Tag: 2023 NCAA Baseball Tournament

What’s at stake for Dylan Crews’ LSU legacy this postseason?

This month offers Crews a chance to define his legacy at LSU.

Players the caliber of [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] don’t come around often.

Crews hit the moment he picked up a bat at LSU. His freshmen slash line of .362/.453/.663 put him near the top of the sport as a 19-year-old.

The last two years, he’s only gotten better. He slugged .691 in 2022 and is slugging .710 this season. He’s fifth on LSU’s all-time home run leaderboard with a chance to get to third. He’s climbing the top 10 on the total bases list too, chasing names who played in a run environment much more favorable to hitters than the current one.

Crews is preparing for his third postseason with LSU. In some ways, this will be his first normal one.

His freshman year was Paul Mainieri’s final season, and last year was Jay Johnson’s first. This is the first Crews team to have real stability. It’s the first tournament Crews enters where LSU has a real championship expectation. Part of that expectation is the hope that Crews can carry this lineup to Omaha.

Crews isn’t the only star swinging the bat for LSU. This team was preseason No. 1 for a reason. But Crews is the biggest of them. He’s the SEC Player of the Year with a good chance at being first off the board when the MLB draft rolls around.

All those numbers and accolades should be enough to cement a legacy. Game to game, Crews produces at a level on par with some of the greatest athletes in LSU history.

Yet, legacies aren’t determined by what happens February through May. Legacies, real lasting legacies, are built in June. Right now.

What’s remembered most is what happened when it mattered the most. That can be a reductive way of looking at a player. Maybe, we should care about what happens in the playoffs less and try to look at the bigger picture. That’s probably more fair.

But that’s not how it is.

Crews is in his final stretch as a Tiger. In these days, he’ll be held to the standard he set for himself his first 183 games.

LSU needs Crews to look like a player that can be in the major leagues by next fall. The more runs created by Crews, the lesser the strain on the pitching staff. If Crews comes through in big at bats, it cushions the rest of the lineup.

If Crews slumps this weekend, it won’t define his career. But if he plays like the best player in the country, that will. This is the quintessential legacy moment.

Crews is a player with game changing ability. That needs to be on full display this weekend.

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LSU baseball among most favorable NCAA regional draws, according to On3

Falling to the No. 5 national seed may not be that bad, after all.

For a team that entered the season as the unanimous No. 1 squad and stayed that way for most of the 2023 campaign, LSU lost some momentum down the home stretch.

The Tigers dropped two of their final SEC series and exited the conference tournament one win shy of the semifinal round. As a result, coach Jay Johnson’s team earned the No. 5 national seed in the 2023 NCAA Baseball Tournament.

That may not be a bad thing, though. According to On3’s Jonathan Wagner, the Baton Rouge Regional is one of the three easiest on this weekend’s tournament slate.

It features a 19-40 Tulane team, far and away the worst record of any team in the field, as well as Sam Houston State and an Oregon State program that the Tigers are very familiar with.

Here’s Wagner’s breakdown.

LSU is the No. 5 overall seed, and the Baton Rouge Regional is an interesting one to say the least. The Tigers are one of the deepest teams in the country, led by SEC Player of the Year Dylan Crews and SEC Pitcher of the Year Paul Skenes. Those are your likely first two picks in the 2023 MLB First-Year Player Draft, as well. And given the opposition in Baton Rouge, it would be tough to envision LSU losing this regional.

Oregon State is the No. 2 seed in the Baton Rouge Regional. The Beavers were a contender to host at various points during the season, but they ultimately struggled in the end and finished No. 37 in RPI. With a staff ERA of 4.65, a team average of .290 and 79 home runs as a team, Oregon State doesn’t exactly scare a team like LSU.

Sam Houston, the No. 3 seed in Baton Rouge, has two players hitting above .400, which could be scary in the postseason. The team doesn’t hit for a lot of power, though, and a staff ERA of 5.26 is concerning given who they could have to face. Finishing No. 70 in RPI after winning 22 games in the WAC, Sam Houston is a low-end No. 3 seed.

LSU’s matchup in the opening round will be Tulane, a team that went 19-40. The Green Wave went 7-23 in non-conference games and followed it up by going just 8-16 in the American. Regardless, Tulane got hot when it mattered and won the grueling AAC Tournament.

Certainly, no game can be taken for granted come tournament time. We’ve seen top-eight national seeds upset in the regional round plenty of times before, and even Friday’s opener against the Green Wave could be tricky if they keep up their momentum from the American Athletic Conference Tournament.

