Tag: Baton Rouge Super Regional

Start of LSU baseball’s super regional Game 1 vs. Kentucky delayed due to weather

Mother Nature does not seem to like Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Mother Nature does not like Baton Rouge, Louisiana. That has become ever apparent over the past few weeks as countless games have been delayed or postponed due to weather.

LSU was slated to host the first game of the super regional against Kentucky with [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] on the mound at 2 p.m., but the game has been delayed due to weather.

“We’re going to watch the weather all the way up until game time,” coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] said on Friday. “We will not start the game unless we have a window to play the game.”

He clearly didn’t see a window to play the full game, so we have entered a delay.

It certainly makes sense given LSU doesn’t want to waste an appearance from a pitcher of Skenes’ caliber with a trip to Omaha on the line.

LSU took the regular-season series against the Wildcats 2-1 in Baton Rouge.

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How to watch LSU baseball take on Kentucky in Game 1 of the Baton Rouge Super Regional on Saturday

The Tigers are looking to advance to the College World Series for the first time since 2017 when they host a familiar foe this weekend.

After an essentially flawless weekend at Alex Box Stadium, the Tigers emerged as the champions of the Baton Rouge Regional with a 3-0 record.

Now, LSU is hosting a super regional against a familiar foe with the chance to reach the College World Series in Omaha for the first time since 2017. No. 12 national seed Kentucky comes to town looking to avenge a series loss from earlier in the season.

UK is likely to see one of the top pitchers in the country, [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag], who pitched a complete game in his regional outing. LSU will hope for another big-time result from the top draft prospect as it looks to take first blood against Kentucky.

Here’s what you need to know to watch Game 1 on Saturday.

UPDATE: Due to the chance of thunderstorms in the area, the start of the game has been delayed again. It will now start at 9:06 p.m. CT.

LSU coach Jay Johnson to pay for student tickets to super regional this weekend

Tickets to watch the Tigers play the Wildcats this weekend are on Jay Johnson if you’re an LSU student.

Tickets to this weekend’s Baton Rouge Super Regional against Kentucky are on [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] if you’re an LSU student.

On Friday, the Tigers coach announced that he would be paying to allow students to attend games this weekend for free as a show of thanks for their “strong support all season.”

Students will receive a general admission ticket to the student section, which occupies sections 95-97 at Alex Box Stadium.

As an NCAA event, the normal home ticketing policy for students doesn’t apply. But thanks to this cool gesture from Johnson, students will be able to support the Tigers in person against the Wildcats this weekend.

LSU begins the Baton Rouge Super Regional against Kentucky at 2 p.m. CT on Saturday for Game 1.

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Kentucky pitcher breaks down why Paul Skenes is so dangerous

Skenes has built up quite a reputation around the country.

When LSU begins super regional play against Kentucky on Saturday, it will have a massive advantage in the form of [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag].

The Tigers’ ace is the best pitcher in the country, and he’s been incredibly tough to beat this season. The Wildcats made him look a bit human when they faced him earlier this year, but he still managed to get the win.

Kentucky pitcher Austin Strickland talked about what makes Skenes so special as a player.

“Not only does he throw hard but he’s got a fastball that runs a lot,” Strickland said per On3. “And so when — his ability to control the strike zone like that is really incredible. So just watching him, I just want to emulate that as much as I can. Just put my pitches in and out of the zone when I need to and let the chips fall where they may.”

Skenes has a 1.90 earned run average on the season, which ranks fourth nationally, and his walks and hits per innings pitched of 0.79 leads the nation. With 179 strikeouts on the year, he’s also far and away the best pitcher in the nation in terms of strikeouts per nine innings at 16.22.

“He’s just been absolutely incredible this year,” Strickland said. “And when you have a fastball with his velocity and his life, some really quality offerings. One of the things that I look at when I watch him is just how he can repeat it, how he can do it so consistently.”

Skenes is likely to get the nod on the bump when LSU begins the Baton Rouge Super Regional against Kentucky, and the Tigers will hope for another big-time outing from the Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy finalist.

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A look back on LSU’s last 5 super regional appearances

Here’s how LSU has fared at this stage of the tournament in recent years.

LSU is preparing for its 16th super regional appearance in the current format. When the Kentucky Wildcats come to Baton Rouge this weekend, it’ll also mark the 12th time LSU played host to a super regional.

LSU is 17-9 in those home games and 18-16 overall.

This is LSU’s first super regional appearance in two years and the first at Alex Box Stadium since 2019.

It’s been a while since the Tigers have won a super regional, at least by LSU standards: 2017. Coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] looks to end that drought this weekend and make his first trip to Omaha as LSU’s head coach.

Let’s take a look back at LSU’s last five super regionals.

Jay Johnson gives thoughts on matchup against Kentucky ahead of super regional

Johnson isn’t looking past the Wildcats even though LSU took two out of three games against them in Baton Rouge earlier this year.

It will be an all-SEC showdown at the Baton Rouge Super Regional this weekend as the No. 12 national seed Kentucky Wildcats come to town looking to avenge a 2-1 series loss at Alex Box Stadium earlier in the season.

