LSU pitcher Nate Ackenhausen signs underslot with the Royals

This is what we refer to as a “senior signing.”

We have talked about slot value until I am blue in the face. We are going to cover it again here with [autotag]Nate Ackenhausen[/autotag]. When it comes to slot value signings, MLB teams will overpay for prep players to try to convince them to skip college and go straight to the minor leagues and they will overpay for high-caliber college arms who still have eligibility.

This signing is on the opposite end of the spectrum. This is what we refer to as a “senior signing” Nasty Nate is a senior who is out of college eligibility. Whoever drafted him had the financial power to sign him and underpay him because he was out of options.

The Royals low-balled Ackenhausen and signed him for $47,500 when the slot value for his pick was $186,200. The extra $138,700 of Nate’s slot value will be used to sign players higher on the Royals board or guys at the end of the draft to get them to change their minds about college.

Either way, congrats to Nate on starting his new journey with Kansas City.

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LSU College World Series hero Nate Ackenhausen drafted by Royals in Round 10

Nate Ackenhausen is joining the Royals organization after two seasons in LSU’s bullpen.

With the 287th pick of the 2024 MLB draft, the [autotag]Kansas City Royals[/autotag] selected [autotag]Nate Ackenhausen,[/autotag] a left-handed pitcher from LSU.

“Nasty” Nate Ackenhausen has heard his name come off the board in the 10th round of the 2024 MLB Draft as Nate will be headed to join the Kansas City Royals organization.

Nate pitched for LSU for two seasons and finished with a career record of 5-5 and a 4.76 ERA. Ackenhausen struck out 95 hitters while only walking 36 in 73.2 total innings of work. He’s headed to Baton Rouge to a great organization in Kansas City that is looking to get back to their winning ways.

In his senior season at LSU, Ackenhausen did not have the best year with a 3-4 record and a 5.65 ERA. Although he did not have a great season, he still has great stuff. He will head to the minor leagues to continue mastering his craft and hopefully, we will see him in the MLB one day.

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LSU baseball can’t close the door, season ends against North Carolina in regional final

LSU had the Tar Heels where it wanted them but couldn’t close the door as North Carolina won 4-3 in extras.

After an incredible day yesterday when the Tigers won two games to send the Chapel Hill Regional to a winner-take-all Game 7, the Tigers matched up with North Carolina one more time with the hopes of hosting a Super Regional. LSU had the Tar Heels where they wanted them, but they couldn’t close the door as North Carolina won 4-3 in extras.

Sam Dutton got the start on the mound and LSU was the home team once again. The Tar Heels started the game with three straight singles before [autotag]Javen Coleman[/autotag] came in to pitch. Coleman walked the first hitter he faced before forcing a double play. He then got the final out but North Carolina took a 2-0 lead.

LSU didn’t waste any time trying to answer those two runs as the Tigers got a run of their own on a [autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag] groundout to cut the lead to 2-1. In the bottom of the second inning, [autotag]Jake Brown[/autotag] hit a solo homer to tie the game 2-2.

In the bottom of the third inning, [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] got in on the homer party as he hit a solo shot to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead.

In the top of the eighth inning, [autotag]Will Hellmers[/autotag] walked the first batter he faced and that was the end of his afternoon. When LSU needed him the most, Hellmers gave the best pitching performance of his career. He finished the game after pitching 5.2 innings and giving up zero runs on two hits, four strikeouts, and two walks. It was the longest Hellmers has pitched in his career. His previous high was in 2021 when he pitched five full innings against Southern and New Orleans as a freshman.

[autotag]Nate Ackenhausen[/autotag] entered to pitch for him and he struck out the next three hitters to send LSU to the bottom of the eighth inning with a 3-2 lead. In the top of the ninth inning, LSU’s Ace pitcher [autotag]Gage Jump[/autotag] trotted out of the bullpen to try to close out the win. The Tar Heels led off the inning with a double to put the tying run in scoring position with no outs. After getting a strikeout, an RBI single tied the game 3-3. A lineout to second and a ground ball out sent us to the bottom of the ninth with a chance for LSU to walk it off.

