Preview: LSU vs. Louisiana Tech In Midweek Matchup At Alex Box Stadium

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (17-11) at No. 5 LSU Tigers (26-3)

DATE/TIME
Tuesday, April 1 @ 6:30 p.m. CT

STADIUM
Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field in Baton Rouge, La. (10,718)

RANKINGS
LSU – No. 5 Baseball America; No. 6 USA Today; No. 7 D1 Baseball
La. Tech – unranked

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

TV/ONLINE
The game will be streamed live on SEC Network+.

LSU SERIES RECORD VS. LOUISIANA TECH

• LSU leads the all-time series versus Louisiana Tech, 46-20, in a series that began in 1902 … LSU defeated Louisiana Tech, 11-1 (8 innings) on March 19 of last season in Baton Rouge … prior to last season, the most recent meeting occurred on Feb. 23, 2022, in Ruston, when Louisiana Tech posted an 11-6 win over LSU … LSU has won 16 of its last 18 meetings with Louisiana Tech – along with their 2022 win, the Bulldogs’ only other victory over LSU in the last 18 meetings was a 12-1 victory in 2019 in Baton Rouge … prior to 2019, Louisiana Tech’s last win over the Tigers came on April 16, 1987, a 5-4 victory in Ruston.

QUOTING JAY JOHNSON

“I was very pleased with the way our team performed last weekend (vs. Mississippi State). We take a lot of pride in being able to win any type of game, and we accomplished that in the series with a comeback win, a win in a pitchers’ duel and a great offensive performance in the final game. We’re looking forward to taking on the challenge of facing an excellent Louisiana Tech team.”

ABOUT THE TIGERS

• LSU’s 26-3 overall record is its best through 29 games since the 2013 season, when the Tigers posted a 27-2 mark through 29 games … LSU’s 7-2 SEC record this season is its best conference mark through nine games since the 2013 team logged an 8-1 league record.

• LSU is No. 1 in the SEC and No. 3 in the nation in batting average with a .338 mark … the Tigers also lead the league in hits (324) and doubles (71), and LSU is No. 4 in the nation in hits and No. 5 in doubles … LSU is No. 2 in the SEC and No. 3 in the nation in on-base percentage (.456) and No. 3 in the league and No. 4 in the nation in runs scored (289) … the LSU pitching staff is No. 4 in the SEC in strikeouts (333) and No. 4 in the league in opponent batting average (.216) … LSU is No. 5 in the nation in strikeouts pitched per nine innings (12.2).

• LSU first baseman Jared Jones is No. 2 in the SEC in hits (46), No. 3 in RBI (45), No. 3 in total bases (86), No. 5 in batting average (.404), No. 5 in runs scored (37), No. 5 in home runs (10), No. 5 in doubles (10) and No. 6 in slugging percentage (.754) … leftfielder Derek Curiel is No. 2 in the SEC in walks (29), No. 3 in on-base percentage (.555), No. 4 in batting average (.408), No. 4 in runs (38) and No. 6 in hits (42)

• Junior right-hander Anthony Eyanson defeated Mississippi State on Friday, working 5.0 innings and limiting the Bulldogs to just one unearned run on five hits with three walks and 12 strikeouts … Eyanson’s 12 Ks represented the most by an LSU pitcher in an SEC game this season and the most by any SEC pitcher in last weekend’s league games … he increased his season strikeouts total to 58, and he is No. 5 in the SEC in strikeouts and No. 6 in the league in strikeouts per nine innings (14.11) … Eyanson improved to 4-0 this season, and he has a 3.89 ERA with 11 walks and 58 strikeouts in 37.0 innings.

• Junior second baseman Daniel Dickinson helped lead LSU to four wins in four games last week, batting .375 (6-for-16) with two doubles, one homer, seven RBI and five runs … in the Tigers’ three-game sweep of Mississippi State, Dickinson hit .385 (5-for-13) with one double, one homer, six RBI and three runs … with LSU trailing Mississippi State, 6-2, in the fifth inning of Game 1 on Thursday, Dickinson launched a two-out, two-strike, three-run homer to narrow the deficit to 6-5 and spark the Tigers’ 8-6 comeback victory … he was 3-for-5 in Saturday’s win over the Bulldogs with a double, three RBI and two runs … he is hitting .362 this season with nine doubles, seven homers, 35 RBI and 36 runs … Dickinson is No. 6 in the SEC in on-base percentage (.531), No. 7 in the league in runs scored and No. 8 in RBI.

• Freshman right-hander Casan Evans earned his fifth save of the season on Friday versus Mississippi State, working a career-long 4.0 innings to preserve a 2-1 LSU victory … Evans entered the game with a runner at first base and nobody out in the sixth inning with the Tigers holding a 2-1 advantage, and he blanked the Bulldogs for the remainder of the contest, allowing just two hits with three walks and six strikeouts … he fired a career-high 72 pitches in the outing and lowered his cumulative ERA to 0.90 … Evans is 1-0 this season with five saves in nine appearances, and he has recorded eight walks and 34 strikeouts in 20.0 innings … his total of five saves this season ranks No. 4 in the SEC.

ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH

• The Bulldogs are 17-11 this season, 4-2 in Conference USA … Louisiana Tech opened conference play March 21-23 by winning two of three games at Sam Houston, and the Bulldogs won two of three games over Kennesaw State last weekend in Ruston.

• The Bulldogs’ lineup features outfielder Garrison Berkley, who is hitting .313 with 10 doubles, two triples, four homers and 16 RBI … infielder Michael Ballard leads Louisiana Tech in home runs (5) and RBI (21) … three former LSU players are now members of the Louisiana Tech team – outfielders Brody Drost and Zeb Ruddell, and infielder Will Safford.

(Release via LSU Athletics)