Unlike LSU, which went 3-0 in its regional, the Wildcats got pushed to the brink of elimination against Indiana in the Lexington Regional. UK was ultimately saved by an offensive explosion that saw the team score 34 runs in its three wins.

That kind of success will likely be tougher against LSU’s pitching staff, but Kentucky does have one thing going for it: It’s one of the few teams that has made [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] look semi-human this season.

Skenes still got the win in the matchup earlier this season, but he gave up seven hits and four earned runs (though he also struck out 13 Wildcats). coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] said he expects a more polished version of Skenes this time around.

“He’s great at evaluation and given that that was two months ago, he’s in a different place than he was at that time and they’re a different team,” he said, per On3 “We’ll look at it and he’ll look at it and look at any adjustments that need to be made.”

[autotag]Ty Floyd[/autotag], who will likely get the start on the mound on Sunday barring weather throwing a wrench into things, praised the Wildcats’ lineup.

“They’re a very scrappy team,” he said. “They put up good at-bats,  have some good lefty sticks and some older kids. It’ll be a really fun weekend. I trust (pitching) coach Wes (Johnson) and coach Jay because they’re doing scouting all the time, so I just listen to what they say.”

On the flip side, Johnson pointed out how many viable arms the Wildcats have in the bullpen.

“Strength of them is the number of guys that can contribute for them on the mound,” he said. “Their pitchers have done a good job. They know who they are.”

LSU will look to advance to the College World Series for the first time since 2017 when it faces Kentucky this weekend in the super regionals. Game 1 is set for Saturday at 2 p.m. CT.

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6 things to know about Kentucky baseball before the Baton Rouge Super Regional

Here’s what you need to know about the Wildcats before they come to Baton Rouge for the second time this season.

LSU and Kentucky square off in Baton Rouge this weekend with a trip to the College World Series on the line.

For Kentucky, it’s a chance to make history. The Wildcats have never been to a College World Series. This marks their first super regional appearance since 2017, which prior to last weekend, was the last time UK made the postseason.

Kentucky dropped that 2017 super regional to in-state rival Louisville. It’s set for another test this weekend against LSU’s star-studded lineup. But Kentucky’s on a heater right now, scoring 30 runs in its last three games.

Here are six things to know about Kentucky baseball prior to this weekend’s showdown.

Time, TV info set for Game 1 of LSU’s super regional showdown against Kentucky on Saturday

The Tigers will begin the Baton Rouge Super Regional against the Wildcats at 2 p.m. CT on Saturday.

LSU clinched a spot in the super regionals for the 16th time in program history on Monday — second all-time in Division I behind Florida State, with 17 super regional appearances.

The Tigers will host Kentucky in a rematch after they took two of three games against the Wildcats in a regular season series earlier this year, also played at Alex Box Stadium.

Now, we know when this weekend’s super regional series will begin. Game 1 will be on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. CT on ESPN. Times and broadcast information for Game 2 on Sunday and the if-necessary Game 3 on Monday are yet to be determined.

LSU has a 46-15 record on the season in coach Jay Johnson’s second season. As the No. 5 national seed in the country, the Tigers are looking to advance to the College World Series in Omaha for the first time since 2017.

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Full list of baseball super regional pairings announced

The regionals are over, and we are one step closer to Omaha.

The regionals are over and we are one step closer to Omaha. The only thing standing between these 16 teams and their ultimate goal is a three-game series against another of the best teams in the country.

If you are searching for storylines for the super regionals, you can find them everywhere.

You have usual powerhouses looking to return to Omaha once again (LSU, Texas, Stanford, South Carolina, Florida, Virginia and TCU). You have teams trying to make it for the first time in a while (Alabama, Tennessee and Southern Miss) and the teams that have never been there or haven’t been there in a very long time (Wake Forest, Duke, Oregon, Kentucky, Oral Roberts and Indiana State).

Here’s a rundown of all the super regional pairings.

LSU will host Kentucky Wildcats in Baton Rouge Super Regional

It will be an SEC duel in the super regionals after Kentucky won Game 7 against Indiana.

After clinching a trip to the super regional on Monday afternoon, LSU turned its eyes to Lexington where Kentucky and Indiana battled with a trip to Baton Rouge on the line.

Kentucky prevailed, 4-2, and sent the Hoosiers home. Unlike LSU, Kentucky dropped a game in its regional final to Indiana before winning Game 7.

The Wildcat lineup enters Baton Rouge on a hot streak. UK averaged 10 runs per game in its regional, highlighted by a 16-4 win over Indiana on Sunday.

It’ll be the second time LSU has faced Kentucky this year. The Tigers took two of three from Kentucky the first meeting in mid-April.

This will be the 16th super regional in LSU’s history and the first since 2021.

It’s the first time Alex Box Stadium is hosting a super regional since 2019 when LSU was swept by Florida State. LSU’s last super regional win came in 2017 when the Tigers downed Mississippi State to advance to the College World Series.

That will again be the expectation this year as LSU prepares for another postseason conference battle.

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