No. 1 LSU and No. 5 Arkansas collide in Tigers' SEC home opening series
You’d like to say that a battle of two teams ranked in the top five in any sport is an occasion to be savored.
Like No. 1 LSU’s three-game SEC baseball series vs. No. 5 Arkansas that starts with Friday’s game 1 at 12 noon in Alex Box Stadium.
But in the SEC, a league that has put three or more teams in a single College World Series 13 times including six of the last seven seasons, highly ranked teams battle on a weekly basis.
The combined record of LSU’s next four opponents – Arkansas (19-2), Tennessee (16-6), South Carolina (20-2) and Kentucky (19-2) – is 74-12.
“It’s every weekend from this point forward,” LSU head coach Jay Johnson said. “You’ve got master the ability to move on.”
LSU (19-2, 2-1 SEC) won its league opening series last weekend at then-No. 11 ranked Texas A&M, which was one of four SEC teams in last year’s College World Series won by Ole Miss. But the Tigers couldn’t complete a sweep and had their 13-game winning streak snapped last Sunday in an 8-6 loss after A&M came from behind with a four-run eighth inning.
The Tigers are No. 1 in the nation in runs scored (232), scoring average (11.0 runs per game), shutouts pitched (7), hits allowed per nine innings (5.59), fielding percentage (.989) and on-base percentage (.467). Also, LSU is No. 3 nationally in WHIP (1.00), No. 5 in batting average (.331), No. 6 in ERA (2.69) and No. 6 in slugging percentage (.580).
With the addition of North Carolina sophomore transfer Tommy White at third base, LSU has had the best early-season 3 and 4-hole hitting punch in the nation.
LSU junior centerfielder Dylan Crews, the Tigers’ 3-hole hitter, is No. 1 nationally in on-base percentage (.656) and in runs scored (39) and is No. 2 in the country in batting average (.515) and No. 5 in slugging percentage (.926). He enters Friday’s game with a 19-game hitting streak, and he has reached base safely in all 21 of LSU’s games this season.
The beneficiary is 4-hole slugger White, who’s hitting .409 with 34 RBI (second nationally in RBI per game at 1.89), 6 home runs and 8 doubles. He was named SEC Player of the Week Monday after in LSU’s series victory at Texas A&M, White hit .500 (7-for-14) with one double, seven RBI and four runs.
After getting a hit and an RBI in his first swing as a Tiger as the leadoff hitter in a season opening win over Western Michigan, his shoulder popped out of joint as he dove back to first base as a base runner. By the time he returned four games later in the Round Rock Classic as a designated hitter, he was pressing at the plate.
“I was trying to hit a home run, trying to get the first one,” said White, who led all NCAA freshman last season with 27 homers. “I was swinging on balls way outside. I was just getting outside of my approach.”
When the Tigers exited Round Rock, White was batting .153. but Johnson already had a heart-to-heart with him.
“Hey, man, you swung at nine balls last few days,” Johnson said to White. “You don't need to do that. Like you don't need anything. You also need to understand how good you are. And you're gonna get pitched differently.'
"And then literally from that game forward, he's been phenomenal. I think he's hitting like 500 (.470 with 33 RBI). With runners in scoring position doesn't try to do too much and he sometimes he still hits it over the fence.
“Like one of my favorite at bats was his grand slam against Samford. He literally was not trying to do too much and hit a line drive that ended up going 413 feet. It's good to be that good.”
The other Tiger turning heads nationally is Air Force junior transfer pitcher Paul Skenes, who leads the nation in strikeouts (59), pitching wins (5) and WHIP (0.53), and he is No. 4 nationally in ERA (0.59) and in hits allowed per nine innings (3.56).
“I’ve been doing this for 33 years,” A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle said after Skenes struck out 11 and threw 6.1 shutout innings in LSU’s 9-0 win last Friday. “And [San Diego State’s Stephen Strasburg, Southern California’s Mark Prior] and Paul Skenes are the best I’ve ever seen.
"He’s a real pitcher. He’s pitching in the wrong league, I can tell you that. He needs to be in the American or National League.”
Arkansas is led at the plate by outfielders Jace Bohrofen and Jaeed Wagner.
Bohrofen leads the team batting .406 with six doubles, five homers and 17 RBI hitting. Wegner is batting .390, is third in the SEC in RBI (35), and has a team-best nine homers.
The Hogs’ top pitcher is lefty Hagen Smith, who’s second in the SEC with a 1.17 ERA. He has 34 strikeouts in 23.0 innings.
Friday’s game was moved to a 12 noon start from 7 p.m. because of anticipated lightning and rain Friday night. Also for weather reasons, Johnson said there’s a chance the teams will move Sunday’s game 3 to Saturday as part of a doubleheader.
Here's the series pitching matchups:
Game 1
LSU – Jr. RH Paul Skenes (5-0, 0.59 ERA, 30.1 IP, 4 BB, 59 SO)
Arkansas – Jr. LH Hunter Hollan (4-0, 2.36 ERA, 26.2 IP, 9 BB, 24 SO)
Game 2
LSU – Jr. Ty Floyd (3-0, 2.25 ERA, 20.0 IP, 7 BB, 24 SO)
Arkansas– Jr. RH Will McEntire (4-0, 3.71 ERA, 26.2 IP, 10 BB, 22 SO)
Game 3
LSU – So. RH Thatcher Hurd (2-0, 2.57 ERA, 21.0 IP, 10 BB, 29 SO)
Arkansas – TBA