GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
LSU’s season opener against Purdue-Fort Wayne was just a few days away last February, and new transfer Luis Hernandez couldn’t wait for opening day in hallowed Alex Box Stadium after three seasons at off-Broadway Indiana State.
“I remember talking to Luis right before the season started, and he said a big reason he came here was because of the atmosphere,” LSU senior outfielder Josh Pearson said Thursday. “And he was excited to play on opening day in front of all the fans and how crazy it would be.”
Pearson, a West Monroe native who has been at LSU since 2022 and was on the Tigers’ national championship team in 2023, decided to set his new teammate straight.
“I remember telling him that, ‘Opening day is nothing compared to what it’s going to be toward the end of the year,'” Pearson said. “And I’m looking forward to it. I know everybody on the team’s looking forward to it and seeing the place packed out this weekend and in the coming weeks.”
No. 3 LSU (38-11, 15-9 Southeastern Conference) hosts No. 2 Arkansas (40-9, 17-7 SEC) on Friday at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+ with 5:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. games Saturday and Sunday on the SEC Network – weather permitting.
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The record actual LSU baseball crowd of 11,439 set against Tennessee two weeks ago will be in danger of falling this weekend. The 13,376 paid attendance mark could fall, too, along with the 38,142 record for a three-game home series.
Rain is also expected to fall in buckets on Friday through Sunday.
“Right now, we’re not moving anything yet,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said. “Now, could that change? Probably, but it has not yet.”
If the Tigers, who are No. 8 in the all-important Ratings Percentage Index rankings, can win two games, they will be in excellent shape to receive one of the coveted top eight national seeds for NCAA postseason play that begins on May 30.
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A top eight seed guarantees a home best-of-three Super Regional to teams that win their opening round NCAA Regional tournaments. Of LSU’s 19 trips to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, from 1986-2023, 17 have come with LSU playing for Omaha at home at The Box.
Since the Super Regional format began in 1999, LSU has played in four Super Regionals away from home and lost all four – two games to none at Alabama in 1999, two games to one to Tulane in Metairie in 2001, two games to none at Rice in Houston in 2002 and two games to none at Tennessee in 2021. LSU has won its way to Omaha from a state other than Louisiana only once – from Texas A&M in 1989. The Tigers reached Omaha out of New Orleans in 1987.
If LSU loses two to Arkansas, things could get dicey. The Tigers would have a chance to finish on a strong note at struggling South Carolina (26-24, 5-20 SEC), but they would likely need to win a game or two at the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama, on May 20-25.
At the moment, LSU’s offense is struggling after hitting .214 in losing two of three games at then No. 37 RPI Texas A&M last week. LSU lost 3-1 and 6-4 around a 2-1 win. And Arkansas, which swept then-No. 1 Texas last week, is clearly better than A&M.
The Razorbacks are fifth in the nation in home runs with 102 to LSU’s No. 35 at 75 and No. 6 in slugging percentage at .570 to LSU’s No. 17 at .522. Arkansas is No. 1 in the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio with 508 to 138 walks. LSU is No. 2 in the nation in strikeouts with 551 as No. 1 and 2 starters Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson are second and fourth with 114 and 105, respectively. The Tigers are No. 10 in strikeout-to-walk ratio with 195 walks.
LSU is 10th in team earned run average at 3.74 to Arkansas’ 11th at 3.75. The Hogs are 11th in batting average at .316 with LSU down to 34th after a bad month at .306.
The Wailuku, Hawaii, brothers Wehiwa Alloy, a junior shortstop who transferred from Sacramento State before last season, and Kuhio Alloy, a sophomore designated hitter/outfielder who transferred from BYU after last season, lead the Razorbacks’ attack. Wehiwa has 17 home runs to lead the team along with 52 RBIs, and his brother is eighth in the nation in RBIs with 65 and has 12 home runs. Wehiwa also leads the team with a batting average of .376 with his brother right behind at .359.
Jared Jones leads LSU with 16 home runs and 60 RBIs.
LSU’s strategy as the season winds down will be what it has been since former coach Skip Bertman’s days – win to get home to get to Omaha – LSU’s home away from home.
“My whole life is built around Omaha, and the best way to get to Omaha is to play at home all the way through it,” said Johnson, who twice to Arizona to the College World Series before coming to LSU for the 2022 season. “Our league makes it really hard to do right now.”
A total of 11 SEC teams are currently in the top 21 of the RPI rankings.
“So, there’s just no breathing room,” Johnson said. “Our players know we want to play here. They’re doing everything they can to make that happen. We’ve put ourselves in a position to potentially do that.”
Johnson has not taken any deep dives into the RPI metrics at the moment.
“I haven’t really gone there yet,” he said. “It’s more about fix the play, fix the player, improve the play, improve the result. You improve the result, and you improve the opportunities to do really cool things like play here in the postseason.”
LSU pitcher Jaden Noot was a freshman on the 2023 LSU team that beat Tulane and Oregon State twice in the NCAA Regional and swept Kentucky in the Super Regional to reach Omaha and win the College World Series.
“Playoffs are electric, especially at the Box,” he said. “In 2023, that was the coolest environment I’ve ever seen.”
PITCHING MATCH-UPS
FRIDAY: Sophomore left-hander Kade Anderson (6-1, 3.57 ERA, 70.2 IP, 19 BB, 114 SO), LSU, vs. junior left-hander Zach Root (6-3, 3.95 ERA, 66.0 IP, 24 BB, 92 SO).
SATURDAY: Junior right-hander Anthony Eyanson (7-2, 3.16 ERA, 68.1 IP, 26 BB, 105 SO), LSU, vs. junior right-hander Gage Wood (1-0, 3.77 ERA, 14.1 IP, 2 BB, 28 SO).
The Sunday starters for both teams are to be announced.
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