Tag: Paul Skenes

Another spectacular start for Paul Skenes leads LSU past Samford in Game 1

Skenes moved to 4-0 this season after a big win over the Samford Bulldogs on Friday night. 

[autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] moved to 4-0 this season after a big 11-1 run-rule win over the Samford Bulldogs on Friday night.

Skenes finished the game with six innings pitched allowing 2 hits, 1 run, and 1 walk. He had double-digit strikeouts once again as he finished the game with 12.

LSU started the scoring in the bottom of the first inning when [autotag]Gavin Dugas[/autotag] scored after a couple of walks and a throwing error. The score remained 1-0 LSU until the top of the third inning when Samford scored on a wild pitch to tie the game.

The Tigers got that run back in the bottom of the third as [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] scored on a [autotag]Jordan Thompson[/autotag] sacrifice fly to give LSU a 2-1 lead.

LSU scored again in the bottom of the fourth inning when [autotag]Paxton Kling[/autotag] scored on a [autotag]Jack Merrifield[/autotag] sacrifice fly. In the bottom of the fifth inning, [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] hit a two-run bomb to run the lead up to 5-1 LSU.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, LSU decided they were ready to call it a night. The Tigers scored six runs to enforce the run rule. [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag] hit an RBI single to score Kling, [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] hit a two-RBI double to score Crews and Morgan, White scored on a throwing error, and Bear Jones hit a walk-off two-run homer to give LSU an 11-1 victory.

With the win, LSU moves to 13-1 on the season. The Tigers will take on Samford again Satu night at 6:30 p.m. CT.

5 takeaways following LSU baseball’s 4-0 weekend

Here’s what we’ve learned about the Tigers so far this season.

The unanimous No. 1 team in the country has started off the 2023 season 11-1 after winning the Round Rock Classic and having a few blowout victories.

Now, we are going to take a look at the five biggest takeaways of the season so far. We’ll discuss how great of a pitcher [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] has been, how [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag] has been an incredible outfielder so far, how the freshmen are standing out, how [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] is still the best player in the country and how [autotag]Cade Beloso[/autotag] has made a case to be an everyday starter.

This team looks like it has the talent to go all the way to Omaha. Here’s what we’ve learned about it so far.

Paul Skenes wins SEC Pitcher of the Week for the 2nd time

Paul Skenes has been dominant in his three starts for LSU this season.

[autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] has been dominant in his three starts for LSU this season. He has gone 3-0 with a 0.50 ERA, 36 strikeouts and only three walks, and for the second time this season, he’s been named the SEC Pitcher of the Week.

Skenes has talked about adding a changeup to his pitching repertoire this year, but he has had no reason to try and use it so far. You don’t need a changeup when you throw gas like he is.

Skenes has thrown multiple fastballs for triple digits so far and all of the opposing hitters have had issues catching up to it. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

That could change as the Tigers close in on conference play. We will get to see Skenes once again this Friday against the Samford Bulldogs as LSU welcomes them to Alex Box Stadium for a weekend series.

Skenes adds this accolade to his long list of awards so far. He was recently named the NCBWA’s (National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association) player of the month.

Paul Skenes earns NCBWA Pitcher of the Month award

Skenes’ LSU career is off to a fantastic start.

[autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] has been named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association’s pitcher for the month.

It’s hard to argue with their assessment of choosing Skenes. In two starts at LSU, Paul has a 2-0 record with a 0.75 ERA, 23 strikeouts, and three walks. He pitched six innings and had double-digit strikeouts in both of his starts.

Skenes is widely considered one of the best players in the country and possibly the top pitching prospect in the next MLB Draft.

He started his third game of the season on Friday night against the Butler Bulldogs and he again went six innings with 13 strikeouts and zero walks. He will make his next start on March 10 against Samford at Alex Box Stadium.

Thanks to his great pitching, LSU has started the season 8-1 and maintained their No. 1 ranking across all ranking systems. The only thing we have yet to see Skenes do is hit. He was profiled as a two-way player but he hasn’t had the chance to swing yet.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=611345007]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

[mm-video type=video id=01gtfyh7f1pxs7jy8kjr playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gtfyh7f1pxs7jy8kjr/01gtfyh7f1pxs7jy8kjr-5c8c11972b76d3cc0072e68192d752ad.jpg]

LSU baseball opens the weekend on a high note with decisive win over Butler

The Tigers began their four-game weekend with a 12-2 win over the Bulldogs.

