No. 3 LSU meets No. 9 Auburn in SEC series at Plainsman Park
LSU looks to continue its winning streak, coming into another SEC series againsgt a top ten team. After sweeping Oklahoma and Mississippi State the last two series, Jay Johnson looks to keep his team rolling. Here’s everything to know about the series that begins Friday night.
No. 3 LSU Tigers (31-3, 10-2 SEC) at No. 9 Auburn Tigers (23-10, 6-6 SEC)
DATES/TIMES
- Friday, April 11 @ 6 p.m. CT
- Saturday, April 12 @ 6 p.m. CT
- Sunday, April 13 @ 2 p.m. CT
STADIUM
- Plainsman Park in Auburn, Ala. ( )
RANKINGS
- LSU – No. 3 Baseball America; No. 3 USA Today; No. 3 D1 Baseball
- Auburn – No. 9 Baseball America, No. 11 D1 Baseball, No. 12 USA Today
RADIO
· LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates
· Live audio at www.LSUsports.net/live; Live stats at www.LSUstats.com
ONLINE
- The games will be streamed live on SEC Network +
LSU SERIES RECORD VS. AUBURN
• LSU has a 112-81 advantage over Auburn in a series that began in 1907 … LSU posted a 2-1 series victory over Auburn last season (April 26-28) in Alex Box Stadium; Auburn won two of three games in LSU’s last visit to Plainsman Park in May 2023 … the teams have split the last six series meetings, with each club winning three series in that span … LSU has won 24 of its last 35 games versus Auburn, and LSU has won eight of the last 11 and 16 of the last 25 SEC regular-season series between the clubs, dating back to 1999.
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Game 1
LSU – So. LH Kade Anderson (6-0, 2.85, 47.1 IP, 12 BB, 75 SO)
AU – Sr. RH Samuel Dutton (4-2, 2.66 ERA, 44.0 IP, 10 BB, 51 SO)
Game 2
LSU – Jr. RH Anthony Eyanson (5-0, 3.38 ERA, 42.2, 15 BB, 66 SO)
AU – Jr. LH Cade Fisher (0-0, 4.43 ERA, 20.1 IP, 17 BB, 25 SO)
Game 3
LSU – So. RH Chase Shores (5-1, 4.66 ERA, 36.2 IP, 18 BB, 39 SO)
AU – TBA
QUOTING JAY JOHNSON
“Auburn is an Omaha-caliber team. They have a very strong freshman class along with several older middle-of-the-order hitters. They’re really good on the mound, and they use their bullpen really well. I know they’re ‘all in’ with their baseball program at Auburn, and it is a very impressive program. I’ve had great appreciation for the way our team has prepared to play every game, and our players have produced great results. The game of baseball is not designed to be played perfectly, so the commitment to doing what it takes to be ready to play every game is important.”
ABOUT THE TIGERS
- LSU’s 31-3 overall record is its best through 34 games since the 2013 season, when the Tigers posted a 32-2 mark through 34 games … LSU’s 10-2 SEC record this season is its best conference mark through 12 games since the 2013 team logged an 11-1 league record … LSU enters Friday’s game at Auburn riding a nine-game win streak.
- LSU’s win on Saturday at Oklahoma completed a three-game sweep over the Sooners, marking the first time the Tigers swept a Top 10 team in an SEC road series since March 28-30, 1997, when No. 1 LSU swept No. 7 Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn. … LSU scored 12 of its 15 runs in the Oklahoma series with two outs.
- The Tigers did not allow an earned run in last weekend’s three-game series at Oklahoma … in 27.0 innings, the LSU pitching staff limited the Sooners to four unearned runs on 15 hits with 12 walks, 35 strikeouts and a .156 batting average … since 1992, there have been only two previous occasions when LSU did not allow an earned run in a three-game stretch … both previous streaks occurred in 2013: March 26-30, 2013, in one game at Tulane and two games at Missouri; and June 1-7, 2013, vs. Sam Houston and UL Lafayette in the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional, and vs. Oklahoma in the NCAA Baton Rouge Super Regional.
- LSU utilized just five pitchers in last weekend’s sweep at Oklahoma, marking the first time the Tigers had only five pitching appearances in an SEC weekend series since April 22-24, 2005, in a three-game sweep of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark.
