Baseball faces No. 1 LSU this weekend

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University baseball team travels to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, this weekend to take on No. 1 LSU in a three-game series starting Friday night.  

The Particulars
Opponent: No. 1 LSU
Location: Alex Box Stadium
Date and Times: Feb. 22 – 8 PM EST | Feb. 23 – 4 PM EST | Feb. 24 3 PM EST
Watch: Gm 1 (SEC Network+) | Gm 2 (SEC Network+) | Gm 3 (SEC Network+)
Live Stats: Gm 1 | Gm 2 | Gm 3
Game Notes: Bryant
Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | #TCD | #NECBASE

Pitching Probables
Friday – RHP Tyler Mattison (1-0, 3.60) vs. RHP Zack Hess (0-0, 9.82)
Saturday – LHP Vito Morgese (0-0, 3.60) vs. RHP Landon Marceaux (0-0, 1.59)
Sunday – LHP Steve Theetge (1-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Jaden Hill (1-0, 1.80)

Bryant will go with the same rotation this weekend as it did last week at ACU. Mattison walked one and struck out three over five innings to earn the win on Opening Day, while Morgese allowed just two runs but walked a career-high six over five innings. Theetge had the best outing of the weekend as he tossed six scoreless innings of two-hit ball on Sunday to earn his 24th career victory.  

Hess was drafted in the 34th round of the MLB draft last June but decided to come back to school. He's won 14 career games and pitched for the U.S. Collegiate National Team last summer. Marceaux and Hill were both drafted out of high school. Hill struck out eight over five innings in his first collegiate start last weekend.  

How to Watch

• All three games will be streamed on SEC Network+. Fans must have the SEC Network as part of their pay TV subscription in order to access the games via Watch ESPN or ESPN+. 
• Click here for more frequently asked questions in regards to SEC Network+. 

Series History

• Bryant and LSU will be meeting for the first time in program history this weekend.
• It won't be Bryant's first trip to Alex Box Stadium, though. The Bulldogs were the No. 3 seed in the 2014 NCAA Baton Rouge Regional hosted by the Tigers.
• LSU will be the fourth different member of the SEC the Bulldogs have faced joining Arkansas, Kentucky and Auburn.

Bryant vs. No. 1

• This weekend will be the first time the Bryant baseball team has faced the No. 1 team in the country.
• The highest-ranked team the Black and Gold have faced at the Division I level was No. 5 Oregon State in 2013.
• Other Bryant teams have faced the No. 1 team in the country, including football (Coastal Carolina), men's basketball (Indiana), men's lacrosse and softball (Washington).

Bulldog Notes and Notables

• The Bulldogs have played 10 games against nationally-ranked opponents in DI program history and are 3-7 in those games. Bryant has won each of its last two games against ranked opponents, defeating No. 25 UConn in 2017 and No. 22 Kentucky in 2016.
• Bryant opened the season with a series victory over Abilene Christian last weekend. The Bulldogs won the opener, 8-7, and then took the rubber match on Sunday, 11-1.
• The Bulldogs hit five home runs on the weekend, their most in a non-conference series since 2017.
• Freshman Jake Gustin (Peabody, Mass.) was named the Northeast Conference Player and Rookie of the Week after going 5-for-11 with five RBI and four runs scored in three games. He had a hit, an RBI and a run scored in all three and homered in game two of the series.
• Junior James Ciliento (Mahwah, N.J.) homered and scored five times as Bryant's leadoff hitter in all three games.
• Redshirt sophomore Jimmy Titus (Stafford, Conn.) returned to the lineup and posted an RBI in all three games.
• Senior Nick Angelini (Bedford, N.H.) four RBI, three runs scored and stole the 44th base of his career.

Scouting the Tigers

• LSU has won six national championships and have made 18 College World Series appearances.
• The Tigers have also led the country in total attendance for 23-straight seasons.
• LSU has opened the season with victories over four different opponents, Louisiana-Monroe, Army, Air Force and Southeastern Louisiana.
• The Tigers are hitting .328 as a team have already posted 11 doubles and six home runs in four games.
• Antoine Duplantis has driven in 11 runs, while Josh Smith is hitting .625 (10-16) with eight runs scored.
• LSU's pitching staff has walked 21, struck out 37 and are holding opponents to a .241 batting average.  

Up Next

The Bulldogs' season-opening 18-game road trip continues next weekend with a three-game series at ACC-member Virginia Tech.