LSU baseball falls in On3’s national power rankings after another series loss

A win this weekend over No. 1 Arkansas would go a long way for the Tigers.

The LSU baseball team got back on track on Tuesday night with a midweek win over Southeastern Louisiana, but it will take more than that to reverse its recent misfortunes.

The Tigers have started SEC play by dropping back-to-back series, first at Mississippi State and then against Florida at Alex Box Stadium last weekend. LSU is badly in need of a series win, and things don’t get any easier as coach Jay Johnson’s team hits the road again to face an Arkansas team that ranks No. 1 in all polls.

A win in Fayetteville would certainly move the Tigers up the rankings, but for now, they’re falling two spots to No. 6 in On3’s national power rankings from Jonathan Wagner.

LSU is looking to bounce back after losing its first two weekends of SEC play. The defending national champions have now dropped two out of three against Mississippi State and Florida, and the road isn’t getting any easier. LSU is in danger of dropping further in our college baseball power rankings, as they face off against Arkansas, Vanderbilt and Tennessee over the next three weekends.

LSU begins its weekend slate against the Razorbacks with a 6 p.m. CT game on Thursday night that will be televised on ESPN2.

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LSU baseball makes changes to the pitching rotation before matchup with Arkansas

Jay Johnson is changing things up on the mound ahead of a matchup against the top team in the nation.

This weekend, the LSU Tigers take a trip to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to take on the No. 1 team in the nation, the Arkansas Razorbacks.

LSU has lost back-to-back series to start the conference slate. The Tigers dropped two out of three games to Mississippi State and Florida. This weekend, the schedule is a little different. There will be no game on Sunday due to Easter. The series will be played on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

With these circumstances, [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] has decided to make some changes to the starting pitching rotation. For the last two weekends, the Tigers have gone with [autotag]Luke Holman[/autotag] on Friday, [autotag]Gage Jump[/autotag] on Saturday, and [autotag]Thatcher Hurd[/autotag] on Sunday. That won’t be the lineup this weekend.

Holman and Jump will both pitch on their normally scheduled days (Friday and Saturday) so they will be on full rest. As for Thursday, we do not know who is going to start for LSU. Hurd threw 90 pitches in Sunday’s loss to Florida so it will not be him.

The Tigers have a few options to go with but we will not know who it is until Johnson announces it before the first pitch.

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BREAKING: LSU women’s basketball lands commitment from Arkansas transfer Jersey Wolfenbarger

Jersey Wolfenbarger is a former five-star recruit who appeared in 65 games at Arkansas.

The LSU women’s basketball is in the midst of an NCAA Tournament run as it looks to defend its national title, but coach [autotag]Kim Mulkey[/autotag] has already set her sights on building a competitive roster next season.

On Monday, the Tigers landed a commitment in the transfer portal from Arkansas swing guard [autotag]Jersey Wolfenbarger[/autotag]. The 6-foot-5 junior from Fort Smith, Arkansas, is a former McDonald’s All-American and five-star recruit who ranked No. 7 nationally coming out of high school.

Wolfenbarger appeared in 65 games with 26 starts, but she left the Razorbacks program before the 2023-24 season and formally entered the transfer portal last week.

In her two years playing at Arkansas, Wolfenbarger averaged 5.6 points and 3.8 rebounds. She was named to the SEC All-Freshman team in 2022.

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Despite rough week, Oklahoma remains in D1Baseball’s Top 25

Oklahoma remains in D1Baseball’s Top 25 despite bad week on the diamond.

Last week was challenging for an Oklahoma team that had begun to find its way. The Sooners posted a 1-3 record, and the lone win was a combined no-hitter Friday night against West Virginia courtesy of juniors [autotag]Braden Davis[/autotag] and [autotag]Reid Hensley[/autotag].

Outside of that, it was a drag for Skip Johnson’s ball team. D1Baseball didn’t hold it against Oklahoma too much, though. Despite their three losses, the Sooners remained in the Top 25 at exactly No. 25 in the latest poll.