[autotag]Brady Neal[/autotag] struck out, [autotag]Hayden Travinski[/autotag] hit a single to put the winning run on first, Brown flew out to center, and [autotag]Paxton Kling[/autotag] struck out to send us to extra innings.

The Tigers retired the first two hitters of the inning before an error gave the Tar Heels a runner in scoring position. LSU intentionally walked the next guy. Then with two outs and a full count, Carolina scored on an RBI single giving the Tar Heels a 4-3 lead. LSU had the top of the order due up in the bottom of the inning.

[autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] flew out on the first pitch he saw, [autotag]Steven Milam[/autotag] flew out to right for out number two and it was down to Jones to save the day. Jones reached on a walk to put the tying run at first. Pearson then came up to bat and flew out to center. The Tar Heels won 4-3 and the season ended.

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Griffin Herring hurls a gem against Wofford to keep LSU baseball’s season alive

After a rough start, LSU came back to win 12-6 and advances to the regional final against North Carolina.

LSU entered Sunday’s game facing elimination in Chapel Hill. The Tigers got a rematch against the Wofford Terriers who they beat in their first game of the regional. After a rough start, LSU came back to win 12-6.

[autotag]Nate Ackenhausen[/autotag] got the start on the mound but things did not get off to the type of start he would like. Wofford greeted him with five runs in the bottom of the first inning to get out to a 5-0 lead. In the top of the second inning, the Tigers began to claw their way back into the game. [autotag]Michael Braswell III[/autotag] hit a sacrifice fly and [autotag]Jake Brown[/autotag] had an RBI single to cut the lead to 5-2.

In the top of the fourth inning, [autotag]Ashton Larson[/autotag] hit an RBI single to cut the lead to 5-3.

The Terriers answered with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth to extend their lead to 6-3. In the top of the fifth inning, LSU tied the ballgame as [autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag] hit a two-run homer and [autotag]Brady Neal[/autotag] hit an RBI single to tie the game 6-6.

In the top of the seventh inning, LSU took their first lead of the ballgame when Brown hit a sacrifice fly and [autotag]Alex Milazzo[/autotag] hit an RBI single to give LSU an 8-6 lead.

In the top of the eighth inning, the Tigers extended their lead as Pearson hit an RBI double and Neal hit a two-RBI single to extend the lead to 11-6.

[autotag]Griffin Herring[/autotag] was the pitcher Jay Johnson called on to relieve Ackenhausen after his nightmare first inning. Herring was phenomenal. He finished the game after pitching 6.1 innings, giving up one run on five hits, seven strikeouts, and zero walks. [autotag]Kade Anderson[/autotag] entered the game to relieve him in the bottom of the eighth inning.

In the top of the ninth inning, [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] hit an RBI single and Pearson hit a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 13-6.

LSU advances to take on North Carolina in another elimination game on Sunday night at 5 p.m. CT.

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Jay Johnson says LSU pitcher Nate Ackenhausen was ‘ambushed’ in 1st inning by Wofford

Nate Ackenhausen couldn’t finish the bottom of the first as LSU fell behind 5-0 early in Sunday’s elimination game.

LSU baseball faces elimination on Sunday in a rematch against the Wofford Terriers, and the game got off to a nightmarish start.

[autotag]Nate Ackenhausen[/autotag] took the mound to begin the game, but his outing wouldn’t last long. He stayed for just 0.2 innings, allowing three hits and five runs (four earned) and was pulled from the game before the end of the bottom of the first in favor of [autotag]Griffin Herring[/autotag].

Speaking on the ESPN broadcast after LSU fell in an early hole, coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] said Ackenhausen was “ambushed,” per On3.

“We can’t get two and three until you get one,” [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] said. “So, that’s why our best pitcher is on the mound right now. Wofford did a nice job in the first inning. They ambushed Nate. Now, we just need to stay poised and try to scratch a couple together and get back in the game.”

The Tigers are looking to fight back and avoid elimination to clinch a spot in the regional final against North Carolina, who they lost to Saturday night.

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LSU baseball’s magical SEC tournament run comes to an end in championship against Tennessee

LSU ran out of late game heroics in the SEC championship on Sunday.

