Feb. 17, 2011
Game Notes
RUSTON, La. - Louisiana Tech opens the 2011 campaign this weekend, hosting Southern Illinois, Nicholls State and Grambling State in the Louisiana Tech Classic. The Bulldogs will start the season Friday night at 6 p.m. against Southern Illinois before closing out the weekend against in-state foes Nicholls State and Grambling State at 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Friday's bout with Southern Illinois will mark the first meeting between the two programs.
The Bulldogs welcome back 20 letterwinners and seven position starters from a 2010 squad that finished 27-30 while shattering four school records for hits (697), runs (484), doubles (141) and RBI (441). Of the returning starters, four were named all-WAC performers last season highlighted by first team selection, Mark Threlkeld.
Southern Illinois returns five position starters and 14 letterwinners from a 2010 squad that finished tied for third in the Missouri Valley Conference after posting a 28-29 record.
Nicholls State will be under the direction of first year head coach Seth Thibodeaux. The Colonels boast a veteran lineup that finished with a 27-29 mark last season while finishing sixth in the Southland Conference.
Grambling State finished last season on a hot streak as the Tigers swept past the field at the SWAC tournament to earn a berth in the Fayetteville Regional. The Tigers will have several new faces from a team that finished 2010 with a 22-32 record.
All home games this season will be streamed live courtesy of LA Tech All-Access while live stats will be provided via Game Tracker on www.LATechSports.com, the official home page for Louisiana Tech Athletics.
THE RUNDOWN
1. Louisiana Tech is 5-3 all-time on opening day during the Wade Simoneaux era. Of those five wins, four have come at home at J.C. Love Field. In each of the four home wins the Bulldogs have plated an average of 12 runs.
2. Friday's game against Southern Illinois marks only the third time during Simoneaux's tenure that Tech has not opened the season against an in-state opponent. The Bulldogs fell to the previous two out-of-state opponents -- Arkansas in 2007 and Alcorn State in 2010 -- on opening day by a combined three runs.
3. Tech's last opening day win against a non-Louisiana team came back in 2002 when the Bulldogs knocked off Mississippi Valley State during Jeff Richardson's final year.
SCOUTING SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
Friday will mark the first meeting between the two programs. After finishing last season with a 28-29 record and a 10-10 mark against Missouri Valley opponents, the Salukis will feature several new faces on the 2011 roster. SIU boasts only nine upperclassmen and returns only 14 letterwinners from the 2010 squad while losing their entire weekend rotation.
Under the direction of first year skipper Ken Henderson, the Saluki's are led by junior 1B Chris Serritella who tallied 83 hits, 19 doubles and 64 RBI last season while hitting at a .374 clip. On the mound, SIU will start journeymen junior college transfer Cameron Maldonado. The 6'3 RHP joined the SIU program after one-year stints at Wichita State (2009) and Seward County JC (2010). Last season Maldonado posted an 8-4 record including a 7-1 mark in league play. In 47.2 innings of work he recorded 37 strikeouts while walking just eight batters.
SCOUTING NICHOLLS STATE
Despite trailing in the overall series 20-24, Louisiana Tech has had Nicholls State number as of late. Under head coach Wade Simoneaux the Bulldogs own a 7-2 record against the Colonels including a 4-1 mark in games played at J.C. Love Field. However, the Colonels won the last meeting between the two programs in a 14-3 decision on Feb. 21, 2007.
Seth Thibodeaux begins his first season at the helm of the Nicholls State program and has plenty of veteran leadership at his disposal. Senior Bear Comer led the Colonels last season with a .372 average while tallying 77 hits and 30 RBI. Junior Beau Faulk bolsters the offensive attack for Nicholls State as he notched 57 hits, eight doubles and five home runs last season while totaling a team-high 49 RBI on a .358 batting average.
Nicholls State is tentatively slated to start southpaw Patrick Shreve on Saturday night. The junior transfer from Faulkner State CC was a two-time all-region selection and was named first team all-region in the Alabama Community College Conference after posting an 8-1 record last season
SCOUTING GRAMBLING STATE
Louisiana Tech and Grambling State will meet for the 17th time on Sunday night and just the eighth time at J.C. Love Field. The Bulldogs currently own a 13-3 advantage in the all-time series while Coach Simoneaux holds an 11-1 records against the Tigers. The Bulldogs have dominated the series as of late as Tech has posted 11-straight wins in the series including a 20-3 and an 11-1 win last season.
The Tigers did not boast an overly impressive record last season as they finished the year with a 22-32 mark. However, Grambling swept through the SWAC Tournament and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament as they were paired with Arkansas in the Fayetteville Regional. Despite the success last season, the Tigers will feature several new faces to the roster this season as only two position starters return.
ON DECK
Following the Louisiana Tech Classic this weekend, the Bulldogs will play host to UALR in a midweek showdown Tuesday night before travelling to Lake Charles for a three-game set against McNeese State.
