No. 4 LSU set for weekend home slate against No. 6 Florida

On3 imageby:Billy Embody•03/21/24•

BillyEmbody

Greg Penn III on new LSU DC Blake Baker, defensive changes

No. 6 Florida Gators (12-8, 2-1 SEC) at No. 4 LSU Tigers (18-4, 1-2 SEC)

DATES/TIMES

  • Friday, March 22 @ 7 p.m. CT (SEC Network)
  • Saturday, March 23 @ 6 p.m. CT (SEC Network +)
  • Sunday, March 24 @ 2 p.m. CT (SEC Network)

STADIUM

  • Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field (10,326)

RANKINGS

  • LSU – No. 4 USA Today; No. 5 Baseball America; No. 5 D1 Baseball
  • Florida – No. 6 D1 Baseball, No. 8 Baseball America, No. 8 USA Today

RADIO·        
LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates·        
Live audio at www.LSUsports.net/live;
Live stats at www.LSUstats.com

TV/ONLINE

  • The games on Friday and Sunday will be televised on the SEC Network
  • Saturday’s game will be streamed on SEC Network +

LSU SERIES RECORD VS. FLORIDA

  • LSU leads the all-time series versus Florida, 68-53-1, as the series began in 1971 … the teams’ last meeting came in the 2023 CWS Championship Series June 24-26, in Omaha, Neb., as the Tigers claimed the national championship by winning two of three games over the Gators … the last regular-season meeting between the teams occurred on March 25-27, 2022, when the Tigers won two of three games over the Gators in Gainesville, Fla. …. Florida holds a 10-9 lead in the 19 meetings between the teams since 2016 … this weekend’s series marks Florida’s first visit to Baton Rouge since April 18-20, 2019, when LSU won two of three games over Florida.
  • LSU holds a 6-3 all-time advantage over Florida in College World Series games – the Tigers won two CWS games over the Gators in both 1991 and in 1996 en route to national championships … LSU and Florida also met in the 2017 College World Series Championship Series, when UF posted two straight wins over the Tigers to claim the national championship.

PITCHING MATCHUPS

Game 1
LSU – Jr. RH Luke Holman (4-1, 0.63 ERA, 28.2 IP, 5 BB, 43 SO)
UF– So. LH Cade Fisher (2-1, 7.94 ERA, 22.2 IP, 5 BB 37SO)
Game 2
LSU – So. LH Gage Jump (2-0, 2.12 ERA, 17.0 IP, 5 BB, 24 SO)
UF – Fr. RH Liam Peterson (1-2, 7.50 ERA, 18.0 IP, 9 BB 22 SO)
Game 3
LSU – Jr. RH Thatcher Hurd (1-2, 6.55 ERA, 22.0 IP, 10 BB, 29 SO)
UF – Jr. LH Jac Caglianone (2-0, 1.77 ERA, 20.1 IP, 13 BB 34 SO) 

QUOTING COACH JAY JOHNSON: “I think we are similar with Florida in that they’ve got some guys who were there last year that weren’t front-line guys that have moved up, just like we do. There are a bunch of guys on both teams finding their ways in new roles. Florida has a great offense, as good as anybody in the country. They really hit with power, and they hit mistakes. On the mound, we have some familiarity with their staff, guys we saw last year. Overall, this year is a completely different deal than last year as far as both teams are concerned.” 

ABOUT THE TIGERS

  • LSU has won four of its last six games, and the Tigers this week are ranked No. 4 in the nation by USA Today and No. 5 by Baseball America and D1 Baseball … the Tigers dropped two of three games at Mississippi State last weekend to open SEC play before posting an 11-1 win over Louisiana Tech on Tuesday night in Baton Rouge.
  • LSU is No. 7 in the SEC with a .300 team batting average, and the Tigers’ 3.74 cumulative ERA ranks No. 6 in the league … junior right-hander Luke Holman is No. 1 in the SEC with a 0.63 ERA, and he is No. 2 in the league with 43 strikeouts.
  • Shortstop Michael Braswell III led LSU in hitting in the Mississippi State series, batting .400 (4-for-10) with two doubles, one RBI and two runs scored.
  • Third baseman Tommy White hit .385 (5-for-13) in the Mississippi State series with three homers, seven RBI, four runs and a .500 on-base percentage … White also played exceptional defense and was credited with eight assists and two putouts while recording a 1.000 fielding percentage.
  • Outfielder Josh Pearson is hitting .421 (8-for-19) in his last five games with one homer, four RBI and two runs scored … Pearson hit .385 (5-for-13) in the Mississippi State series with one homer, two RBI and one run.
  • First baseman Jared Jones is hitting .353 (6-for-17) in his last six games with two doubles, three homers, six RBI and six runs.
  • Left-hander Griffin Herring has earned relief wins in each of his last two outings … he defeated Mississippi State last Saturday, working 2.1 innings and limiting the Bulldogs to one run on two hits with two walks and three strikeouts … Herring pitched 1.2 scoreless innings against Louisiana Tech on Tuesday night to pick up his second win of the year, allowing just one hit with no walks and two strikeouts.
  • Left-hander Nate Ackenhausen picked up his second save of the year last Saturday at Mississippi State, preserving the Tigers’ 9-8 win … Ackenhausen retired the side in order in the bottom of the ninth inning, holding off a Mississippi State rally over the course of the game that saw the Bulldogs trim a fourth-inning 9-1 deficit to 9-8 entering the bottom of the ninth.

ABOUT THE GATORS

  • Florida opened SEC play last weekend by winning two of three games over Texas A&M, who was undefeated entering the series in Gainesville, Fla. … the Gators dropped a 7-6 decision on Tuesday night to Jacksonville, a game that was also played in Gainesville.
  • UF is No. 8 in the SEC with a .298 batting average, and the Gators are third in the league in home runs with 44 … Florida’s pitching staff is No. 14 in the SEC with a 5.78 cumulative ERA, but the Gators hurlers have recorded 238 strikeouts, the fifth-highest total in the league.
  • First baseman/LH pitcher Jac Caglianone is hitting .414 on the year with one double, nine homers and 21 RBI … infielder Colby Shelton, who transferred to UF from Alabama, has 10 homers and 22 RBI, and infielder Tyler Shelnut has nine doubles, seven homers and 24 RBI.

LSU release.

You may also like