Still, there are tougher regional draws in the field, including for teams with a higher national seed than the Tigers. Johnson has a good chance to reach the super regional round for the first time at LSU in his second season.

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Full 2023 NCAA baseball tournament regional pairings announced

The road to Omaha has begun as the official bracket was revealed on Monday.

The road to Omaha has begun as the official bracket was revealed on Monday. There were some interesting choices as to who was hosting and where each team would go. The SEC finished with eight hosting sites and 10 teams in the tourney, overall.

There are a few regionals that stood out to me. The Gainesville Regional, Fayetteville Regional, Stillwater Regional and Coral Gables Regional are all stacked.

The Gators are a good baseball team but they will have their hands full with Texas Tech and UConn. Arkansas has to deal with the Big 12 champion, TCU and the Arizona Wildcats. Oklahoma State will take on Dallas Baptist, Washington and Oral Roberts. The Golden Eagles may be one of the best No. 4 seeds in the tournament. Miami was paired with Texas and Louisiana. The Ragin’ Cajuns are a sneaky good team, and the Longhorns ae always in the conversation.

LSU drew Tulane, Sam Houston and Oregon State in the Baton Rouge Regional at Alex Box Stadium. The Tigers and Beavers have quite a history together. LSU has played Sam Houston and Tulane already this season and LSU went 2-0 against them.

Here’s the full regional bracket.

Regional Breakdown: LSU earns No. 5 national seed in 2023 NCAA Baseball Tournament

The Tigers are hosting a regional for the first time since 2019.

The Tigers spent much of the year as the No. 1 team in the country, but when it was all said and done, LSU ended up earning the No. 5 national seed in the 2023 NCAA Baseball Tournament.

Coach Jay Johnson’s team will host the Baton Rouge Regional this week, and it will open up its run in the postseason against a Tulane team that won the American Athletic Conference tournament despite having a 19-40 record.

Also joining LSU in Baton Rouge will be Sam Houston State and Oregon State, who will face each other on Friday.

Here’s a full rundown of the Baton Rouge Regional.

LSU, other regional hosts revealed for 2023 NCAA Baseball Tournament

The NCAA revealed the 16 teams that will be hosting regionals next weekend.

The NCAA revealed the 16 teams that would be host sites for the regional tournaments. There were questions on just how many SEC teams would get to host, the answer was eight.

The SEC landed half of the regional hosting spots as Alabama, Auburn, Florida, South Carolina, LSU, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, and Arkansas will all be hosting regionals and a few of them have a chance to host super regionals.

The NCAA did not reveal the exact seeding of the hosts. We will find that out on Monday during the selection show at 11 a.m. CT. One thing we know nearly for certain is that the Wake Forest Demon Deacons will be the No. 1 seed in the country.

Here’s a rundown on each host site.

How to watch as regional host LSU baseball learns its pairings during NCAA selection show

The Tigers will learn their NCAA tournament fate on Monday.

The LSU Tigers are officially hosting a regional once again this season.

Baton Rouge was announced as one of the tournament’s 16 regional sites on Sunday night, though the Tigers will have to wait to learn who they will face this week until the selection show on Monday.

LSU made a run until Friday at the SEC tournament in Hoover, Alabama, this week, winning its first two games, but back-to-back losses to Arkansas and Texas A&M ended its stay.

Now, the Tigers await their NCAA tournament fate. Most projections have this team as a top-eight national seed, somewhere around the four or five-seed line.

Here’s what you need to know to watch the selection show on Monday, as well as the latest tournament projections.

LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson excited to get back home for NCAA regionals

The Tigers are essentially guaranteed to host a regional in Baton Rouge.

The LSU Tigers’ run in Hoover, Alabama, at the SEC tournament came didn’t end the way the team hoped this week.

After winning the first two games, the Tigers fell against Arkansas and then again in an elimination game against Texas A&M. Now, LSU has to await its NCAA tournament fate on Sunday.

As things currently stand, the Tigers are likely to be a top-eight national seed and are essentially guaranteed to host a regional in Baton Rouge. As LSU prepares for what it hopes will be a run to Omaha, coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] said he’s excited to be back in front of a friendly crowd at Alex Box Stadium.

Yeah, I feel confident in our team, and I trust them, as I said,” Johnson said per On3. “I like the fact that we’re going to play at home and get our fans there and behind them, and want to thank all the fans for coming out this weekend, and it feels like a home game. That’s something to be proud of as part of our program, and I think that gives us a lift.

“We’ve been on the road now for nine days or ten days, so it’ll be good to get back and get reset and go for it.”

