BATON ROUGE, La. – Top-ranked LSU (35-6, 12-5 SEC) plays host to No. 2 Texas A&M (36-5, 12-5 SEC) in a three-game SEC series beginning at 6:30 p.m. CT Thursday in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.
Game 2 of the series will start at 7 p.m. CT Friday, and first pitch for Game 3 is set for 1 p.m. CT Saturday.
Thursday’s game will be televised on ESPN2, Friday’s game will be televised on the SEC Network Alternate channel, and Saturday’s game will be televised on ESPN.
The games will be carried on affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network, including WDGL 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge, and live audio and stats may be accessed at www.LSUsports.net.
The games may also be viewed at WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app.
LSU is ranked No. 1 this week in all six college baseball polls, marking the sixth week this season the Tigers are No. 1 in at least one poll. LSU has won 12 of its last 13 games and five in a row.
LSU and Texas A&M are tied for first place in the overall SEC standings, one-half game ahead of Florida, Missouri and Vanderbilt, who are all 12-6 in the league.
“We’re very excited to be playing such a big series at home against an outstanding team like Texas A&M,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “Our fans will provide a tremendous environment in ‘The Box,’ and our players are going to compete hard and have fun, just like they do in every one of our games. We know that we have a chance to play in bigger games later in the season, but we’re going to embrace this opportunity to compete in a 1 vs. 2 matchup.”
LSU is No. 3 in the nation and No.1 in the SEC with a .320 team batting average. The Tigers will face a Texas A&M pitching staff that boasts an SEC-best 2.40 ERA, which is No. 6 in the nation.
The Tigers are paced offensively by senior catcher Kade Scivicque — the SEC’s second-leading hitter – who is batting .396 (55-for-139) on the year with 13 doubles, five homers, 32 RBI and 22 runs.
LSU junior first baseman Chris Chinea is hitting .346 with 10 doubles, six homers and 35 RBI, senior third baseman Conner Hale is batting .331 with 12 doubles, two triples, four homers and 36 RBI, and junior shortstop Alex Bregman is hitting .329 with 14 doubles, three triples, eight homers and 34 RBI.
Texas A&M is No. 2 in the SEC in team batting average, hitting .316 on the year, with a league-best 47 home runs. The Aggies are led at the plate by sophomore outfielder Nick Banks, who leads the SEC with a .407 average and has seven doubles, two triples, five homers, 32 RBI and 37 runs.
Junior outfielder/infielder Logan Taylor is hitting .376 with seven doubles, one triple, 10 homers and 38 RBI, and senior catcher Mitchell Nau is batting .363 with nine doubles, three homers and 32 RBI.
Texas A&M leads LSU, 17-16-1, in the all-time series between the schools; the first meeting occurred in 1907 in Baton Rouge (3-2 LSU win). LSU has won 10 of the last 13 meetings with Texas A&M, though the Aggies posted a 2-1 SEC series victory over the Tigers last season in College Station. The teams’ first meeting in which Texas A&M played as a member of the SEC occurred in 2013, when LSU won two of three games in College Station. This weekend’s series marks the Aggies’ first visit to Baton Rouge as an SEC member.
Prior to 2013, the most recent meeting between the teams came in the 2004 NCAA Super Regional in Baton Rouge, as LSU swept two games to advance to the College World Series. LSU’s most famous matchup with Texas A&M came 26 years ago in May, 1989, when the Tigers defeated the top-ranked Aggies twice on the final day of the NCAA Central Regional to advance to the College World Series.
#2 Texas A&M Aggies (36-5, 12-5 SEC) at #1 LSU Fighting Tigers (35-6, 12-5 SEC)
DATES/TIMES
Thursday, April 23 – 6:30 p.m. CT (ESPN2)
Friday, April 24 – 7 p.m. CT (SEC Network Alternate Channel)
Saturday, April 25 – 1 p.m. (ESPN)
STADIUM
Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field in Baton Rouge, La. (10,326)
RANKINGS
LSU – No. 1 by Baseball America; No. 1 USA Today; No. 1 D1 Baseball; No. 1 Collegiate Baseball; No. 1 Perfect Game; No. 1 NCBWA
TAMU – No. 2 Baseball America; No. 2 USA Today; No. 2 D1 Baseball; No. 3 NCBWA; No. 4 Collegiate Baseball
RADIO
LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates, including WDGL 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge
LSUsports.net – live audio and live stats
TV
Thursday – ESPN2
Friday – SEC Network Alternate Channel
Saturday – ESPN
SERIES RECORD
Texas A&M leads LSU, 17-16-1, in the all-time series between the schools; the first meeting occurred in 1907 in Baton Rouge (3-2 LSU win). LSU has won 10 of the last 13 meetings with Texas A&M, though the Aggies posted a 2-1 SEC series victory over the Tigers last season in College Station. The teams’ first meeting in which Texas A&M played as a member of the SEC occurred in 2013, when LSU won two of three games in College Station. This weekend’s series marks the Aggies’ first visit to Baton Rouge as an SEC member.
Prior to 2013, the most recent meeting between the teams came in the 2004 NCAA Super Regional in Baton Rouge, as LSU swept two games to advance to the College World Series. LSU’s most famous matchup with Texas A&M came 26 years ago in May, 1989, when the Tigers defeated the top-ranked Aggies twice on the final day of the NCAA Central Regional to advance to the College World Series.
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Game 1
LSU – So. LHP Jared Poche’ (7-1, 2.90 ERA, 62.0 IP, 17 BB, 42 SO)
TAMU – Jr. RHP Grayson Long (8-0, 2.73 ERA, 56.0 IP, 24 BB, 66 SO)
Game 2
LSU – Fr. RHP Alex Lange (7-0, 1.40 ERA, 57.2 IP, 23 BB, 65 SO)
TAMU – So. RHP Ryan Hendrix (3-0, 1.40 ERA, 25.2 IP, 8 BB, 24 SO)
Game 3
LSU – Fr. RHP Austin Bain (1-1, 3.07 ERA, 29.1 IP, 11 BB, 32 SO)
TAMU – TBA
Television Update (published Wednesday)
BATON ROUGE, La. — With the addition of an SEC Network telecast, the entire three-game series pitting college baseball’s top two teams – No. 2 Texas A&M at No. 1 LSU Thursday through Saturday — will now be available on national television.
The series begins on ESPN2 (updated from ESPNU) Thursday at 6:30 p.m. CT and concludes Saturday at 1 p.m. CT on ESPN.
Game 2 on Friday will now have an additional television viewing option, airing on the SEC Network Alternate Channel at 7 p.m. CT. Friday’s game will also be available on SEC Network + through WatchESPN.
The SEC Network Alternate Channel is an additional television channel used occasionally when live sporting events overlap.
“Southeastern Conference fans are the beneficiaries of a quality content surplus in spring sports and this weekend’s one vs. two series is a prime example,” said Dan Margulis, ESPN senior director of programming, “While Game 2 was not originally slated on the television schedule, the creation of SEC Network gives us the flexibility to find a platform to carry this game nationally.”
Texas A&M at LSU TV Schedule
Thursday @ 6:30 p.m. CT – ESPN2
Friday @ 7 p.m. CT – SEC Network Alternate Channel
Saturday @ 1 p.m. CT – ESPN