LSU Baseball Report: No. 1 Tigers host Nicholls, Alabama this week

LSU Baseball Report – April 24, 2023
Overall Record: 32-7 (12-5 in SEC)

Last Week’s Results (3-1)
April 18 (Tue.) – UL LAFAYETTE (L, 5-8)
April 21 (Fri.) – at Ole Miss (W, 7-3)
April 22 (Sat.) – at Ole Miss (W, 8-4)
April 23 (Sun.) – at Ole Miss (W, 7-6)

This Week’s Schedule
April 25 (Tue.) – NICHOLLS, 6:30 p.m. CT (SEC Network +)
April 28 (Fri.) – ALABAMA, 6 p.m. CT (SEC Network)
April 29 (Sat.) – ALABAMA, 6 p.m. CT (SEC Network +)
April 30 (Sun.) – ALABAMA, 1 p.m. CT (SEC Network +)

Tigers Update
• LSU won three of its four games last week, including an SEC series sweep at Ole Miss, the reigning College World Series champion … LSU’s 32-7 record is its best through 39 games since 2015, when the Tigers were 33-6 … LSU’s 12-5 SEC record this season is the Tigers’ best conference mark through 17 games since the 2015 club was also 12-5 in the league.

• Junior centerfielder Dylan Crews led LSU to three wins in four games last week, including a three-game sweep at reigning national champion Ole Miss … Crews batted .467 (7-for-15) in four games with one triple, two homers, seven RBI, six runs, five walks and a .600 on-base percentage … he hit .538 (7-for-13) in the Ole Miss series with one triple, two homers, seven RBI and five runs scored … in Saturday’s win over the Rebels, Crews blasted a two-run homer and a grand slam to collect a career-high six RBI … the grand slam was the first of his three-season LSU career … Crews increased his reached base streak to 43 straight games, which includes all 39 games this season and the final four games of last season.

• Junior right-hander Ty Floyd defeated Ole Miss on Saturday in the longest outing of his career, as he worked 8.1 innings to post the win over the Rebels … Floyd limited Ole Miss to three runs on five hits with one walk and eight strikeouts, tying his career high for strikeouts … Floyd threw 111 pitches, including 76 for strikes to improve to 6-0 on the year.

• Junior pinch hitter Hayden Travinski launched a two-out, three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning Sunday to lift top-ranked LSU to a 7-6 win over Ole Miss at Swayze Field … Travinski’s homer, his first of the season, erased a 6-4 Ole Miss lead … Travinski also earned his first start of the season at catcher on Saturday versus Ole Miss, and he provided an RBI single and scored a run in the Tigers’ 8-4 win.

• Freshman right-hander Gavin Guidry pitched a scoreless bottom of the ninth on Sunday at Ole Miss to preserve the win and earn his first career save … Guidry allowed a one-out double, but then retired the final two Ole Miss hitters to seal the victory.

• Junior right-hander Paul Skenes and freshman left-hander Griffin Herring combined to defeat Ole Miss on Friday night … Skenes improved to 7-1 on the year, as he limited the Rebels to three runs on four hits in six innings with three walks and 11 strikeouts … Herring worked the final three innings to earn his second save of the year, blanking Ole Miss on no hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

• Junior right-hander Christian Little delivered his best performance in an LSU uniform on Sunday at Ole Miss, as he worked the first 5.1 innings and limited the Rebels to three runs on six hits with one walk and three strikeouts … LSU homered six times in the Ole Miss series, including a fifth-inning grand slam on Friday night by sophomore third baseman Tommy White, which erased a 3-2 Ole Miss lead and proved to be the game-winning hit … the blast was White’s third grand slam and 13th home run of the season … graduate designated hitter Cade Beloso blasted two solo homers at Ole Miss to increase his season total to seven dingers.

Preview: Nicholls Colonels (22-16) at No. 1 LSU Tigers (32-7)

DATE/TIME
• Tuesday, April 25 @ 6:30 p.m. CT (SEC Network +)
STADIUM
• Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field in Baton Rouge, La. (10,326)
RANKINGS
• LSU – No. 1 in all college baseball polls
• Nicholls – unranked
RADIO
• LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates, including 98.1 in Baton Rouge
• Live audio at www.LSUsports.net/live; Live stats at www.LSUstats.com
ONLINE
• The game will streamed on SEC Network +

LSU SERIES RECORD VS. NICHOLLS
• LSU leads the all-time series with Nicholls, 59-24, including a 12-2, seven-inning victory over the Colonels earlier this season (April 4) in Baton Rouge … Nicholls’ only wins in its last 35 games versus LSU were a 4-2 victory in 2020 in Thibodaux; a 6-3 triumph in 2015 in Baton Rouge; and a 3-1 win in 2009, also in Baton Rouge.