After the last two LSU baseball games ended in madness, the Tigers became the first No. 11 seed to make the SEC championship game. LSU would face off against the No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers.

This time, the magic ran out as the Tigers lost 4-3.

[autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] got the Tigers on the board first with a 471-foot solo shot in the bottom of the first inning to give LSU a 1-0 lead.

[autotag]Nate Ackenhausen[/autotag] got the start on the mound and he was incredible. He struck out five of the first six hitters he faced. In the third inning, he recorded the first two outs before being replaced by [autotag]Fidel Ulloa[/autotag]. Ulloa then gave up a three-run bomb and the Vols took their first lead of the ballgame.

 

In the bottom of the sixth inning, LSU had the bases loaded with two outs but [autotag]Stephen Milam[/autotag] got picked off on first to end the inning and keep the score 3-1. Tennessee added to their lead in the top of the seventh inning to make the score 4-1 Vols.

[autotag]Christian Little[/autotag] entered to pitch after Ulloa and unfortunately had to leave the game with an injury. Hopefully, he will be okay in the long run. LSU used eight different pitchers in the game as they tried to keep everyone relatively fresh for regional play.

LSU entered the bottom of the ninth inning trailing 4-1 and needing three runs to keep the game going. In the bottom of the ninth, Hayden Travinski hit a double with one out and Milam followed that with an RBI double of his own to cut the lead to 4-2. Mac Bingham then reached on a fielding error and advanced to second on the throw as Milam scored to make it 4-3 with the tying run on second.

[autotag]Ashton Larson[/autotag] and [autotag]Alex Milazzo[/autotag] then both struck out and LSU lost 4-3. LSU will now wait until Monday to find out where they are heading for regional play.

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Former Gamecock Michael Braswell serves as the hero for LSU in win over South Carolina

On Tuesday, Michael Braswell III clapped back at a Gamecock fans’ Twitter account. On Thursday, he clapped back against his old team.

On Tuesday, [autotag]Michael Braswell III[/autotag] clapped back at a Gamecock fans’ Twitter account. On Thursday, he clapped back against his old team.

In what has been the greatest game of the SEC tournament so far, Braswell served as the hero for the Tigers as his RBI single gave the Tigers a one-run lead in the top of the ninth inning and led to an 11-10 win over South Carolina to move LSU to 3-0 in the tournament.

Now, let’s rewind. How did we get to 11-10? LSU scored the first run of the game on an RBI single by Stephen Milam to give LSU a 1-0 lead.

[autotag]Thatcher Hurd[/autotag] got the start on the mound for LSU and he struck out five of the first six hitters he faced to start the game. He ran into trouble in the third inning, though. An RBI double chased him from the mound and [autotag]Nate Ackenhausen[/autotag] was greeted with a grand slam to give Carolina a 5-1 lead after three innings.

in the top of the fourth inning, LSU clawed back into the game as they tied it up with four runs of their own. [autotag]Hayden Travinski[/autotag] hit an RBI double, Milam hit an RBI single, and [autotag]Jake Brown[/autotag] hit a two-run homer to tie the game 5-5.

In the top of the fifth inning, Jared Jones hit a solo shot to give LSU a 6-5 lead.

South Carolina scored a run to tie it up in the bottom of the fifth inning and then [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] gave the Tigers the lead again in the top of the sixth inning with an RBI groundout to make it 7-6 Tigers.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Gamecocks scored four runs to give them a 10-7 lead. In the top of the eighth, two LSU runners scored on an error to cut the lead to 10-9.

LSU entered the top of the ninth inning down 10-9, needing at least one run to keep the game going. Milam started the inning off with a single and Brown followed that with another single to put runners on first and second base. [autotag]Ashton Larson[/autotag] flew out for out number one, but Paxton Kling advanced to third on the flyout. Brown would then steal second to put runners on second and third with one out. [autotag]Alex Milazzo[/autotag] then hit a sacrifice fly to the wall to tie the game 10-10. Then, magic happened. Braswell III stepped up and hit an RBI single to give the Tigers an 11-10 lead.

[autotag]Fidel Ulloa[/autotag] closed out the win in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Tigers won 11-10! LSU will now get a day off before playing in a single elimination semifinal game on Saturday at 12 p.m. CT. LSU will play the winner of Kentucky/South Carolina.

