Vaunted Bayou Bengals await Voth, UW

Mar 8, 2013, 12:00 AM

This weekend will be as close to David versus Goliath as it gets for the Washington baseball team. The struggling Huskies will try to rock the college baseball landscape when they travel to No. 3 LSU (12-1) for a three-game set with the red-hot Tigers. It will be the UW’s first-ever trip to play a regular-season game against an SEC school. LSU has won seven in a row, most recently a 10-2 victory over Sacred Heart on Wednesday. The Huskies have never played LSU, home of one of college baseball’s most storied programs and six College World Series titles. Head coach Lindsay Meggs arrives in the Bayou with a UW team that hasn’t come close to putting it all together this season. The Huskies did pick up a win Tuesday night, beating Seattle University 4-2 to improve their record to 4-8. Despite his team’s recent struggles, Meggs is excited about taking his team to Baton Rouge, La. “It is a great opportunity for us. It’s a no-lose deal,” Meggs said. “Maybe we go down there, catch lightning in a bottle, and play the way we’re capable of playing, and maybe that gets us going.” The Huskies will trot out their usual weekend rotation, beginning with Austin Voth Friday night. Voth pitched one inning in relief Tuesday night and struck out three Seattle U batters, bringing his season total to a Pac-12-leading 31. Nick Palewicz, who also threw an inning in relief Tuesday, is slated to follow Voth on Saturday, and Tyler Davis will get the ball Sunday. They will face a Tiger lineup that features six players hitting better than .320, three of whom are hitting above .370. Despite the greatness of its offense, the strength of this LSU team is its starting pitching. Last weekend, the Tigers’ three starting pitchers — Aaron Nola, Ryan Eades, and Cody Glenn — worked together to prevent any earned runs in three games. Their team ERA through 12 games is 1.92. Ideally, the game will help acclimate the Huskies to the sort of atmosphere they might see in the postseason. “It’s a big test,” center fielder Jayce Ray said. “It’s a regional-type team and a regional-type atmosphere. It’s going to be a good way for us to see what we need to bring to the table if we want to bring this program to another level.” A couple of Huskies will take hot bats to Baton Rouge, beginning with Ray. The senior has been on a tear, hitting a team-high .391 with 11 runs scored. Ray credits a new approach at the plate to his strong start. “I have been focusing on being patient and aggressive at the same time,” Ray said. “When I get to two strikes, I’ve been making my adjustments and simplifying things, and that’s helped.” Second baseman Robert Pehl leads the team with eight RBIs and is batting .345. Recently, outfielder Will Sparks has also been swinging the bat well. He blasted his first home run as a Husky on Tuesday, and a pinch-hit double against Cal Poly last Sunday. Sparks said he thinks the team will benefit from playing LSU. “They’re one of the best teams in the country and one of the most hostile environments in the country,” Sparks said. “No matter what happens, going down there and facing that kind of competition in that kind of environment will be a good learning experience for us.” The series begins at 5 p.m. Friday evening, followed by a 4:30 p.m. game Saturday. Sunday’s matinee starts at 11 a.m. Reach reporter Daniel Rubens at sports@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @drubens12

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