Tag: Paul Skenes

Jordan Thompson and Paul Skenes lead LSU to a win in Game 1 vs. Tennessee

The most anticipated series of the season has begun on the bayou.

The most anticipated series of the season has begun on the Bayou. The LSU Tigers and the Tennessee Volunteers went toe-to-toe in front of a sold-out crowd at Alex Box Stadium, and coach Jay Johnson’s team survived in a 5-2 win to start the series the right way.

The pitching matchup for night one could not have been better. Two of the best pitchers in the country, [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] and [autotag]Chase Dollander[/autotag], took part in a pitcher’s duel that mirrored a high noon showdown between outlaws.

LSU threatened in the first two innings but couldn’t plate any runs. In the top of the fifth, Tennessee drew first blood on an RBI single to give itself a 1-0 lead.

LSU got that run back and added one as [autotag]Gavin Dugas[/autotag] hit a two-run bomb to score [autotag]Jordan Thompson[/autotag] and give LSU a 2-1 lead after five innings. The biggest crowd in Alex Box Stadium history might have registered on the Richter scale when the ball left the stadium.

Skenes’ night was done after he pitched seven innings as he gave up only one run on five hits, one walk and 12 strikeouts. He extended his streak of double-digit strikeout games to seven as well. [autotag]Nate Ackenhausen[/autotag] came in to pitch the eighth inning for the Tigers.

After getting the first batter to fly out, the next hitter singled up the middle and then advanced all the way to third after two wild pitches. That chased Ackenhausen from the game as [autotag]Garrett Edwards[/autotag] came in facing a full count with a runner on third and one out.

Tennessee tied the game on the next pitch as they scored on an RBI single to make it 2-2. Edwards got the next two hitters out and we headed to the bottom of the eighth tied 2-2.

In the bottom of the eighth, after [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] and [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] got out, [autotag]Cade Beloso[/autotag] reached on an error, [autotag]Paxton Kling[/autotag] hit an infield single, [autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag] was hit by a pitch and the bases were loaded. Thompson stepped into the batter’s box and proceeded to clear the bases with a three-RBI double to give LSU a 5-2 lead after eight innings!

Edwards stayed on the mound to pitch the ninth inning to try and close the game with a win. He got the first batter to fly out but the next two batters reached base. One was due to an error and the other was a single. That put runners on the corners with one out. The tying run then came to the plate. Edwards struck out the next batter for out number two. The next batter flew out to center field and the Tigers won 5-2!

It was the first win for LSU over Tennessee since 2018 and that win moved LSU to 23-3 (its best start since 2015). Game 2 will be Friday with the first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.

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5 takeaways from LSU baseball’s 2-1 series win over Arkansas

Friday’s game against Arkansas was not a fun one if you are a Tiger fan, but the doubleheader on Saturday more than made up for it. 

Friday’s game against Arkansas was not a fun one if you are a Tiger fan, but the doubleheader on Saturday more than made up for it.

The Tigers demolished No. 5 Arkansas 12-2 and 14-5 to take the series and remain the No. 1 team in the country according to every poll.

We’re going to look at five things that stood out to me as I watched the games this weekend. We’ll discuss [autotag]Ty Floyd[/autotag], [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag], [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag], [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag], [autotag]Garrett Edwards[/autotag] and [autotag]Thatcher Hurd[/autotag].

LSU’s next game will be against Grambling on Tuesday with the first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT. This weekend, LSU will welcome the Tennessee Volunteers to town for a three-game series.

Dylan Crews and Paul Skenes earn national Player of the Week honors

LSU boasts two of the top talents in college baseball.

[autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] and [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] have been named National Players of the Week by Collegiate Baseball after they had an incredible week.

Crews was 10-for-16 (.625 batting average) with four homers, nine RBI, and nine runs scored as the Tigers went 3-1 with a series win over Arkansas and a midweek win against Central Arkansas.

Skenes went seven innings against Arkansas as he gave up one run and racked up 12 strikeouts with 2 hits and three walks. The loss did not count towards his record as he remains 5-0 with a 0.59 ERA. He will be back in action Friday night against Tennessee at Alex Box Stadium.

LSU will face Grambling in their mid-week matchup tomorrow. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT. Then, LSU will welcome the Tennessee Volunteers to Baton Rouge for a heated weekend series.

The Vols are coming off of a weekend sweep of Texas A&M and ranked No. 11 in the country.

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LSU stays atop On3’s SEC baseball power rankings after top-5 series win against Arkansas

The Tigers have dropped a pair of SEC games, but that hasn’t impacted their spot in On3’s power rankings.

Two weekends of SEC down, two series wins.

LSU baseball has looked the part so far this season after entering as the unanimous preseason No. 1 team. The Tigers sit at 21-3 (4-2 SEC) and have won back-to-back series two games to one against ranked opponents in Texas A&M and Arkansas, the latter of which ranked No. 3.