Arkansas remains the cream of the crop, coming in at No. 1. Oregon State is number two, while Clemson moved from four to three. Former Big 12 foe Texas A&M is No. 4, while Tennessee vaults from eighth to fifth.

The Big 12 only has one other representative in this week’s poll, as Kansas State has joined the mix at No. 23. TCU, previously No. 18, dropped out after a 2-2 week.

Oklahoma will have the chance to pick itself up off the mat this week as it returns to action Tuesday at home against in-state foe Oral Roberts. The first pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. and can be seen via SoonerVision on ESPN+. After that, the Sooners host a Thursday-Saturday series with Lamar.

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Arkansas freshman guard Layden Blocker to enter transfer portal

Arkansas’ freshman guard will enter the transfer portal

According to reports, Arkansas freshman guard Layden Blocker has entered the transfer portal after only one season with the Razorbacks program.

As a freshman, Blocker appeared in 27 games for the Razorbacks throughout the 2023-24 season, five of which he started. Over that span, Blocker averaged 3.7 PPG, 1.6 RPG, and 1 APG, while also shooting a combined 40.3% from the field.

Coming to Arkansas as a member of the Razorbacks 2023 recruiting class, Blocker was considered a highly-rated four-star point guard out of Sunrise Christian in Kansas, where he was also the nation’s No. 35 overall prospect according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Blocker was also the nation’s No. 8 point guard, as well as the No. 2 player in the state of Kansas.

Blocker now joins the likes of Devo Davis and Keyon Menifield to enter their names in the transfer portal after the conclusion of Arkansas’ season, one in which the Razorbacks finished 16-17 overall.

Arkansas freshman guard Layden Blocker to enter transfer portal

Arkansas’ freshman guard will enter the transfer portal

According to reports, Arkansas freshman guard Layden Blocker has entered the transfer portal after only one season with the Razorbacks program.

As a freshman, Blocker appeared in 27 games for the Razorbacks throughout the 2023-24 season, five of which he started. Over that span, Blocker averaged 3.7 PPG, 1.6 RPG, and 1 APG, while also shooting a combined 40.3% from the field.

Coming to Arkansas as a member of the Razorbacks 2023 recruiting class, Blocker was considered a highly-rated four-star point guard out of Sunrise Christian in Kansas, where he was also the nation’s No. 35 overall prospect according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Blocker was also the nation’s No. 8 point guard, as well as the No. 2 player in the state of Kansas.

Blocker now joins the likes of Devo Davis and Keyon Menifield to enter their names in the transfer portal after the conclusion of Arkansas’ season, one in which the Razorbacks finished 16-17 overall.

Arkansas guard Devo Davis to reportedly enter transfer portal

The four-year Arkansas starter will reportedly enter transfer portal

The transfer portal saw a noteworthy addition from the SEC on Wednesday, as Arkansas guard Devo Davis is reportedly entering his name in the portal after four seasons with the Razorbacks program.

A four-year starter for the Razorbacks, Davis is coming off a 2023-24 season in which he started 23-of-30 games for an Arkansas team that finished at 16-17 overall. Davis averaged 5.9 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 2 APG for the Razorbacks with a 77.1% mark from the free throw line as well.

Across his four years at Arkansas, Davis averaged a combined 8.5 PPG for the Razorbacks, along with 4 RPG, 2.4 APG, and 1.1 SPG across 132 games, 85 of which he started. Davis also held a 42.3% shooting mark from the field, as well as 73.2% from the free throw line.

The senior guard is now the fourth Arkansas player to enter the transfer portal since the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, joined by fellow guards Keyon Menifield, Joseph Pinion, and Denijay Harris.

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After massive sweep of No. 18 TCU, OU baseball lands in D1Baseball’s top 25 at No. 17

Oklahoma lands in D1Baseball’s Top 25 for the first time this season after sweeping No.18 TCU.

This OU baseball team has been playing some inspired baseball recently. The Sooners have now reeled off back-to-back conference sweeps to start the 2024 conference schedule.

