The Pitching Matchups: LSU Tigers Baseball vs. Tennessee Volunteers in Key SEC Series
Jay Johnson and the No. 4 ranked LSU Tigers are set to square off against the Tennessee Volunteers on Friday night in Alex Box Stadium in game one of the three-game series.
First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. CT in Baton Rouge.
Johnson and Co. will look to bounce back following a midweek loss to the Northwestern State Demons on Tuesday night at Skip Bertman Field.
Now, all eyes are on the Friday night showdown between a pair of top-five programs in the Bayou State.
No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers (34-7, 12-6 SEC) at No. 4 LSU Tigers (34-8, 12-6 SEC)
DATES/TIMES
• Friday, April 25 at 6:30 p.m. CT
STADIUM
• Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field in Baton Rouge, La. (10,718)
RANKINGS
• LSU – No. 4 Baseball America, No. 5 USA Today, No. 7 D1 Baseball
• Tennessee – No. 5 Baseball America, No. 6 USA Today, No. 6 D1 Baseball
RADIO
• LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates
• Live audio at www.LSUsports.net/live; Live stats at www.LSUstats.com
TV/ONLINE
• Friday’s game will be streamed on SEC Network +.
LSU SERIES RECORD VS. TENNESSEE
LSU leads the all-time series with Tennessee, 62-33 … Tennessee has won four straight games over LSU, including a three-game sweep in Knoxville last season followed by 4-3 win over the Tigers in the 2024 SEC Tournament championship game in Hoover, Ala.
LSU claimed a 2-1 SEC series victory over Tennessee in 2023 (March 30-April 1) in Baton Rouge before defeating the Vols twice in the 2023 College World Series en route to the Tigers’ seventh national championship.
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Game 1
LSU – So. LH Kade Anderson (6-1, 3.92 ERA, 57.1 IP, 13 BB, 91 SO)
UT – Jr. LH Liam Doyle (7-1, 2.48 ERA, 58.0 IP, 17 BB, 104 SO)
QUOTING JAY JOHNSON
“We’ve moved on to what’s ahead of us. In baseball, you have to master the ability to move forward. In my position as the leader of the program, I analyze everything. The good thing about young people is that they have an ability to move forward, and I will rely on that with our team.
“My belief is that a bad game has nothing to do with the next game, or the next pitch, unless we allow it to. Tennessee is a very talented team, obviously, and has been for several years.
“They have big arms, big bats, and on the pitching side they do what they do really well. Offensively, they can really drive the baseball and play with a physical nature.”
ABOUT THE TIGERS
The Tigers are 12-6 in the SEC and are tied for the third place in the league standings with Tennessee … Texas (16-2) leads the league race and Arkansas (13-5) is in second place in the conference standings.
LSU is No. 2 in the SEC in team batting average with a .316 mark, and the Tigers are also No. 2 in the league in on-base percentage (.430), hits (441), doubles (94) and fewest times struck out per game (7.02) … the Tigers are No. 5 in the SEC with a 3.82 cumulative ERA and No. 4 in the league in opponent batting average (.219).
Junior right-hander Anthony Eyanson defeated No. 15 Alabama last Friday, limiting the Crimson Tide to just one run on four hits in 6.0 innings with five walks and 12 strikeouts.
