April 22, 2008
Game Notes in PDF Format 
RUSTON, La. - After a 12-day, eight-game road trip to the West Coast, Louisiana Tech will play its first home game in nearly three weeks as in-state rival Northwestern State comes calling for a 6 p.m. game on Wednesday at J.C. Love Field. It will be a long homestand for the Bulldogs as nine of their next 10 games will be in Ruston with the lone road contest at nearby Grambling.
The Bulldogs (15-22, 2-16 WAC) are desperately looking to put an end to an 11-game losing streak that spans the entire month of April. But the Demons (21-17, 12-5 SLC) have been a tough nut to crack in the Southland Conference, in which they currently lead the Eastern Division. Tech leads the all-time series with NSU, 80-58.
Tech finally got some good starting pitching over the final three games at San Jose State, getting a stellar relief effort from Andrew Lassere in Saturday's first game. In addition, Luke Burnett pitched into the ninth in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader and Dylan Moseley threw six strong innings on Sunday.
Offensively, however, the Bulldogs have been in a slump of late, scoring only 22 runs over their last eight games. But playing at the "Love Shack" might be just the cure for what ails them as Tech averages 7.5 runs per game at home as opposed to just 4.4 per game on the road. Jericho Jones currently leads the team with a .341 average and has eight home runs and 24 RBI to his credit. Albie Goulder shares the team lead with eight dingers of his own and is batting .315 on the season with 27 runs batted in. Chris Kersten has seven homers and leads the Bulldogs with 32 RBI.
Tech's opponent on Wednesday might as well be called the "Speed Demons." Through 38 games, NSU has stolen 84 bases on 113 attempts, ranking the Demons tied for sixth in the nation in that department. The speedsters are led by Chase Lyles, who has swiped 17 bases in 19 attempts this year. He is batting .308 with three home runs and 19 RBI on the year. Dylan Libadisios is not far behind with 13 steals in 16 attempts, and he is batting .231 with four home runs and 20 RBI. Mike Jaworski is the leading power hitter with a whopping 14 home runs and 38 RBI thus far in 2008. Prior to last weekend, Jaworski was tied for 14th in the country in homers.
Starting pitching has also been a strength for NSU. Clayton Cooper leads the way with an ERA of 2.79 and a 5-1 record in eight starts. He has pitched three complete games, one for a shutout, and has struck out 36 batters in 58 innings pitched. Jimmy Heard also has five victories, standing 5-2 with a 3.18 ERA, having tossed two complete games. Heath Hennigan leads the Demons with 58 strikeouts in 55 innings pitched.
Tech has had its share of struggles with the Demons, having lost the last six meetings with its former conference rivals from Natchitoches. NSU was picked to finish third in the SLC Eastern Division.
Both teams will use several pitchers in the contest so as to save arms for crucial weekend conference series. Tech faces Hawaii in a four-game set in Ruston this weekend while Northwestern State will play host to UT-Arlington for three games in Natchitoches.
Broadcasting from the new press box at J.C. Love Field for the very first time, Dave Nitz will have the call of the game on ESPN 97.7 FM (online at www.espn977.com). Live stats will also be available through GameTracker at www.latechsports.com. Stadium gates open 90 minutes prior to first pitch.
