FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Top-ranked LSU (19-2, 2-1 SEC) plays its first SEC road series of the season this week as the Tigers travel to Fayetteville, Ark., for three games against Arkansas (10-8, 0-3 SEC).
The games will be carried on affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network, and live audio and stats may be accessed at www.LSUsports.net. In Baton Rouge, Thursday’s game will air on WTGE 100.7 FM and Friday’s game will air on WDGL 98.1 FM.
Saturday’s game is also scheduled to be carried on 98.1 FM, but it may be switched to 100.7 FM if the LSU men’s basketball team is alive in the NCAA Tournament.
The baseball games on Thursday and Friday will be televised on the SEC Network, and Saturday’s game will be streamed online on SEC Network +, accessible at WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app.
“We always enjoying competing against Arkansas and respect the way they play the game,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “They have another very talented ball club, and their stadium provides a tough environment for the visiting team. It’s our first series on the road against a team playing in its home stadium, so we have to be prepared to play our best in order to have a chance to win.”
LSU has played one prior weekend series away from home, but at a neutral site – Minute Maid Park in Houston, where the Tigers faced the University of Houston, Baylor and Nebraska.
LSU is ranked No. 1 in the Baseball America magazine poll released Monday, and the Tigers started this week with a 4-2, 10-inning win Tuesday night at Southern University.
Mainieri said LSU will utilize a pitching rotation of sophomore left-hander Jared Poche’ on Thursday, freshman right-hander Alex Lange on Saturday and freshman right-hander Jake Godfrey on Sunday.
Lange on Monday received National Player of the Week recognition from Collegiate Baseball newspaper, and he was named SEC Freshman of the Week by the league office.
Lange fired a career-high 13 strikeouts in eight innings on Saturday versus Ole Miss, limiting the Rebels to just one earned run on three hits with no walks. Lange threw 117 pitches in the outing and recorded the most strikeouts by an LSU pitcher in a single game since April 11, 2014, when Aaron Nola also collected 13 Ks against Arkansas.
LSU leads the SEC in team batting average (.319), hits (237), triples (12) and fewest times struck out (91). Arkansas is sixth in the league in batting average at .293, and the Razorbacks are No. 4 in the league in homers with 17.
The Tigers are third in the league in team ERA (2.26), while Arkansas is 13th at 4.11.
LSU senior third baseman Conner Hale helped lead LSU to a series win over Ole Miss, batting a remarkable .692 (9-for-13) with one double, one homer, four RBI and six runs scored. He was 3-for-3 with a double, two runs and two RBI in Friday’s 6-4 win over the Rebels, and he was 3-for-4 with a homer, three runs and two RBI in Sunday’s 18-6 LSU victory. On the year, Hale, who had a 16-game hitting streak to begin the season, is batting .378 (31-for-82) with seven doubles, one triple, two homers, 17 runs and 19 RBI.
Catcher Kade Scivicque is the Tigers’ top hitter, batting .407 (22-for-54) with five doubles, three homers and 14 RBI, while junior rightfielder Mark Laird is hitting .363 (29-for-80) with four doubles, six RBI and 22 runs scored.
Arkansas is hitting .293 as a team with 17 home runs and 12 steals in 19 attempts. Junior infielder Bobby Wernes is batting .367 (22-for-60) with one double, four triples, two homers and eight RBI, junior infielder Rick Nomura is batting .317 (20-for-63) with five doubles, two homers and six RBI, and sophomore outfielder Andrew Benintendi is hitting .295 (18-for-61) with five doubles, five homers and 19 RBI.
LSU leads the series with Arkansas, 61-29, and the Tigers have won nine of their last 10 SEC regular-season series versus the Razorbacks, including a 2-1 series victory last season in Baton Rouge. LSU also swept a pair of games from Arkansas last season in the SEC Tournament. The only series win for Arkansas over LSU in the past 10 seasons came in 2011, when the Razorbacks swept three games from the Tigers in Fayetteville. The Tigers are 25-11 against Arkansas over the past 10 seasons, including two wins over the Razorbacks in the 2009 College World Series.
#1 LSU Fighting Tigers (19-2, 2-1 SEC) at Arkansas Razorbacks (10-8, 0-3 SEC)
DATES/TIMES
Thursday, March 19 – 6 p.m. CT (SEC Network)
Friday, March 20 – 8 p.m. CT (SEC Network)
Saturday, March 21 – 2 p.m. CT (SEC Network +)
STADIUM
Baum Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark.
RANKINGS
LSU – No. 1 by Baseball America; No. 2 by USA Today; No. 3 by Collegiate Baseball
Arkansas – unranked
RADIO
LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates, including WTGE 100.7 FM in Baton Rouge on Thursday; WDGL 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge on Friday and Saturday (baseball affiliate may change Saturday depending upon LSU’s status in NCAA men’s basketball tournament)
LSUsports.net – live audio and live stats
TV
SEC Network on Thursday and Friday
LIVE ONLINE VIDEO
SEC Network + on Saturday, accessible at WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app
SERIES RECORD
LSU leads the series with Arkansas, 61-29, and the Tigers have won nine of their last 10 SEC regular-season series versus the Razorbacks, including a 2-1 series victory last season in Baton Rouge. LSU also swept a pair of games from Arkansas last season in the SEC Tournament. The only series win for Arkansas over LSU in the past 10 seasons came in 2011, when the Razorbacks swept three games from the Tigers in Fayetteville. The Tigers are 25-11 against Arkansas over the past 10 seasons, including two wins over the Razorbacks in the 2009 College World Series.
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Game 1
LSU – So. LHP Jared Poche (5-0, 2.32 ERA, 31.0 IP, 11 BB, 22 SO)
UA – So. RHP Dominic Taccolini (3-2, 3.58 ERA, 27.2 IP, 8 BB, 29 SO)
Game 2
LSU – Fr. RHP Alex Lange (4-0, 1.45 ERA, 31 IP, 8 BB, 39 SO)
UA –TBA
Game 3
LSU – Fr. RHP Jake Godfrey (4-0, 2.33 ERA, 27.0 IP, 15 BB, 13 SO)
UA – Jr. RHP Trey Killian (0-0, 0.84 ERA, 10.2 IP, 0 BB, 9 SO)