Watch: LSU coach Jay Johnson on the eve of battle; Baton Rouge Super Regional Primer – ‘Cats and Tigers ready to rumble

2023 NCAA Baton Rouge Super Regional

No. 12 National Seed Kentucky Wildcats (40-19) vs. No. 5 National Seed LSU Tigers (46-15)

DATES/TIMES

  • Saturday, June 10 @ 2 p.m. CT (ESPN)
  • Sunday, June 11 @ TBD
  • Monday, June 12 @ TBD (if necessary)

STADIUM

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

RANKINGS

  • LSU – No. 5 NCAA National Seed
  • UK – No. 12 NCAA National Seed

RADIO

·        LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates, including 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge

·        Live audio at www.LSUsports.net/live

TV/ONLINE

  • Saturday’s game will be televised on ESPN and streamed on ESPN +
  • TV information for Sunday and Monday games is TBD

LSU SERIES RECORD VS. KENTUCKY

• LSU leads the all-time series with Kentucky, 57-32-1 … LSU has won 14 of the past 20 SEC regular-season series against UK, including a 2-1 series victory earlier this season (April 13-15) in Baton Rouge … the teams have met on eight occasions over the past three seasons, and LSU has won five of the eight meetings – the Tigers won two of three regular-season games in Lexington in 2021; the teams split two games in the 2022 SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala.; and LSU won two of three regular-season games over UK this season in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.

LSU IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

• LSU is in the NCAA Tournament for the 11th straight season and for the 35th time overall …. LSU has six national championships (1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2009), the second-most in NCAA history … the Tigers were an NCAA Tournament Top 8 National Seed for an NCAA-record six straight seasons (2012-17) …  LSU is a Top 8 National Seed this season (No. 5) for the first time since the 2017 Tigers were the No. 4 National Seed … LSU has the second-highest all-time NCAA Tournament winning percentage (.703, 166-70).

• LSU is participating in its 16th Super Regional, and the Tigers have the second-most Super Regional appearances all-time (Florida State has 17) … LSU is playing host to a Super Regional at Alex Box Stadium for the 12th time:  LSU has an 18-16 all-time record in NCAA Super Regional games, including a 17-9 mark in home super regional games .. LSU has won eight super regional titles, all at home:  2000, ’03, ’04, ’08, ’09, ’13, ’15, ’17.

• LSU last weekend won the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional, marking the 26th regional title in program history and the Tigers’ 23rd title in a home regional.

QUOTING LSU COACH JAY JOHNSON

“If you want to do something great, you have to emulate people that have been great. The national championship teams here at LSU cared more about the team than about individual achievements. All year, we’ve told our players that if you can emulate those great teams, you will have success. I don’t know if we will accomplish what those great teams of the past did, but our players have displayed the same type of characteristics that those teams did to give us a chance at competing at the highest level. As a coach, that definitely makes me proud.”

ABOUT THE TIGERS

·        LSU enters the NCAA Super Regional with a 46-15 record, its best mark through 61 games since the 2015 Tigers were 51-10 … LSU last weekend won the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional with consecutive victories over Tulane and Oregon State (twice) … the Tigers were 1-2 in the SEC Tournament two weeks ago in Hoover, Ala. … LSU was the No. 3 SEC Tournament seed, its highest since the 2017 Tigers were the No. 1 seed in the event.

·        The Tigers completed the 2023 regular season 42-13 overall and 19-10 in conference play … LSU recorded its most SEC regular-season wins since the 2017 club won 21 SEC games, and the Tigers posted their most overall regular-season wins since the 2015 squad ended the regular season with 46 victories.

·        The Tigers, the SEC’s No. 4 seed last season, have finished in the Top 4 in the overall SEC standings in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2014 and 2015 … LSU’s second-place finish in the SEC Western Division this season is its best since the Tigers won the Western Division in 2017.

·        LSU has reached the 40-win mark in back-to-back years for the first time since the 2016 and 2017 seasons … LSU finished 40-22 in 2022.

·        LSU enters the NCAA Super Regional near the top of several NCAA statistical categories … the Tigers are No. 2 in the nation in shutouts pitched (9); No. 2 in on-base percentage (.438);  No. 2 in slugging percentage (.566); No. 3 in strikeouts pitched per nine innings (11.7); No. 3 in home runs (126); No. 4 in hit-by-pitch (126); No. 4 in scoring average (9.3 runs per game); No. 5 in runs scored (566); No. 7 in hits allowed per nine innings (7.73); and No. 8 in walks received (357).

·        LSU centerfielder Dylan Crews is No. 2 in the nation in on-base percentage (.573); No. 2 in runs scored (87); No. 3 in batting average

(.432) and No. 5 in walks (61) … third baseman Tommy White is No. 3 in the nation in RBI per game (1.66), and he is No. 3 in the nation in total RBI (93)

·        LSU right-hander Paul Skenes is No. 1 in the nation in strikeouts (179), strikeouts per nine innings (16.22); and WHIP (0.79) … he is No.3 in the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio (10.53), No. 4 in ERA (1.90) and No. 6 in hits allowed per nine innings (5.53) … LSU second baseman Gavin Dugas is No. 4 in the nation in hit-by-pitch (27).

·        LSU is No. 1 in the Southeastern Conference in nine offensive categories – batting average (.314), slugging percentage (.566), on-base percentage (.438), runs (566), hits (644), RBI (519), total bases (1,161), home runs (126) and sacrifice flies (37) … LSU is No. 2 in the SEC in hit-by-pitch (126) and No. 2 in plate appearances (2,589).

·        LSU centerfielder Dylan Crews and right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes have both been named finalists for the 2023 Golden Spikes Award and for the 2023 Dick Howser Trophy as the nation’s most outstanding player … LSU has had one player win the Golden Spikes Award (RHP Ben McDonald in 1989) and one player win the Dick Howser Trophy (1B Eddy Furniss in 1998).

ABOUT THE WILDCATS

·        Kentucky is hitting .293 as a team with 51 home runs and 91 stolen bases in 120 attempts … the Wildcats lead the nation with a .984 fielding percentage, having committed only 34 errors all season.

·        The Wildcats’ pitching staff has a 4.17 cumulative ERA, which ranks No. 3 in the SEC; UK has recorded 521 strikeouts in 509.1 innings.

·        UK is led at the plate by first baseman Hunter Gilliam, who is hitting .324 with 13 doubles, 12 homers and 71 RBI this season … catcher Devin Burkes is batting .298 with eight homers and 52 RBI; infielder Emilien Pitre is batting .322 with 16 doubles and 51 RBI.

·        Four Kentucky players have at least 17 steals this season – infielder Jase Felker (20), outfielder Jackson Gray (19), infielder Emilien Pitre (18) and OF/INF Ryan Waldschmidt (17).

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