After escaping Austin, Texas, with a 3-0 win over the Longhorns, the LSU Tigers looked to get back in the swing of things on offense against Butler to start the weekend. The Tigers did just that with a 12-2 win over the Bulldogs on Friday.

[autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] got the start for the Tigers and showed that he is in a league of his own. He pitched 6 innings allowing just one hit with 13 strikeouts and no walks.

The LSU offense started off very slow, but that is to be expected when you are used to pitchers throwing almost 100 mph and you face a guy that tops out in the high 80s.

In the bottom of the third inning, [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] got the Tigers on the board with an RBI double to right field to score [autotag]Ben Nippolt[/autotag] and make it 1-0 LSU after three innings.

In the bottom of the fifth, the floodgates opened as LSU plated six runs thanks to a 3-run Crews missile to right field, White scoring on a throwing error, and [autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag] and [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag] scoring on an [autotag]Alex Milazzo[/autotag] bunt single. That made the score 7-0 after five innings.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, LSU plated two more runs due to a fielding error and a Pearson flyout to right. [autotag]Micah Bucknam[/autotag] came in to pitch for Skenes and struck out one of the two batters he faced before he was pulled for [autotag]Griffin Herring[/autotag]. Herring retired the last batter of the inning in one pitch to maintain the 9-0 lead.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, [autotag]Ethan Frey[/autotag] hit an RBI single to center field to score [autotag]Mic Paul[/autotag]. [autotag]Cade Beloso[/autotag] followed that with a 2-RBI double to right field to make it 12-0 Tigers.

[autotag]Aiden Moffett[/autotag] got his first action of the year in the top of the eighth inning and he struggled with location as he walked three and allowed one run before [autotag]Gavin Guidry[/autotag] came in to get the final out of the eighth inning as LSU held a 12-1 lead.

Guidry stayed in to pitch the ninth inning. He struck out three straight batters but the last hitter reached as Travinski lost the ball. Butler then scored on an RBI double and [autotag]Sam Dutton[/autotag] came in for Guidry. Dutton retired the first batter he faced and LSU won 12-2.

LSU has a long weekend of games ahead of them as they face Central Connecticut State on Saturday and Sunday before playing Butler again on Monday.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=611345007]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

[mm-video type=video id=01gtfyh7f1pxs7jy8kjr playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gtfyh7f1pxs7jy8kjr/01gtfyh7f1pxs7jy8kjr-5c8c11972b76d3cc0072e68192d752ad.jpg]

How to watch No. 1 LSU baseball vs. Butler, Central Connecticut State in weekend action at The Box

The Tigers put their 7-1 record to the test with a four-game home slate this weekend.

The Tigers are coming off an overall successful week in Texas.

Coach Jay Johnson’s team turned in a 3-1 record that included a road win against the Texas Longhorns. Though LSU suffered its first blemish of the season at the Round Rock Classic against Iowa, it maintained its unanimous No. 1 ranking in the polls.

Now, the Tigers (7-1) return to Baton Rouge to play a four-game weekend slate at Alex Box Stadium. Butler (2-6) is up on Friday and Monday, while LSU will face Central Connecticut State (0-0) on Saturday and Sunday.

“One of the positives about our road trip last week was that we used 14 pitchers over four games, and no one had to pitch twice; there are very few pitching staffs in the country that can accomplish that and win three of the four games,” Johnson said in a release. “I thought that showcased our depth, and we’re really going to have to count on that during this stretch where we’ll play five games in six days.

“This is going to be challenging weekend – Central Connecticut was an NCAA regional team in 2021 that played an extra-inning game against LSU, and Butler has a veteran lineup and a very good pitcher that we’ll face on Friday night.”

This will be LSU’s first-ever meeting against the Bulldogs, while it faced the Blue Devils just once, a 6-5 elimination game win in 10 innings at the 2021 Eugene Regional.

Here’s what you need to know to follow this weekend’s action at The Box.

LSU remains unanimous No. 1 team in baseball despite loss

Even with the loss to Iowa, LSU remains the No. 1 team in the country according to every poll.

Despite their 12-4 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday, LSU won the [autotag]Round Rock Classic[/autotag], and it was able to maintain its spot as the No. 1 team in the country according to every poll.

The SEC is very well represented in the top ten as well with as many as six teams ranked in the top ten by some polls and five in others. The Tigers are getting ready to travel to Austin, Texas, for a mid-week matchup against the unranked Texas Longhorns.