There have been a couple of slipups for coach Jay Johnson’s team, but with All-American caliber pitching from [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] and stars in the lineup like [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag], [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag], [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] and more, this looks like a squad poised for a run to the College World Series.

On3 concurs, and LSU stands atop the most recent SEC power rankings from Jonathan Wagner.

Weekly record: 3-1 (2-1 in SEC play)

Overall record: 21-3 (4-2)

Previous ranking: No. 1

LSU had another good week to begin SEC play, keeping the Tigers atop the loaded conference. On Tuesday, LSU began the week with a 10-4 victory at home against Central Arkansas. Then, a highly anticipated series against No. 5 Arkansas awaited over the weekend. The Razorbacks took Friday’s series opener 9-3, but LSU responded with two wins on Saturday during a doubleheader, winning the first game 12-2 and the second 14-5.

LSU is now 21-3 overall and off to a 4-2 start in SEC play. The Tigers are back in action on Tuesday night vs. Grambling before hosting No. 10 Tennessee for a three-game series starting on Thursday.

Next weekend’s series will be another big test. Despite sitting at 3-3 in SEC play, the Vols are among the most talented teams in the country and are coming off a sweep over a Texas A&M team that took a game against LSU.

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LSU drops Game 1 against Arkansas after 10th-inning shelling

Arkansas hit a three-run homer to take the lead in the top of the 10th and never looked back.

In the first game of what is likely the hottest college baseball matchup this weekend, Arkansas won a pitcher’s duel against [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] after opening things up in the 10th inning of a 9-3 game.

Skenes had another great day on the mound as he held the Razorbacks to only one run on two hits, three walks, and 12 strikeouts in seven innings.

That run was scored against him in the top of the fourth inning when Tavian Josenberger hit a double, advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on a sacrifice fly.

LSU came in with one of the best lineups in college baseball but Arkansas stifled them for seven innings. The Tigers were only able to muster four hits during that stretch.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, [autotag]Brady Neal[/autotag] hit a solo shot to left field to tie the game 1-1 and breathe life into a dormant offense. [autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag] followed that with a single and that brought [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] to the plate. Crews reached on an infield single to shortstop. [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] fouled out for out number two. [autotag]Gavin Dugas[/autotag] walked to load the bases for [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag].

Morgan fouled out and the game remained tied 1-1.

[autotag]Chase Shores[/autotag] came in to pitch the eighth and ninth inning for LSU and he gave up one hit with three strikeouts. He allowed the leadoff hitter in the top of the ninth to get a single but he shut the next three batters down to give LSU a chance to walk it off.

All three Tiger batters struck out in the bottom of the ninth and we went to extra innings. After Shores gave up a leadoff walk in the top of the tenth, [autotag]Christian Little[/autotag] came in to pitch.

In the top of the tenth, Robinett hit a three-run homer to give the Razorbacks a 4-1 lead. Arkansas scored another run on a sacrifice fly to make it 5-1. Diggs followed that with a grand slam to make it 9-1.

Crews hit a two-run ‘Crews Missile’ in the bottom of the 10th to cut the lead to 9-3, but that is all LSU could manage as Arkansas took Game 1 of the series. Game 2 will be Saturday at 1 p.m. CT.

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Schedule Change: LSU baseball will play Arkansas in Saturday doubleheader

The Tigers will play Game 2 at 1 p.m. CT with Game 3 following at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] mentioned in his press conference on Thursday that LSU might move Sunday’s Game 3 against Arkansas to Saturday due to the possibility of inclement weather, and that is exactly what happened.

The series finale against the Razorbacks was moved to Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. CT as the second leg of a doubleheader.

Johnson confirmed that even though the teams have decided on a doubleheader, both games will still be nine innings instead of seven. Game 2 is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. and Game 3 will follow.

[autotag]Ty Floyd[/autotag] is scheduled to get the start in the first leg and [autotag]Thatcher Hurd[/autotag] is expected to get the start in the second.

As for Friday’s Game 1, the first pitch is scheduled for noon CT. [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] is on the mound as the Tigers take on the No. 3 Arkansas Razorbacks at Alex Box Stadium. This series will be must-watch television, so be sure to tune in.

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How to watch No. 1 LSU baseball in a crucial home series against No. 3 Arkansas

The Tigers will look to start conference play with back-to-back ranked series wins, though the weather could be a complicating factor this weekend.

After taking two of three on the road in their opening series against then No. 11 Texas A&M and handling business against Central Arkansas on Tuesday night, LSU has a massive series at Alex Box Stadium this weekend as it welcomes the No. 3 Arkansas Razorbacks to town.

Arkansas enters this one at 19-2 (3-0 SEC) on the season after sweeping Auburn in its SEC opener last weekend. The matchup against the Tigers (19-2, 2-1 SEC) could determine control of the SEC West moving forward.

The weather could potentially be uncooperative this weekend. In preparation, Friday’s Game 1 has been moved to noon CT, and coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] has also said a Saturday doubleheader is a possibility.

