LSU slugger Gavin Dugas belts a solo shot to give Tigers early 1-0 lead over Tennessee in College World Series

This year’s LSU baseball team is absolutely stacked with offensive talent. It’s a big reason why they were the top-ranked team in America for a good chunk of the 2023 college baseball season. They currently rank second in the country in home runs, and it didn’t take long for the Tigers to launch one deep into the seats at Charles Schwab Field in the 2023 College World Series. In their opening game against Tennessee, Gavin Dugas absolutely lifted one that went 413 feet, into the seats over the left field wall. The solo shot put LSU up 1-0 in the bottom of the second inning.

Check it out below.

Gavin Dugas LAUNCHED that one!#MCWS x 🎥 ESPN / @LSUbaseball pic.twitter.com/G2Efmw5wOH

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 18, 2023

The solo shot gave Dugas his 17th home run of the season, ranking him in a tie for second on the team with slugger Dylan Crews.

Dugas has played a critical role in guiding the Tigers to their first College World Series appearance since 2017. He’s one of eight members of the LSU roster that have blasted double-digit home runs during this year.

LSU took care of business in their first game in the 2023 CWS

LSU defeated Tennessee 6-3 on Saturday night and will move on to face Wake Forest on Monday. The Vols made a late comeback push by scoring three runs in the eighth inning, including a two-run homer from Hunter Ensley. However, it wasn’t enough to overcome a 5-0 deficit as LSU responded with a homer of its own in the bottom of the inning. Tennessee now must stave off elimination on Monday against Stanford.

A big part of the victory on Saturday night was the masterful performance LSU got from their ace, Paul Skenes. He fired 12 strikeouts against the Vols and allowed just two runs in 7.2 innings of work. He’s only a few strikeouts away from shattering Ben McDonald’s SEC record for strikeouts in a single season. Skenes also showed off his unbelievable power. 46 of his pitches were clocked at 100 mph or more.

We’ll see if he gets the opportunity to break that record.

He delivered the goods when his team needed it the most against the Volunteers. Skenes clearly ran out of gas in the eighth inning, but it’s easy to see why many people are calling him the best pitching prospect that has come along in several years.

For a full look at the next few days of the 2023 College World Series–check out the schedule, bracket, and TV times from On3’s Chandler Vessels.

On3’s Chandler Vessels also contributed to this article.