Posted by Heather Dinich
BATON ROUGE, La. -- It was almost three hours before the start of the Baton Rouge Super Regional, and dozens of fans were baking in the Louisiana heat as they waited in line for tickets to see the LSU Tigers host Rice. Linwood Daigle, a diehard LSU fan from nearby Plaquemine, La., was at the front of the line, and said he and his son, Matthew, had been standing there since 1:30 p.m.
LSU fans don't take just their football seriously here.
"It's worth it," Daigle said.
Elaborate tailgates with televisions and purple and gold tarps were up all day. Unlike in Tallahassee, there's not a dark cloud in the sky, and a gentle breeze is keeping the heat bearable. The Tigers took their batting practice first, and Rice went out around 4:45 p.m. Alex Box Stadium could rival many minor league fields, and Tiger Stadium looms large in the background of center field.
For the Tigers and the Owls, there's no looking past this weekend. It's a best-of-three series, and the winner advances to the College World Series, which starts June 13 in Omaha. Here are your starting lineups for tonight:
RICE (43-16)
Starting pitcher No. 17 RHP Mike Ojala
No. 7 2B L/R Brock Holt
No. 11 SS R/R Rick Hague
No. 5 C B/R Diego Seastrunk
No. 23 3B R/R Anthony Rendon
No. 4 RF L/L Chad Mozingo
No. 15 LF R/R Michael Fuda
No. 16 DH L/L Ryan Lewis
No. 21 CF R/R Steven Sultzbaugh
No. 2 1B R/R Jimmy Comerota
LSU (49-16)
Starting pitcher No. 23 RHP Anthony Ranaudo
No. 17 2B R/R DJ LeMahieu
No. 16 LF L/R Ryan Schimpf
No. 34 DH L/L Blake Dean
No. 33 C B/R Micah Gibbs
No. 8 CF R/R Mikie Mahtook
No. 14 1B R/R Sean Ochinko
No. 3 RF L/L Jared Mitchell
No. 11 3B R/R Tyler Hanover
No. 36 SS R/R Austin Nola
ESPN.com Staff
