The consensus No. 1 Arkansas Razorbacks (20-3, 5-1 SEC) are set to host the No. 8 LSU Tigers (20-6, 2-4 SEC) within the friendly confines of Baum-Walker Stadium for another Thursday-Saturday series.
After taking 2 of 3 games from Auburn last weekend and picking up a run-rule shutout in the midweek, the Razorbacks will continue their 10-game homestand as Jay Johnson’s squad rolls into town. The Tigers will be looking to improve upon their underwhelming SEC record after a home series loss to No. 6 Florida.
The series opener is set for 6 p.m. (CT) on ESPN2 on Thursday, and Game 2 will take place at 7 p.m. (CT) on SEC Network on Friday night. Saturday’s series finale is set for 2 p.m. (CT) and will be streamed on SEC Network+.
Pitching Matchups
Thursday:
(ARK) LHP Hagen Smith: 4-0, 1.24 ERA, 62 K/ 10 BB, 29.0 IP vs (LSU) TBD
Friday:
(ARK) LHP Mason Molina: 3-0, 2.57 ERA, 47 K/ 15 BB, 28.0 IP vs (LSU) RHP Luke Holman: 5-1, 0.76 ERA, 52 K/ 8 BB, 34.2 IP
Saturday:
(ARK) RHP Brady Tygart: 3-0, 1.59 ERA, 39 K/ 16 BB, 28.1 IP vs (LSU) LHP Gage Jump: 2-0, 2.38 ERA, 32 K/ 9 BB, 22.2 IP
Game 1 will feature Arkansas ace Hagen Smith. LSU has not yet declared their Game 1 starter, but potential candidates include Kade Anderson and Javen Coleman. Anderson has really impressive numbers, boasting an ERA of 2.21 and a record of 2-0. Coleman is also 2-0, with an ERA of 4.60.
Expect to see Anderson, who has been really good as of late.
Dave Van Horn threw a curveball at Razorback fans on Wednesday, announcing that Brady Tygart will be moving back to the third starter spot. Mason Molina will take over his duties as the Game 2 starter. Molina will match up against Luke Holman, the usual Friday ace for LSU.
Holman transferred into Baton Rouge from Alabama this season and is 5-1 on the year with an ERA of 0.78. He has been nothing short of dominant this season.
Tygart will make his first Game 3 start of the season for Arkansas after struggling with command in his last few starts. LSU’s Saturday starter is going to be left-handed pitcher Gage Jump, who did not pitch last season after transferring from UCLA.
The numbers on him are impressive – an ERA of 2.38 and a WHIP below 1.0. Jump is also undersized and seems like just the kind of unusual lefty that the Hogs would struggle with.
Endless LSU Pitching Options
The LSU staff as a whole leads the SEC in strikeouts with 312. The bullpen is elite. The Tigers won’t run out a single arm this weekend that isn’t capable of shutting the Razorbacks down for several innings.
Key names to know out of the pen are Thatcher Hurd, Nate Auckenhausen and Griffin Herring. Those three have combined for 78 Ks this season, and each has plenty of experience on the year. The LSU bullpen is filled with capable late-game options as eight arms have recorded at least one save.
Unfulfilled Expectations for Tiger Offense
The LSU lineup certainly doesn’t lack talent, with names like Tommy White, Hayden Travinski and Jared Jones jumping off the page. But like the Razorback offense, consistency has been a bit of an issue for the Tigers.
LSU has struggled at times this year to put up big numbers, especially against inferior opponents. LSU fans do and should expect more from this offense, which has the potential to be really explosive as Jay Johnson looks to get more production from the bottom of his lineup.
The obvious name to look for is White, the former freshman sensation at NC State who is now in his second season on the bayou and holds an average of .321 with seven long balls and 23 runs driven in. Last season, White led the NCAA with 105 RBI and finished third nationally in total bases (198).
The two other big names for LSU are Travinski and Jones. Travinski has taken a big leap offensively this year for the Tigers and leads them in batting average (.333) and OBP (.482). Jones is hitting .289 with 10 home runs, and he slugs an impressive .759.
His forte is pulverizing baseballs as he is one of the best true-power bats in the country.
Three Keys to the Series
- Aggressiveness: It’s time to see some real tenacity from this Arkansas lineup. If the bats can get aggressive early in counts and the Razorbacks bet on themselves, they can give this elite rotation enough insurance to feel comfortable. The LSU staff is very talented and trails only Arkansas in the SEC when it comes to strikeouts per nine innings (12.2). The Hogs cannot let themselves fall victim to the strikeout.
- Handle the lefties: LSU’s bullpen is chock-full of lefty arms that could easily give the offense some issues. The Razorback lineup, which features several lefties in the heart of the order, needs to be ready for them.
- Clarity on the position battles: Left field, catcher, third base, center field; none of those positions are set in stone, and Arkansas needs guys to step up at each spot and prove to be the dude at their respective positions.
Prediction
I expect the Razorbacks to exit this weekend with yet another series win and improve to 7-2 in SEC play.
Do not anticipate to see a single loss prediction in any game Hagen Smith throws in this year. Arkansas should take Game 1.
Game 2 is when Arkansas will face the ace Holman. I think the Hogs can get Holman out early and rely on their bullpen to finish off LSU for a series win.
On Saturday, LSU could pounce with Jump on the mound. The Razorbacks could struggle with the lefty and drop the final game of the series.
A series win is the expectation, but a sweep feels very doable this weekend.