Overall Record: 35-17
SEC: 18-9
Last Week’s Results (3-1)
May 9 (Tue.) – SOUTH ALABAMA (L, 6-7)
May 11 (Thu.) -– AUBURN (W, 4-0)
May 12 (Fri.) – AUBURN (W, 5-3)
May 13 (Sat.) – AUBURN (W, 9-1)
This Week’s Schedule
May 16 (Tue.) – NORTHWESTERN STATE, 6:30 p.m. CT (SEC Network+)
May 18 (Thu.) -– at Mississippi State, 6 p.m. CT (SEC Network)
May 19 (Fri.) – at Mississippi State, 6:30 p.m. CT (SEC Network+)
May 20 (Sat.) – at Mississippi State, 3:30 p.m. CT (ESPNU)
Notes on the Tigers
LSU posted an SEC series sweep over Auburn last weekend, and the Tigers moved into sole possession of first place in the SEC Western Division … LSU has a one-game lead over second-place Mississippi State with three games remaining in the SEC regular-season race … LSU will face Mississippi State this week in Starkville in a series that will determine the Western Division champion … LSU is also in contention for the SEC overall title, as the Tigers are just one game behind SEC Eastern Division leader Florida … junior right-hander Alex Lange turned in a brilliant effort on Thursday, firing a five-hit shutout to defeat 13th-ranked Auburn … Lange, who did not allow an Auburn player to advance beyond second base, threw 118 pitches, issued no walks and collected nine strikeouts in the outing, which marked his second career shutout … his first shutout came on May 31, 2015, in an NCAA Regional game versus UNC Wilmington … Lange, who also had a complete game last week against South Carolina, became the first LSU pitcher to record back-to-back complete games since 2013, when Aaron Nola posted four in a row … Lange increased his season strikeouts total to 100 and his career strikeouts total to 356, which ranks No. 3 all-time at LSU … freshman right-hander Eric Walker was only four outs away from throwing the first nine-inning no-hitter at LSU in 55 years before allowing a solo home run with two outs in the eighth inning Saturday versus 13th-ranked Auburn … Walker fired 7.2 hitless innings with three walks and three strikeouts before the no-hit bid ended in the eighth … Walker finished out the eighth inning by striking out the next Auburn batter after the home run, and he earned his sixth win in seven decisions as LSU completed a series sweep with a 9-1 victory … Walker is 6-1 this season with a 3.77 ERA in 74 innings, and he has recorded 19 walks and 58 strikeouts on the year … freshman centerfielder Zach Watson led LSU’s offensive effort in the Auburn series, batting .545 (6-for-11) with one homer, two RBI and two runs … junior catcher Michael Papierski batted .400 (2-for-5) in three games versus Auburn with two homers, five RBI, three runs, three walks, two sacrifice bunts and a .625 on-base percentage … Papierski’s two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning on Friday against Auburn right-hander Keegan Thomson broke a 3-3 tie and lifted LSU to a 5-3 victory … seven LSU players graduated from LSU last Friday and received their diplomas on the morning of Game 2 of the Auburn series … the LSU graduates are pitcher Jared Poche’, pitcher Hunter Newman, second baseman Cole Freeman, pitcher Russell Reynolds, pitcher Collin Strall, outfielder Bryce Adams and pitcher Alden Cartwright.
