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[SIZE=2]BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — As part of the unprecedented agreement between ESPN and the Southeastern Conference, the Kentucky baseball team will be featured during the 2011 season in ESPNU’s inaugural Thursday Night SEC Baseball Game of the Week, with UK’s game at LSU set for April 28 at Alex Box Stadium.[/SIZE][PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
[SIZE=2]Kentucky and LSU – the defending SEC Tournament Champions – will face off in a three-game series in Baton Rouge, running from April 28-30, 2011 at three-year old Alex Box Stadium. The game is part of a seven-week series running from April 7 through May 19, with the Thursday night national game of the week a first for the sport. SEC weekend baseball series are scheduled for Friday-Sunday three-game weekends, but as part of the Thursday Night SEC Baseball Game of the Week, the series selected will play Thursday-Saturday three-game sets.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]“ESPNU is thrilled to feature a seven-week SEC Thursday night baseball series,” said Rosalyn Durant, Vice President, ESPNU. “Showcasing the vast talent of SEC baseball is great for the sport, fans, league and ESPNU. We appreciate the partnership with the SEC in creating this consistent Thursday night national package.”[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]The ESPNU Thursday Night SEC Baseball Game of the Week will feature the Wildcats in the crucial tilt at LSU in 2011, with the Tigers totaling 10,655 fans per game during the 2010 season. The series opener is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 28 and will feature a national broadcast on ESPNU, a network now available in 73 million homes. The series will resume at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday and conclude at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]Last year, UK collected its first three-game sweep over the high-powered Tigers in 19 years, picking up three wins over LSU on the next-to-last weekend of the season. In the series, UK used a walk-off homer from [/SIZE][COLOR=black][SIZE=2]Lance Ray[/SIZE][SIZE=2] in a Friday-night win, a stellar outing from [/SIZE][SIZE=2]Jordan Cooper[/SIZE][SIZE=2] in a Saturday win and a go-ahead grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning from catcher [/SIZE][SIZE=2]Marcus Nidiffer[/SIZE][SIZE=2] to complete the sweep in a comeback effort on Sunday.[/SIZE][/COLOR]
[SIZE=2]“The Thursday night package of SEC games on ESPNU is a great opportunity for us to showcase the outstanding baseball that is played in our conference,” said SEC Commissioner Mike Slive. “The ESPNU package will be able to draw attention to the outstanding game-day atmosphere we have at our baseball stadiums as well as the rich tradition and history of SEC baseball.”[/SIZE]
[URL=”http://www.ukathletics.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/112410aaa.html”]Complete Release from UKAthletic.com[/URL]
[h=3][SIZE=2]ESPNU SEC Thursday Night Baseball Schedule (Schedule subject to change)[/SIZE][/h]
April 7 7:30 p.m. South Carolina at Tennessee
April 14 7:30 p.m. Tennessee at Alabama
April 21 7:30 p.m. Ole Miss at Auburn
[B]April 28 7:30 p.m. Kentucky at LSU[/B]
May 5 7:30 p.m. Florida at Arkansas
May 12 7:30 p.m. Mississippi State at Ole Miss
May 19 7:30 p.m. Vanderbilt at Georgia