QUOTING LSU COACH JAY JOHNSON
“We’re playing another first-place team tomorrow night in Nicholls. We drew them twice this season for midweek games. It’s a chance to play a team that’s winning their conference, and our non-league schedule has worked out great for us in that regard. They played great last weekend and swept a conference series (vs. Houston Christian). I really like (Nicholls coach) Mike Silva; he’s a very good coach, and we’re looking forward to playing his team again.”

ABOUT THE TIGERS
• LSU won three of its four games last week, including an SEC series sweep at Ole Miss, the reigning College World Series champion … LSU’s 32-7 record is its best through 39 games since 2015, when the Tigers were 33-6 … LSU’s 12-5 SEC record this season is the Tigers’ best conference mark through 17 games since the 2015 club was also 12-5 in the league.

• Junior centerfielder Dylan Crews led LSU to three wins in four games last week, including a three-game sweep at reigning national champion Ole Miss … Crews batted .467 (7-for-15) in four games with one triple, two homers, seven RBI, six runs, five walks and a .600 on-base percentage … he hit .538 (7-for-13) in the Ole Miss series with one triple, two homers, seven RBI and five runs scored … in Saturday’s win over the Rebels, Crews blasted a two-run homer and a grand slam to collect a career-high six RBI … the grand slam was the first of his three-season LSU career … Crews increased his reached base streak to 43 straight games, which includes all 39 games this season and the final four games of last season.

• Junior right-hander Ty Floyd defeated Ole Miss on Saturday in the longest outing of his career, as he worked 8.1 innings to post the win over the Rebels … Floyd limited Ole Miss to three runs on five hits with one walk and eight strikeouts, tying his career high for strikeouts … Floyd threw 111 pitches, including 76 for strikes to improve to 6-0 on the year.

• Junior pinch hitter Hayden Travinski launched a two-out, three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning Sunday to lift top-ranked LSU to a 7-6 win over Ole Miss at Swayze Field … Travinski’s homer, his first of the season, erased a 6-4 Ole Miss lead … Travinski also earned his first start of the season at catcher on Saturday versus Ole Miss, and he provided an RBI single and scored a run in the Tigers’ 8-4 win.

• Freshman right-hander Gavin Guidry pitched a scoreless bottom of the ninth on Sunday at Ole Miss to preserve the win and earn his first career save … Guidry allowed a one-out double, but then retired the final two Ole Miss hitters to seal the victory.

• Junior right-hander Paul Skenes and freshman left-hander Griffin Herring combined to defeat Ole Miss on Friday night … Skenes improved to 7-1 on the year, as he limited the Rebels to three runs on four hits in six innings with three walks and 11 strikeouts … Herring worked the final three innings to earn his second save of the year, blanking Ole Miss on no hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

• Junior right-hander Christian Little delivered his best performance in an LSU uniform on Sunday at Ole Miss, as he worked the first 5.1 innings and limited the Rebels to three runs on six hits with one walk and three strikeouts … LSU homered six times in the Ole Miss series, including a fifth-inning grand slam on Friday night by sophomore third baseman Tommy White, which erased a 3-2 Ole Miss lead and proved to be the game-winning hit … the blast was White’s third grand slam and 13th home run of the season … graduate designated hitter Cade Beloso blasted two solo homers at Ole Miss to increase his season total to seven dingers.

ABOUT THE COLONELS
• Nicholls is 22-16 overall and 8-4 in Southland Conference games … the Colonels posted a three-game SLC series sweep over Houston Christian last weekend in Thibodaux, La. … Nicholls is in first place in the SLC standings with an 8-4 league mark.
• Nicholls is hitting .288 as a team with 29 home runs and 50 steals in 64 attempts … the Colonels pitching staff has a 4.58 cumulative ERA with 315 strikeouts in 340 innings.
• The Colonels are paced offensively by outfielder Xane Washington, who is batting .361 with 13 doubles, two triples, four homers and 29 RBI … infielder Edgar Alvarez is hitting .352 with 14 doubles, one triple, four homers and 26 RBI, and infielder Parker Coddou has collected 13 doubles, five triples, six homers and 25 RBI.
• Outfielder Wes Toups, who played at LSU as a true freshman in 2020, has hit five homers and driven in 14 runs in 25 games this season for Nicholls.

WEEKLY RANKINGS