Despite a midweek loss to their Bedlam rivals Oklahoma State, the Sooners went 4-1 last week. Their conquest of the TCU Horned Frogs in Fort Worth raised plenty of eyebrows and was more than enough for the Sooners to go from unranked to No. 17 in the latest D1Baseball Top 25.

TCU was No. 12 in the country when the Sooners played this weekend, and now they are 18th, directly behind the Sooners. With Oklahoma’s inclusion into the mix, the Big 12 has two teams in the top 25. Texas and Texas Tech both fell out in this latest update after each team lost two games last week.

At the top, Arkansas remains the nation’s number-one team. Oregon State is behind them, followed by perennial powerhouse Vanderbilt at three—Clemson, LSU, and Florida slot in at four, five, and six. Texas A&M, Tennessee, Duke, and ECU round out the top 10.

The Sooners also were ranked 14th by Baseball America and 18th by Perfect Game USA.

After four straight wins against teams from the state of Texas, Oklahoma will look to keep it going on Tuesday at L. Dale Mitchell Park for a midweek matchup vs. No. 15 Dallas Baptist on Tuesday night. Dallas Baptist beat Oklahoma earlier this season, 11-7, when the two met in Dallas for a midweek affair.

 

Duke slides in latest D1Baseball rankings after series loss to Clemson; remains in top 10

Duke lost its first series of the year, an ACC matchup with Clemson, and slid down three spots to ninth in latest D1Baseball poll.

The Duke Blue Devils have lost a series for the first time all season. It wasn’t as if they lost a team to be ashamed of, but this is the first series loss Chris Pollard and his team will have to bounce back from.

The Clemson Tigers came to Durham for Duke’s home ACC opening weekend, and the Tigers spoiled it, taking the Saturday and Sunday games to claim the series. With that series loss, the Blue Devils have slid in the latest D1Baseball rankings. Duke remains a top-10 team, but they are now ninth after their three-spot slide.

Arkansas continues to cruise atop the rankings, while Oregon State and Vanderbilt round out the top three. The Commodores jumped six spots.

Clemson shot up six spots to fourth, now the highest-ranked ACC team in the poll. A slew of SEC teams follow with LSU and Florida at fifth and sixth, respectively, and Texas A&M and Tennessee rounding out the teams in front of Duke.

Fellow North Carolina-based team ECU officially cracked the top 10 for the first time this season.

Florida State debuted at 12, joining the ranks of ACC teams inside the top 25. The Seminoles have reeled off 18 straight wins to start the season and are the only undefeated team in the poll.

Virginia is 14th after taking a series from Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons continue to slide after their second straight series loss. They are now 16th after holding the seventh spot last week.

Virginia Tech also enters the poll after being unranked last week. They are 19th, one place ahead of UNC at 20. After a week that saw them go winless, getting swept by Georgia Tech, the NC State Wolfpack are officially out of the poll.

Duke will end its six-game homestand on Tuesday when it hosts Towson at Jack Coombs Field. The first pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Arkansas guard Keyon Menifield to enter transfer portal

Arkansas sophomore guard Keyon Menifield to enter transfer portal

According to multiple reports, Arkansas guard Keyon Menifield has entered the transfer portal after only one season with the Razorbacks program.

Menifield, who transferred from Washington last offseason, appeared in 14 games with the Razorbacks during the 2023-24 season, four of which he started. A year in which the Razorbacks went 16-17 overall, as well as 6-12 in SEC play, Menifield averaged a combined 7.9 PPG, 2.1 RPG, and 1.6 APG, while also shooting 31.7% from three, as well as 74.3% from the free throw line.

Prior to Arkansas, Menifield started 21-of-32 games at Washington during the 2022-23 season as a freshman, averaging 10 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 3.1 APG, and 1.1 SPG. Menifield also shot 41% from the field that season, as well as 33% from three, and helped lead the Huskies that year to a combined 16-16 overall record.

The sophomore guard will now have three years of eligibility remaining, and is one of the SEC’s biggest names to enter their name in the transfer portal so far this offseason.