LSU Baseball Update: No. 1 Tigers hit road for four games this week

LSU Baseball Report – May 1, 2023
Overall Record: 35-8 (15-5 in SEC)

Last Week’s Results (3-1)
April 25 (Tue.) – NICHOLLS (L, 5-6)
April 28 (Fri.) – ALABAMA (W, 8-6)
April 29 (Sat.) – ALABAMA (W, 12-8)
April 30 (Sun.) – ALABAMA (W, 13-11)

This Week’s Schedule
May 2 (Tue.) – at Southeastern Louisiana, 6:30 p.m. CT (ESPN +)
May 5 (Fri.) – at Auburn, 6 p.m. CT (SEC Network +)
May 6 (Sat.) – at Auburn, 8 p.m. CT (SEC Network)
May 7 (Sun.) – at Auburn, 1 p.m. CT (SEC Network +)

Tigers Update
• LSU won three of its four games last week, including an SEC series sweep over Alabama … LSU’s 35-8 record is its best through 43 games since 2015, when the Tigers were 37-6 … LSU’s 15-5 SEC record this season is the Tigers’ best conference mark through 20 games since the 2013 club was 16-4 in league play.

• The Tigers have won seven straight SEC games and have posted consecutive weekend sweeps over Ole Miss and Alabama … LSU’s seven-game SEC win streak is its longest in a single season since 2017, when the Tigers won eight straight league games from May 6-May 20 … LSU on Sunday completed back-to-back SEC sweeps for the first time since the 2017 Tigers posted consecutive sweeps over Auburn and Mississippi State to close the regular season.

• Junior centerfielder Dylan Crews led LSU to three wins in four games last week, including a three-game sweep over Alabama … Crews batted .429 (6-for-14) in four games with two homers, eight RBI, five runs, five walks and a .600 on-base percentage … he hit .545 (6-for-11) in the Alabama series with two homers, eight RBI and five runs scored … Crews blasted a three-run homer in the third inning of Friday’s game, increasing a 1-0 LSU lead to 4-0 in an eventual 8-6 victory … he was on base four times in five plate appearances on Sunday with two walks and two hits, including a solo homer, and he collected three RBI in the Tigers’ 13-11 win … Crews increased his reached base streak to 47 straight games, which includes all 43 games this season and the final four games of last season.

• Junior right-hander Paul Skenes defeated Alabama on Friday night, limiting the Crimson Tide to one run on five hits in 6.0 innings with no walks and nine strikeouts … Skenes increased his nation’s-leading strikeout total to 124 this season, and he lowered his SEC-best ERA to 1.93 … Skenes also leads the SEC in innings pitched (65.1) and in opponent batting average (.159).

• LSU catcher Hayden Travinski launched the go-ahead three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning Saturday night, erasing a 7-5 deficit and lifting the Tigers to a 12-8 win over Alabama … Travinski provided a game-winning home run for the second straight weekend, as he provided a three-run blast in the ninth inning of LSU’s 7-6 win on April 23 at Ole Miss.

• Making just his third appearance of the season after recovering from Tommy John surgery a year ago, sophomore left-hander Javen Coleman posted a relief win over Alabama on Saturday … he entered the game in the fourth inning and subdued Alabama’s bats to allow LSU to execute a rally from an early deficit … Coleman worked 2.1 scoreless innings against the Crimson Tide with no hits, three walks and six strikeouts … Saturday’s win was Coleman’s first since February 19, 2022, when he earned a relief victory over Maine.

• Third baseman Tommy White and first baseman Jared Jones each homered twice and collected five RBI in the Alabama series … White has 15 homers and 71 RBI this season; Jones has 14 dingers and 45 RBI … catcher Alex Milazzo hit .500 (3-for-6) in the series with three RBI and four runs scored … he also walked twice, posted a .625 on-base percentage and delivered a sacrifice bunt to drive in a run … Milazzo’s two-out RBI single in the seventh inning on Sunday broke a 9-9 tie and lifted the Tigers to a 13-11 win over Alabama.

PREVIEW: No. 1 LSU Tigers (35-8) at Southeastern Louisiana Lions (19-21)

DATE/TIME
• Tuesday, May 2 @ 6:30 p.m. CT (ESPN +)
STADIUM
• Alumni Field in Hammond, La. (2,500)
RANKINGS
• LSU – No. 1 in all polls; No. 3 in NCAA RPI
• SLU – unranked
RADIO
• LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates, including 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge
• Live audio at www.LSUsports.net/live; Live stats at www.LSUstats.com
ONLINE
• The game will be streamed on ESPN +

LSU SERIES RECORD VS. SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA
• LSU leads Southeastern Louisiana, 74-18, in a series that began in 1937, and the Tigers have won 28 of the last 30 meetings between the schools. The Tigers posted a 17-3 win over the Lions last season (May 10) in Baton Rouge. LSU has a 47-4 mark against Southeastern Louisiana since 1990.