LSU was led last week by [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag], who was named the SEC player of the week, and [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] who had two incredible starts.

Here’s where the Tigers stand in each poll.

LSU starts off strong with win over Kansas State in the Round Rock Classic

The Tigers continued their perfect start to the season in their opener in Texas on Friday.

[autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] got his second start of the young season, and we saw the valiant return of [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] as LSU beat Kansas State 7-3 in the first game of the 2023 Round Rock Classic.

The Wildcats started off hot against Skenes as they got runners on second and third with only one out thanks to a leadoff single, a walk, and a flyout to advance the runners. Kansas State then scored on an RBI single to put runners on the corners with one out. The next two batters struck out and Skenes escaped only down 1-0.

The Tigers tied it up in the bottom of the second inning as [autotag]Brady Neal[/autotag] hit an RBI single to score [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag] and advance [autotag]Jordan Thompson[/autotag] to second. That tied the score at 1-1 after two innings.

The score remained tied until the bottom of the sixth inning when [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] scored on a wild pitch and White advanced to third. Morgan then reached on a fielder’s choice that scored White to make it 3-1 LSU after six innings.

In the top of the seventh inning, the Wildcats clawed their way back into the game with a solo homer off of [autotag]Ty Floyd[/autotag] to make it 3-2. In the bottom of the inning, LSU got that run back and more as the Tigers plated four runs to increase their lead to 7-2. [autotag]Gavin Dugas[/autotag] hit an RBI single to score [autotag]Brayden Jobert[/autotag], Crews hit an RBI single that scored [autotag]Ben Nippolt[/autotag], and [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] hit a two-RBI double to score Crews and Dugas.

Floyd stayed in to pitch the top of the ninth inning to close out the win over the Wildcats. Kansas State was able to score an unearned run to make the final 7-3. With the win, LSU improves to 5-0 on the year. The Tigers will play the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday at noon CT in Game 2 of the Classic.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=611345007]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

[mm-video type=video id=01gr2wm3bjz1tzmp08th playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gr2wm3bjz1tzmp08th/01gr2wm3bjz1tzmp08th-94ecac2c303bf0527e447a0c1ca9e9f6.jpg]

How to watch, stream, preview for No. 1 LSU baseball at the Round Rock Classic this weekend

Here’s what you need to know to follow the Tigers in Texas this weekend.

After a 4-0 start to the season with a sweep over Western Michigan last weekend and a run-rule win over Southern on Tuesday night, the Tigers are back on the field this weekend at the Round Rock Classic in Texas, where they’ll face Kansas State, Iowa and Sam Houston State.

Kansas State is coming off a weekend sweep against Stephen F. Austin, though it lost a midweek matchup to Lamar. Iowa enters at 3-0, while Sam Houston State is 3-2 with losses to Rhode Island and Rice.

“This trip will be important for our team,” coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] said in a release. “There are a lot of things that are great about it, and we’re going to play some great opponents. We’ll be challenged, we’ll be tested, but I’m really excited to get out to Round Rock. It’s a beautiful ballpark; it’s a great venue, and I think this experience will be very beneficial for our team in a lot of ways.”

The Tigers will hope that [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] is able to make his return this weekend. The third baseman suffered a shoulder injury in the season-opener and hasn’t appeared since.

Here’s everything you need to know to follow this weekend’s series.

Paul Skenes named National Player of the Week, SEC Pitcher of the Week

The Air Force transfer pitched six shutout innings with 12 strikeouts on Friday night.

[autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] entered the season with sky-high expectations, and he’s already living up to them.

After an electric start in LSU’s season-opening 10-0 win over Western Michigan on Friday night, Skenes was named both the National Player of the Week and SEC Pitcher of the Week.

In his first start as a Tiger, he pitched six innings and gave up three hits with 12 strikeouts and only one walk. Skenes showed that he was one of the best pitchers in the country and proved why he could be a top pick in the 2023 MLB Draft.

He was named the Friday night starter before the season, and if he keeps pitching as he did in Game 1, he will be the ace for the rest of the year. LSU started the season off with a three-game sweep of Western Michigan.

The Tigers’ next game will be Tuesday at 2 p.m. CT against Southern. UCLA transfer Thatcher Hurd will get the start on the mound for that one, and Tommy White’s status is still unknown.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=611345007 tag=611345009]