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LSU baseball gets a much needed win against Ole Miss in Game 1

The Tigers got the win they needed with a 5-1 victory in Game 1.

This weekend is do or die for LSU baseball. If it wants to make the NCAA tournament, it has to get some wins against Ole Miss. The Tigers got the win they needed with a 5-1 victory in Game 1.

LSU got the scoring started in the bottom of the second inning when [autotag]Steven Milam[/autotag] hit an RBI single to make it 1-0 Tigers.

In the bottom of the third inning, [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] hit an RBI single to extend the lead to 2-0 LSU. In the bottom of the fourth inning, LSU blew the game open with their bats as [autotag]Michael Braswell III[/autotag] hit a two-RBI single and [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] hit an RBI single to make it 5-0 LSU.

 

In the top of the fifth inning, Ole Miss finally got on the board with a solo shot to cut the lead to 5-1. In the bottom of the sixth inning, the game entered a weather delay as lightning was spotted in the area.

Play resumed at 7:20 p.m. CT in the bottom of the sixth inning. Gage Jump’s night finished after he pitched six full innings and only allowed one run as he struck out eight hitters and walked two while only allowing five hits. [autotag]Christian Little[/autotag] entered the game to pitch in the top of the seventh and he struck out the side. [autotag]Nate Ackenhausen[/autotag] entered to pitch the eighth inning and he struck out one and walked one to keep the score 5-1 LSU as we headed to the ninth.

[autotag]Gavin Guidry[/autotag] and [autotag]Griffin Herring[/autotag] then closed the door on the Rebels in the ninth to secure the 5-1 win. Game 2 of the series will be tomorrow at 6:30 p.m.

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LSU baseball evens series with Alabama in Game 2 win

LSU looked to rebound after a heartbreaking loss in Game 1 against Alabama on Friday night. It did just that with a 6-3 victory in Game 2.

LSU baseball looked to rebound after a heartbreaking loss in Game 1 against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Friday night. They did just that with a 6-3 victory in Game 2 on Saturday, and now the Tigers will go for the series win in Game 3 on Sunday.

In the bottom of the first inning, the Tide got on the board first to take a quick 1-0 lead. LSU answered that in the top of the second as [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] hit a two-RBI double to give LSU a 2-1 lead.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Alabama tied the game with an RBI on a fielder’s choice to make it 2-2. In the top of the sixth inning, LSU would regain the lead when [autotag]Ashton Larson[/autotag] scored on a fielder’s choice to make it 3-2 LSU.

In the top of the seventh, the Tigers extended their lead with an RBI single from [autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag] and an RBI triple from [autotag]Michael Braswell III[/autotag]. Braswell then scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-2 Tigers.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Tide plated a run to cut the lead to 6-3. [autotag]Nate Ackenhausen[/autotag] and [autotag]Gavin Guidry[/autotag] were called on out of the bullpen to slam the door on an Alabama comeback and they executed the plan perfectly. The Tide failed to score any more runs and LSU took Game 2 6-3.

LSU now finds themselves in a rubber match with the Crimson Tide. Game 3 is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. CT.

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LSU pitcher Nate Ackenhausen pulled in Game 2 against Auburn with hamstring injury

The good news is that the injury does not seem major.

LSU was facing Auburn in game two of the series Saturday night in Baton Rouge and the game was tied 2-2 as we headed into the top of the ninth inning. [autotag]Nate Ackenhausen[/autotag] was on the mound as he had pitched 1.1 and was hoping to end the game with a win.

After throwing a few warm-up pitches, Nate motioned to the dugout to ask head coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] to come visit him. Eventually, he was pulled from the game and [autotag]Thatcher Hurd[/autotag] entered to pitch for him. After the game finished, Johnson was asked about pulling Ackenhausen from the game and about his status going forward.

Johnson said that Ackenhausen was pulled due to a hamstring injury. If you recall, Nate was sidelined for a little while last year with a hamstring injury as well. It appears he may have re-aggravated it tonight. The good news is that the injury does not seem major. Johnson said he believed Nate could have stayed in the game but he did not want to risk it.

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