Baseball America Top 25
Team, 2017 Record, Previous Rank
1. Oregon State, 41-4, 1
2. Louisville, 46-6, 2
3. North Carolina, 41-10, 3
4. Texas Tech, 39-13, 4
5. Florida, 38-14, 7
6. TCU, 36-13, 5
7. Long Beach State, 32-16, 8
8. Kentucky, 36-16, 9
9. Stanford, 33-13, 10
10. LSU, 35-17, 15
11. Mississippi State, 33-19, 6
12. Virginia, 38-12, 12
13. Cal State Fullerton, 31-17, 14
14. Clemson, 37-15, 11
15. Wake Forest, 35-16, 16
16. Arkansas, 37-14, 18
17. Arizona, 33-17, 17
18. Southern Miss, 40-12, 19
19. Michigan, 39-12, 21
20. Oklahoma, 34-18, 24
21. St. John’s, 37-8, 22
22. Nebraska, 32-17, 25
23. Texas A&M, 35-17, 20
24. Auburn, 32-21, 13
25. USF, 39-12, 23
Dropped out: None
D1Baseball.com Top 25
Rank, Team, Record, Previous
1, Oregon State, 41-4, 1
2, Louisville, 46-6, 2
3, North Carolina, 41-10, 3
4, Texas Tech, 39-13, 4
5, Florida, 38-14, 5
6, Kentucky, 36-16, 9
7, TCU, 36-13, 6
8, Mississippi State, 33-19, 7
9, Long Beach State, 32-16, 10
10, LSU, 35-17, 11
11, Stanford, 33-13, 12
12, Virginia, 38-12, 13
13, Clemson, 37-15, 8
14, CS Fullerton, 31-17, 15
15, Southern Miss, 40-12, 22
16, Michigan, 39-12, 16
17, Arkansas, 37-14, 18
18, Arizona, 33-17, 17
19, Wake Forest, 35-16, 21
20, St. John’s, 37-8, 20
21, Oklahoma, 34-18, NR
22, Missouri State, 36-14, NR
23, Nebraska, 32-17, NR
24, Texas A&M, 35-17, 19
25, Old Dominion, 35-16, 25
Dropped Out
14. Auburn, 32-21
23. Loyola Marymount, 33-16
24. South Florida, 39-12
Perfect Game Top 25
Rank, Team, Record, Previous
1, Oregon State, 41-4, 1
2, Louisville, 46-6, 2
3, North Carolina, 41-10, 3
4, Texas Tech, 39-13, 4
5, Florida, 38-14, 5
6, Virginia, 38-12, 6
7, Kentucky, 36-16, 9
8, LSU, 35-17, 11
9, TCU, 36-13, 7
10, Long Beach State, 32-16-1, 10
11, Stanford, 33-13, 12
12, Clemson, 37-15, 8
13, Cal State Fullerton, 31-17, 14
14, Arkansas, 37-14, 15
15, Mississippi State, 33-19, 13
16, Michigan, 39-12, 17
17, USF, 39-12, 18
18, Houston, 33-18, 20
19, Wake Forest, 35-16, 21
20, Southern Miss, 40-12, 22
21, Arizona, 33-17, 19
22, Missouri State, 36-14, 23
23, Oklahoma, 34-18, NR
24, Texas A&M, 35-17, 24
25, Auburn, 32-21, 16
Dropped Out: Maryland (25).
Collegiate Baseball Top 30
Rank, Team (Record), Points, Previous
1. Oregon St. (41-4), 497, 1
2. Louisville (46-6), 496, 2
3. North Carolina (41-10), 494, 3
4. Florida (38-14), 491, 7
5. LSU (35-17), 489, 10
6. TCU (36-13), 486, 4
7. Texas Tech. (39-13), 484, 5
8. Kentucky (36-16), 482, 8
9. Mississippi St. (33-19), 478, 6
10. Stanford (33-13), 477, 11
11. Long Beach St. (32-16-1), 475, 12
12. Missouri St. (36-14), 473, 13
13. Virginia (38-12), 470, 14
14. Clemson (37-15), 468, 9
15. Arkansas (37-14), 465, 15
16. Kent St. (33-14), 463, 17
17. Southern Miss (40-12), 461, 21
18. BYU (32-15), 458, 18
19. Arizona (33-17), 455, 19
20. St. John’s (37-8), 453, 20
21. Cal. St. Fullerton (31-17), 451, 22
22. Wake Forest (35-16), 449, 23
23. Nebraska (32-17-1), 448, 26
24. Coastal Carolina (34-17-1), 446, 29
25. South Alabama (34-18), 445, NR
26. Oklahoma (34-18), 442, NR
27. Baylor (32-17), 438, NR
28. McNeese St. (34-16), 435, NR
29. Michigan (39-12), 433, NR
30. South Carolina (30-21), 428, 30