QUOTING LSU COACH JAY JOHNSON
“Southeastern is always one of the best base running teams in the country. They have a good system, and they steal a million bases. They have some veteran players, and I’ve never been there, but their stadium looks like a cool venue to play in. We’re just going to focus on improving as a team, competing every day. I’m really proud of our players, and we’re very grateful for the support of our fans and the energy they bring to the ball park.”

ABOUT THE TIGERS
• LSU won three of its four games last week, including an SEC series sweep over Alabama … LSU’s 35-8 record is its best through 43 games since 2015, when the Tigers were 37-6 … LSU’s 15-5 SEC record this season is the Tigers’ best conference mark through 20 games since the 2013 club was 16-4 in league play.

• The Tigers have won seven straight SEC games and have posted consecutive weekend sweeps over Ole Miss and Alabama … LSU’s seven-game SEC win streak is its longest in a single season since 2017, when the Tigers won eight straight league games from May 6-May 20 … LSU on Sunday completed back-to-back SEC sweeps for the first time since the 2017 Tigers posted consecutive sweeps over Auburn and Mississippi State to close the regular season.

• Junior centerfielder Dylan Crews led LSU to three wins in four games last week, including a three-game sweep over Alabama … Crews batted .429 (6-for-14) in four games with two homers, eight RBI, five runs, five walks and a .600 on-base percentage … he hit .545 (6-for-11) in the Alabama series with two homers, eight RBI and five runs scored … Crews blasted a three-run homer in the third inning of Friday’s game, increasing a 1-0 LSU lead to 4-0 in an eventual 8-6 victory … he was on base four times in five plate appearances on Sunday with two walks and two hits, including a solo homer, and he collected three RBI in the Tigers’ 13-11 win … Crews increased his reached base streak to 47 straight games, which includes all 43 games this season and the final four games of last season.

• Junior right-hander Paul Skenes defeated Alabama on Friday night, limiting the Crimson Tide to one run on five hits in 6.0 innings with no walks and nine strikeouts … Skenes increased his nation’s-leading strikeout total to 124 this season, and he lowered his SEC-best ERA to 1.93 … Skenes also leads the SEC in innings pitched (65.1) and in opponent batting average (.159).

• LSU catcher Hayden Travinski launched the go-ahead three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning Saturday night, erasing a 7-5 deficit and lifting the Tigers to a 12-8 win over Alabama … Travinski provided a game-winning home run for the second straight weekend, as he provided a three-run blast in the ninth inning of LSU’s 7-6 win on April 23 at Ole Miss.

• Making just his third appearance of the season after recovering from Tommy John surgery a year ago, sophomore left-hander Javen Coleman posted a relief win over Alabama on Saturday … he entered the game in the fourth inning and subdued Alabama’s bats to allow LSU to execute a rally from an early deficit … Coleman worked 2.1 scoreless innings against the Crimson Tide with no hits, three walks and six strikeouts … Saturday’s win was Coleman’s first since February 19, 2022, when he earned a relief victory over Maine.

• Third baseman Tommy White and first baseman Jared Jones each homered twice and collected five RBI in the Alabama series … White has 15 homers and 71 RBI this season; Jones has 14 dingers and 45 RBI … catcher Alex Milazzo hit .500 (3-for-6) in the series with three RBI and four runs scored … he also walked twice, posted a .625 on-base percentage and delivered a sacrifice bunt to drive in a run … Milazzo’s two-out RBI single in the seventh inning on Sunday broke a 9-9 tie and lifted the Tigers to a 13-11 win over Alabama.

ABOUT THE LIONS
• Southeastern Louisiana is 4-11 in Southland Conference games, and the Lions were swept last weekend in a three-game league series versus Lamar in Hammond … SLU is hitting .248 as a team with 24 home runs and 89 steals in 106 attempts, and the Lions’ pitching staff has a 5.23 ERA with 280 strikeouts in 346.0 innings.
• Outfielder/infielder Tyler Finke is hitting .331 for the Lions with 12 doubles, two triples, three homers and 29 RBI … infielder Shea Thomas has a team-high 37 RBI with seven doubles, one triple and three homers … infielder TJ Salvaggio leads SLU in homers with six, and he has three doubles, one triple and 24 RBI.