31 MISS ST. CCD., RAIN 4/2 UNO W, PETTIT-Migues 2:46 7,288 4/3 at N.O. Zephyrs-2, 3 L, Robertson-SHANK 2:26 10,042 4/5 at Auburn W, MESTEPEY-Speigner 2:47 4,491 4/6 at Auburn L, Paxton-PETTIT-Hughey 2:56 4,715 4/7 at Auburn W, WILSON-Brandon-TOMPKINS 2:49 4,014 4/10 vs. Tulane-4 W, PETTIT-Kline 2:49 27,673 4/12 GEORGIA W, MESTEPEY-Westphal 2:22 7,667 4/13 GEORGIA W, WILSON-Moorhead 2: /14 GEORGIA W, PETTIT-Fellows 2:41 7,666 4/16 SOUTHERN W, HARRIS-D. Mouton 2:35 7,613 4/19 at S. Carolina W, MESTEPEY-Bondurant-TOMPKINS 2:41 4,319 4/20 at S. Carolina L, Marchbanks-WILSON-Taylor 2:17 4,207 4/21 at S. Carolina L, Bell-PETTIT-Taylor 2:24 4,326 4/23 at UL-Monroe W, HARRIS-Martinez 2:53 4,401 4/26 ARKANSAS W, MESTEPEY-Isaacson 1:51 7,711 4/27 ARKANSAS W, WILSON-Gardner 2:20 8,510 4/28 ARKANSAS W, TOMPKINS-Woods 3:10 7,608 4/30 at New Orleans-2 W, TOMPKINS-Kling 3:11 4,864 5/4 at Tennessee L, Riley-MESTEPEY-Terrell 2:02 1,402 5/4 at Tennessee W, WILSON-Terrell 3: /5 at Tennessee W, PETTIT-Johnson 2:36 1,570 5/10 at Florida W, 5-4 (10) TOMPKINS-Goldfarb 2:56 3,470 5/11 at Florida L, Hart-WILSON 2:37 3,486 5/12 at Florida W, PETTIT-Ramsey 3:08 2,233 5/18 ALABAMA W, MESTEPEY-Cormier 1:57 8,210 5/18 ALABAMA W, WILSON-Norris-TOMPKINS 2:46 7,841 5/19 ALABA MA W, PETTIT-Sanders 2:35 8,440 5/22 Auburn-5 5 5/23 Arkansas/S. Carolina-5 1 or 8 1 at Fair Grounds Field, Shreveport 2 at Zephyr Field, Metairie 3 Exhibition 4 at Louisiana Superdome **NCAA REGIONALS MAY 31-JUN E 2** **NCAA SUPER REGIONALS JUNE 7-9** **NCAA COLLEGE WORLD SERIES AT OMAHA JUNE 14-22**