- Sophomore left-hander Kade Anderson fired a complete-game shutout last Thursday night in LSU’s 2-0 win over No. 9 Oklahoma … Anderson, whose longest career outing prior to Thursday night was 6.1 innings, limited Oklahoma to five hits in 9.0 innings while recording two walks and a career-best 14 strikeouts … he threw 135 pitches, 91 for strikes, and he retired 12 Oklahoma batters in a row to complete the outing … Anderson’s effort was the first complete-game shutout recorded by an LSU pitcher since April 24, 2018, when AJ Labas blanked Lamar in Baton Rouge … Anderson’s outing was the first nine-inning complete game recorded by an LSU pitcher since June 2, 2023, when Paul Skenes worked 9.0 innings and allowed two runs to defeat Tulane in the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional … Anderson leads the SEC this season in wins (6) and innings pitched (47.1), and he is No. 2 in the league in strikeouts (75), No. 8 in ERA (2.85) and No. 10 in opponent batting average (.211).
- LSU first baseman Jared Jones is No. 8 in the nation in RBI with 48 this season … Jones is No. 2 in the SEC in hits (53), No. 3 in total bases (96), No. 4 in RBI (48), No. 5 in batting average (.387), No. 6 in home runs (11), No. 8 in runs scored (41), and No. 10 in slugging percentage (.701).
- Leftfielder Derek Curiel is No. 3 in the SEC in walks (33), No. 3 in doubles (12), No. 3 in on-base percentage (.522), No. 6 in runs (42), No. 8 in batting average (.374) and No. 9 in hits (46)… Curiel has reached base safely in all 34 of LSU’s games, the only Tiger to accomplish the feat this season … Curiel has established the LSU freshman record for on-base streak, surpassing the mark of 32 games set by second baseman Mike Fontenot in 2000.
- LSU junior right-hander Anthony Eyanson is No. 3 in the SEC in wins (5), and he is No. 5 in the league in strikeouts (66)… second baseman Daniel Dickinson is No. 4 in the SEC in on-base percentage (.510) and No. 9 in the league in runs scored (40).
- Junior centerfielder Chris Stanfield helped lead LSU to a three-game sweep last weekend at No. 9 Oklahoma, hitting .500 (5-for-10) with three doubles, five RBI, two runs and a .545 on-base percentage … in the Game 2 win over the Sooners, Stanfield was 4-for-5 with two doubles, four RBI and one run scored; his two-run double in the second inning gave LSU a 2-0 lead and proved to be the game-winning hit … in the Game 1 win, he provided a crucial RBI double in the fifth inning to extend LSU’s lead to 2-0, which would be the eventual final score … he was 1-for-3 with two walks and two RBI at Nicholls on Tuesday night, and he is hitting .462 (6-for-13) in his last four games with three doubles, seven RBI and two runs.
- Freshman right-hander Casan Evans earned his sixth save of the season last Friday at No. 9 Oklahoma, blanking the Sooners on just two hits over 3.1 innings while recording no walks and five strikeouts … Evans entered the game in the sixth inning with LSU holding a 5-2 lead and preserved the win with the scoreless outing … he retired nine of the final 10 hitters he faced, and the only OU baserunner in that stretch reached on an error … Evans is 1-0 this season with a 0.77 ERA and six saves in 10 appearances, and he has recorded eight walks and 39 strikeouts in 23.1 innings … his total of six saves this season ranks No. 4 in the SEC.
ABOUT AUBURN
- Auburn is 23-10 overall, 6-6 in the SEC … Auburn won two of three games last weekend versus Alabama at Plainsman Park, and it defeated Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Tuesday.
- Auburn is No. 5 in the SEC in team batting average (.304), and AU has collected 66 doubles, three triples, 46 homers and 43 steals in 52 attempts … the Auburn pitching staff is No. 12 in the SEC with a 4.72 ERA and it has recorded 317 strikeouts in 287.2 innings
- Catcher/OF Ike Irish is batting .356 with six doubles, one triple, seven homers and 26 RBI … catcher/INF Chase Fralick is batting .345 with eight doubles, three homers and 27 RBI, and infielder Cooper McMurray is hitting .344 with eight doubles, eight homers and 31 RBI … Auburn’s Game 1 starting pitcher, right-hander Samuel Dutton, pitched at LSU for three seasons (2022-24) before transferring to Auburn last summer