“We’re hoping for the best with the weather; we really want to encourage the fans and students to come out this weekend,” Johnson said in a release. “We need that real home field advantage, because Arkansas is one of the teams we have to beat in order to get back to the top of the SEC.

“When I took this job, I knew Arkansas was one of the programs that was among the elite in our league. They’re always going to recruit well, thus they’ve always been one of the most successful programs in the country. We’re excited for the weekend, it’s going to be a great matchup.”

LSU had its 13-game winning streak interrupted last weekend, but it will hope for another series win against one of the league’s top teams. Here’s everything you need to know to follow this weekend’s series.

Update: Game 3 of the series has been moved to 6:30 p.m. CT on Saturday night due to inclement weather.

LSU Baseball Schedule Change: No. 1 Tigers to take on No. 3 Arkansas at noon Friday

Game 1 will take place at high noon to try to avoid the possible afternoon storms.

There has been a time change for when the No. 1 LSU Tigers welcome the No. 3 Arkansas Razorbacks to Baton Rouge this weekend.

After considering the forecast for Friday, the time for Game 1’s first pitch has been moved up to noon CT to try to avoid the possible afternoon storms. Coach Jay Johnson also said in his press conference today that the teams may play a doubleheader on Saturday to miss out on the weather Sunday.

A lot of eyes in the college baseball world will be tuned into this series as it is very likely the best series of the weekend.

[autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] will get the start on Friday. As for the other starting pitchers, that remains to be seen. Johnson may decide to switch things up if the Razorbacks and Tigers agree to a doubleheader on Saturday instead of playing a game on Sunday.

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LSU starts conference play strong with a win over Texas A&M in Game 1

Paul Skenes is as good as advertised.

[autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] is as good as advertised. He went 6.1 innings on Friday night, allowing four hits as he totaled 11 strikeouts against Texas A&M as LSU secured a 9-0 victory.

There were questions surrounding this LSU team as it entered conference play about the validity of its record. It entered the game 16-1 but hadn’t played a lot of good teams.

LSU put those talks to rest as they took Game 1 on the road in College Station.

[autotag]Gavin Dugas[/autotag] got it started in the top of the first inning as his sacrifice fly scored [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag] and [autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag]’s RBI single to score [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] made it 2-0 Tigers after one inning.

In the top of the third inning, LSU would tack on two more runs as Morgan scored on a wild pitch and Crews scored on a [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] single to make it 4-0.

[autotag]Nate Ackenhausen[/autotag] came into pitch for Skenes in the bottom of the sixth inning and he did an incredible job as he went 1.1 innings allowing zero runs on three walks and three strikeouts.

In the top of the ninth inning, LSU blew the game wide open. White started it off with a two-RBI single. With bases loaded, Pearson walked to bring home another run. [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] hit a sacrifice fly and Dugas scored on a groundout by [autotag]Alex Milazzo[/autotag] to take a 9-0 lead.

[autotag]Christian Little[/autotag] got the Tigers out of a jam in the bottom of the eighth inning and he stayed in to finish the game in the ninth. He retired all three batters he faced to secure the 9-0 win.

With the win, LSU moves to 17-1 this season. They will play Game 2 in College Station on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT.

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LSU easily stays atop SEC baseball power rankings after 5-0 week

The Tigers have looked the part of a unanimous preseason No. 1 team so far.

The Tigers entered the 2023 season as the unanimous preseason No. 1 squad in the nation, and they’ve more than looked the part so far.

LSU has suffered just one slipup against Iowa but sits at 15-1 on the season and has won its last 10 games. Pitcher [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] has been arguably the nation’s best to start the season, while [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] has played like the No. 1 prospect in the 2023 MLB draft.

It’s no surprise that the Tigers remain on top in On3’s final SEC power rankings before the beginning of conference play next weekend. Here’s what On3’s Jonathan Wagner said about coach Jay Johnson’s team.

Weekly record: 5-0

Overall record: 15-1

Previous ranking: No. 1 (–)

LSU had a bit of an odd schedule this week, finishing its extended weekend series on Monday with an 11-0 win against Butler. The Tigers continued rolling through the week, too. On Wednesday, LSU cruised to a 9-2 victory over Lamar. Over the weekend, LSU hosted Samford and all three games of the series ended via the run rule. The Tigers won 11-1 on Friday, 12-0 on Saturday and 13-1 on Sunday to complete the sweep.

A midweek battle against New Orleans awaits LSU on Tuesday before hitting the road for a three-game weekend series at No. 15 Texas A&M to begin conference play.

The Tigers shouldn’t have much of a problem against the Privateers on Tuesday night, but the series on the road against the Aggies will be a major test. It will be LSU’s first ranked opponent and just its second true road game.

The first was a 3-0 win against Texas two weeks ago.

LSU has the makings of a team that can make a deep run in the postseason, and we’ll see how this team responds to an uptick in competition soon.

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