Xavier Musketeers (7-9) at No. 1 LSU Tigers (16-1)
DATE/TIME
• Tuesday, March 11 @ 6:30 p.m. CT
STADIUM
• Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field in Baton Rouge, La. (10,718)
RANKINGS
• LSU – No. 1 D1 Baseball; No. 2 Baseball America; No. 2 USA Today
• XU – unranked
RADIO
• LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates
• Live audio at www.LSUsports.net/live; Live stats at www.LSUstats.com
ONLINE
• The game will be streamed live on SEC Network +
LSU SERIES RECORD VS. XAVIER
• Tuesday’s game marks just the fourth meeting on the diamond between LSU and Xavier, which is a member of the Big East Conference … the schools met for the first time last season, and the Tigers won two of three games over the Musketeers in a three-game series March 8-10 in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field … LSU won the first two games by scores of 4-0 and 8-2, but XU captured a 2-1 victory in the series finale.
QUOTING COACH JAY JOHNSON
“We’ve won games this season in a lot of different ways with a lot of guys contributing. As I look forward to what we need to do, we need to continue to prepare at a high level and be excited about what we have ahead. That’s the only way to be. It’s a great challenge; SEC Baseball, in my opinion, is one of the greatest challenges in college sports, and I’m excited to do it with this team. We won’t be perfect, but we’re ready, and we can’t wait for the week to start.”
ABOUT THE TIGERS
• LSU has won 11 straight games, marking the Tigers’ longest win streak since February 26 through March 18, 2023, when they captured 13 games in a row.
• Junior right-hander Anthony Eyanson turned in a remarkable outing on Saturday versus North Alabama, recording a career-high 15 strikeouts in 7.0 innings in the Tigers’ 6-2 victory … the 15 Ks marked the most recorded by an LSU pitcher since June 24, 2023, when Ty Floyd posted 17 strikeouts in Game 1 of the College World Series Finals vs. Florida … Eyanson limited North Alabama to two runs on two hits with two walks in the seven-inning outing, firing 95 pitches … after allowing the two runs and two hits in the first inning, he blanked UNA over the next six innings without allowing a hit … Eyanson struck out seven consecutive hitters from the first through third innings, and he retired 13 straight hitters from the third through the end of the seventh inning … he struck out the side in the seventh to complete his outing … Eyanson improved to 3-0 this season, and he has logged 35 strikeouts in 24.0 innings.
• Junior first baseman Jared Jones batted .474 (9-for-19) in LSU’s five wins last week with two doubles, four homers, nine runs and nine RBI … he recorded a 1.211 slugging percentage and a .545 on-base percentage for the week … in Wednesday’s victory over North Dakota State, he was 3-for-4 with two homers, five RBI and three runs … in the final two games of the North Alabama series, he was a combined 5-for-8 with two doubles, two homers and three runs scored … Jones is batting a team-high .429 (27-for-63) on the year with eight doubles, six homers, 26 RBI and 23 runs scored … he now has 48 career homers, which is tied with Tommy White (2023-24) for No. 9 on the LSU all-time homers list.
• Freshman outfielder Derek Curiel helped lead LSU to five straight wins, batting .385 (5-for-13) with two doubles, four RBI, eight runs, eight walks and a .619 on-base percentage … Curiel kept his season-long on-base streak alive, as he is the only LSU player to have reached base safely in all 17 games this season … the Tigers’ lead-off hitter, he is batting .421 on the year with five doubles, one triple, one homer, 15 RBI, 22 runs and a team-high .588 on-base percentage.
• Senior outfielder/DH Josh Pearson’s grand slam in Sunday’s win over North Alabama marked the first grand slam of his four-year LSU career … Pearson’s grand slam was the first by an LSU player since May 22, 2024, when Tommy White blasted a grand slam versus Kentucky at the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala.
• The Tigers’ pitching staff recorded 20 strikeouts in Saturday’s win over North Alabama – 15 by RHP Anthony Eyanson and five by RHP Zac Cowan – marking the most Ks posted by LSU in a game since it logged 20 Ks on March 6, 2024, at Southeastern Louisiana.
ABOUT XAVIER
• Xavier, located in Cincinnati, Ohio, is 7-9 this season, and the Musketeers have lost four straight games; however, all four losses have come on the road against SEC teams – March 5 at Tennessee, and March 7-9 at Vanderbilt … Xavier played at Stanford (Feb. 28-March 2) and split four games with the Cardinal … the Musketeers also have two wins over Indiana this season.
• Xavier is hitting .229 this season with 21 doubles, one triple, 13 home runs and 15 steals in 18 attempts … the XU pitching staff has registered a 7.08 cumulative ERA and 111 strikeouts in 134.2 innings … Xavier is led at the plate by outfielder Carter Hendrickson, who is batting .321 with four doubles, three homers and 15 RBI … infielder Landon Mensik, infielder Clay Burdette and outfielder Aedan Anderson each have homered twice this season for the Musketeers.