The Tigers will await their NCAA tournament fate, which will be announced during Monday’s selection show on ESPN2. The 16 regional sites will be announced on Sunday.

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Where LSU sits in D1Baseball’s NCAA regional projections entering SEC tournament

The Tigers are still in a good position to earn a top-eight national seed.

With the SEC tournament beginning this week in Hoover, Alabama, an LSU team that began the season ranked No. 1 but dropped two of its final three series is running out of opportunities to prove to the selection committee that it’s deserving of a top-eight seed.

Luckily for coach Jay Johnson’s team, the Tigers may not have much to worry about in that regard. The latest NCAA tournament projections from D1Baseball have the Tigers as the No. 4 national seed, which would mean they’d host in the regional and super regional rounds.

D1Baseball has LSU being joined by No. 2-seeded Washington, No. 3-seeded Texas Tech and No. 4-seeded Nicholls, who LSU faced twice during the regular season. The Tigers won the first game before being upset by the Colonels in the second game.

In the opposing super regional, D1Baseball has Oklahoma State as the No. 13 national seed. Joining the Cowboys in the Stillwater Regional is No. 2 Oregon State, No. 3 Grand Canyon and No. 4 Oral Roberts.

A lot could still change this week, but it seems the Tigers are in a good spot despite limping to the finish line a bit.

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Where LSU stands in D1Baseball’s latest field of 64 projections

After dropping the conference series to Auburn last weekend, LSU is now projected as the No. 2 national seed.

After dropping the conference series to Auburn last weekend, LSU is now projected as the No. 2 national seed in the NCAA tournament.

According to D1baseball, the Tigers will host a regional in Baton Rouge and play against [autotag]Cal State Fullerton[/autotag], [autotag]UTSA[/autotag], and [autotag]Nicholls[/autotag]. LSU is quite familiar with Nicholls. The Tigers are 1-1 against their in-state opponent with the last game resulting in a 6-5 loss in Baton Rouge.

UTSA is one of the hottest teams in the country right now. The Roadrunners are 36-12 overall this season and 19-4 in conference play. They’re a top-25 squad and possibly a top-15 team. They will give anyone they face a run for their money.

Cal State Fullerton is a team that is historically good at college baseball. Its name always seems to pop up around the time regional play starts. The Titans are 28-16 this season and 17-4 in conference play.

LSU’s next series will start on Friday at 7:30 p.m. CT against Mississippi State. This will be the last home conference series of the season.

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Latest NCAA tournament projections for LSU baseball

The Tigers are all but a lock to be a top-eight seed and potential super-regional host.

The Tigers have looked the part of the No. 1 team in the country this season, at least most of the time.

LSU is in the midst of a bit of a frustrating stretch having now dropped back-to-back in-state midweek games against Louisiana and, most recently, Nicholls on Tuesday night. Still, coach Jay Johnson’s team is in a fairly advantageous spot.

This team has been fantastic in SEC play. The Tigers are unbeaten in conference series and split with one of the hottest teams in the country in South Carolina on the road. LSU is coming off a road sweep against Ole Miss, and it has no remaining league series against ranked opponents.

As a result, this team sits in a very good position when it comes to being a regional host and (potential) super regional host. Here’s the latest breakdown of LSU’s postseason outlook, per On3.

Note: The article from On3 was published prior to the Tigers’ loss to the Colonels, but that likely won’t impact much as far as the big picture is concerned.

Record: 32-7 (12-5 in SEC games)

RPI: 3

Remaining midweek games: vs. Nicholls, vs. SE Louisiana, vs. Northwestern State, vs. McNeese

Remaining weekend series: vs. Alabama, at Auburn, vs. Mississippi State, at Georgia

LSU is not only locked into the postseason, but the Tigers are all but guaranteed to be one of the top eight regional hosts. That would mean that LSU would host a super regional in the second round, should they win their regional. With a top three RPI, LSU isn’t really in danger of falling much at all over the final weeks of the year. It’s safe to say that the Tigers will be either the top overall seed in the tournament, and it’s hard to see them falling far even if they struggle down the stretch.

Unsurprisingly, LSU was tabbed as the No. 1 overall seed in D1Baseball’s projected field last week.

LSU has been the unanimous No. 1 team in the country throughout the entire season, and barring a surprising series loss or two, this team is well-poised to be the top overall seed and all but guaranteed to be a top-eight seed.

Registering a convincing victory over a Crimson Tide team that has struggled with inconsistency but is coming off a sweep on the road against Missouri would certainly go a long way to solidify that.

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