Alex Milazzo suffered fractured shin, won't need surgery, per report

LSU catcher Alex Milazzo suffered a fractured shin while touching home base in the fourth inning of Game 3 of the College World Series final, his father, Jimmy, tells Jacques Doucet.

It will not require surgery, per the report, but he was shown on the broadcast in a protective boot watching from the dugout.

The injury occurred after designated hitter Cade Beloso singled to right center, which brought Milazzo home. After being forced to jump onto home plate to avoid a potential tag out mid-run, Milazzo immediately fell to the ground while clutching his lower left leg.

Alex Milazzo scores from First but he is down in discomfort. Hope it’s nothing serious. pic.twitter.com/T3Vpv1ueja

— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthewCFB) June 27, 2023

Still, the RBI single extended the Tigers’ lead to eight runs as they inch closer to winning their first national championship since 2009. Tune in live to ESPN to catch the final few innings.

Jay Johnson reveals Paul Skenes likely to come out of bullpen in CWS game 3

LSU head baseball coach Jay Johnson provided clarity about ace pitcher Paul Skenes availability for Tuesday’s winner-take-all Game 3 of the Men’s College World Series.

“He’ll probably be in this game at some point,” Johnson told ESPN sideline reporter Kris Budden during his mid-game interview.

Skenes is the best pitcher in the country but he pitched Thursday, which means he entered Monday on just three days of rest. That would be the least amount of rest he would have pitched on all season.

The potential No. 1 pick in the draft threw eight shutout innings Thursday against Wake Forest in a game that has already been called one of the best games in Men’s College World Series history. The Tigers won 2-0 in extra innings to advance to the Men’s College World Series finals.

Skenes is 12-2 on the season with a 1.69 ERA in 19 starts. He has an SEC record of 209 strikeouts on the year in 122.2 innings. He has not pitched out of the bullpen since his freshman year at Air Force when he pitched in 18 games out of the bullpen and notched 11 saves.

After the Tigers got trounced Sunday, Johnson explained the difference between Game 2 and Game 3 so far.

“The quality of the at-bats,” Johnson said. “Did a nice job with Caglianone and made a good adjustment to Fisher. Now we’re gonna have to do that to Slater and really like what I’m seeing out of Thatcher so far.”

On3’s Peter Warren contributed to this report.