No. 1 LSU To Host No. 3 Arkansas This Weekend At Alex Box Stadium

No. 3 Arkansas Razorbacks (19-2, 3-0 SEC) at No. 1 LSU Tigers (19-2, 2-1 SEC)

DATES/TIMES (times and TV networks are subject to change due to inclement weather forecast)
·Friday, March 24 @ 12 p.m. CT (SEC Network +)
·Saturday, March 25 @ 1 p.m. CT (SEC Network)
·Sunday, March 26 @ 12 p.m. CT (ESPN)

STADIUM
·Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field (10,326)

RANKINGS
· LSU – No. 1 in all college baseball polls
·Arkansas – No. 3 Collegiate Baseball, No. 3 USA Today, No. 5 D1 Baseball, No. 6 Baseball America

RADIO
·LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates, including 98.1 in Baton Rouge
·Live audio for LSU games at www.LSUsports.net/live; Live stats for LSU games at www.LSUstats.com

TV/ONLINE
·All three games will be streamed live on SEC Network +
·Game 2 on Saturday is also scheduled to be televised on SEC Network
·Game 3 on Sunday is also scheduled to be televised on ESPN

LSU SERIES RECORD VS. ARKANSAS
·LSU leads the all-time series with Arkansas, 75-39, and the Tigers have won 13 of the past 17 and seven of the past 10 SEC regular-season series versus the Razorbacks … Arkansas, however, has won the last three SEC series meetings, sweeping the Tigers last season in Fayetteville, and taking two of three games from LSU in 2021 at Baton Rouge and in 2019 at Fayetteville … the Tigers are 39-21 against Arkansas over the past 18 seasons (2005-22), including two wins over the Razorbacks in the 2009 College World Series.

PITCHING MATCHUPS

Game 1
LSU – Jr. RH Paul Skenes (5-0, 0.59 ERA, 30.1 IP, 4 BB, 59 SO)
UA – 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)
UA– 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)
UA – TBA

QUOTING COACH JAY JOHNSON
“We’re hoping for the best with the weather; we really want to encourage the fans and students to come out this weekend. We need that real home field advantage, because Arkansas is one of the teams we have to beat in order to get back to the top of the SEC. When I took this job, I knew Arkansas was one of the programs that was among the elite in our league. They’re always going to recruit well, thus they’ve always been one of the most successful programs in the country. We’re excited for the weekend, it’s going to be a great matchup.”

ABOUT THE TIGERS
·LSU has won four of its five last games, including a 2-1 SEC series victory at No. 11 Texas A&M last weekend … the Tigers’ 8-6 loss to the Aggies last Sunday ended LSU’s 13-game winning streak, its longest since the 2017 club won 17 games in a row … LSU’s 19-2 start this season is the Tigers’ best record through 21 games since the 2015 team also posted a 19-2 mark.

·LSU, which has been ranked No. 1 all season by all of the college baseball polls, enters this weekend at or near the top of several NCAA statistical categories … 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) … the Tigers are also 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).

·LSU centerfielder Dylan Crews is No. 1 in the nation in on-base percentage (.656) and in runs scored (39), and he is No. 2 in the country in batting average (.515) and No. 5 in slugging percentage (.926) … third baseman Tommy White is No. 2 in the nation in RBI per game (1.89) … right-hander Paul Skenes 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).

·Centerfielder Dylan Crews enters Friday’s game riding a 19-game hitting streak, and he has reached base safely in all 21 of LSU’s games this season … first baseman Tre’ Morgan and second baseman Gavin Dugas have reached base safely in 20 straight games … third baseman Tommy White enters Friday’s game on a 15-game hitting streak

·Sophomore third baseman Tommy White was named SEC Player of the Week on Monday, after he batted .474 (9-for-19) in LSU’s games last week and helped lead the Tigers to an SEC series victory at No. 11 Texas A&M … White collected one double, one homer, 11 RBI and seven runs in the Tigers four games versus New Orleans and Texas A&M … in LSU’s series victory at Texas A&M, White hit .500 (7-for-14) with one double, seven RBI and four runs …. his two-out, bases-loaded two-run single in the fourth inning of Game 2 sparked a six-run rally that allowed the Tigers to erase a 4-0 deficit and go on to post a 12-7 win.

·Freshman first baseman/DH Jared Jones batted .400 (6-for-15) for LSU last week with one homer, eight RBI and two runs … he led the Tigers to an SEC-series clinching victory on Saturday at No. 11 Texas A&M by going 4-for-5 at the plate with a three-run homer and a pair of two-run singles for a total of seven RBI … his two-out, two-run single in the fourth inning last Saturday broke a 4-4 tie and allowed the Tigers to go on to a 12-7 win … Jones has a team-high seven homers this season, and he is second on the club with 29 RBI.

·Junior right-hander Paul Skenes defeated No. 11 Texas A&M on Friday night, working 6.1 scoreless innings while allowing four hits and recording no walks and 11 strikeouts … Skenes fired a season-high 106 pitches in the outing to lead LSU to the series-opening victory over the Aggies … Skenes is No. 1 in the SEC in wins (5), strikeouts (59), opponent batting average (.115) and ERA (0.59).

·Junior right-hander Garrett Edwards posted relief wins last week of New Orleans and Texas A&M … Edwards worked a combined 7.0 innings in the two outings, allowing just one run on three hits with three walks and 10 strikeouts.

ABOUT THE RAZORBACKS
·Arkansas opened SEC play last weekend with a three-game sweep of Auburn in Fayetteville, Ark. … Arkansas is hitting .309 as a team with 44 doubles, four triples, 38 homers and 18 steals in 26 attempts … the Razorbacks are No. 7 in the SEC in batting average, and they are No. 7 in the league in home runs.

·The Razorbacks’ pitching staff is No. 9 in the SEC with a 4.21 ERA, and Arkansas has recorded the fewest number of strikeouts pitched among league teams (190) … left-hander Hagen Smith is No. 2 in the SEC with a 1.17 ERA, and he has 34 strikeouts in 23.0 innings.

·Outfielder Jared Wegner, who is batting .390 on the year, is No. 3 in the SEC in RBI (35), and he leads Arkansas in homers with nine … outfielder Jace Bohrofen is hitting a team-best .406 with six doubles, five homers and 17 RBI … INF/OF Kendall Diggs has collected six homers and 24 RBI to go along with a .344 batting average.

(Release via LSU Athletics)