LSU Baseball Travels To No. 5 Arkansas For Series Starting On Thursday

No. 12 LSU (23-9, 7-5 SEC) at No. 5 Arkansas (25-7, 8-4 SEC)

DATE/TIME
• Thursday, April 14 @ 6:30 p.m. CT
• Friday, April 15 @ 6 p.m. CT
• Saturday, April 16 @ 2 p.m.

STADIUM
Baum-Walker Stadium, George Cole Field

RANKINGS
·LSU – No. 12 USA Today; No. 15 D1 Baseball; No. 17 Collegiate Baseball
·ARK – No. 5 USA Today; No. 6 D1 Baseball; No. 6 Collegiate Baseball

RADIO
·LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates
·Live audio at www.LSUsports.net/live; Live stats at www.LSUstats.com

TV/ONLINE
• All three games may be viewed live on SEC Network +
• Friday's game will be televised on the SEC Network

LSU SERIES RECORD VS. ARKANSAS
• LSU leads the all-time series with Arkansas, 75-36, and the Tigers have won 13 of the past 16 and seven of the past nine SEC regular-season series versus the Razorbacks … Arkansas, however, has won the last two series meetings, taking two of three games from the Tigers in 2019 at Fayetteville and in 2021 at Baton Rouge . … the Tigers are 39-18 against Arkansas over the past 17 seasons, including two wins over the Razorbacks in the 2009 College World Series.

PITCHING MATCHUPS
Game 1
LSU – Sr. RH Ma’Khail Hilliard (3-0, 4.11 ERA, 35.0 IP, 5 BB, 33 SO)
ARK – Sr. RH Connor Noland (5-1, 2.61 ERA, 48.1 IP, 10 BB, 60 SO)

Game 2
LSU – So. RH Blake Money (2-2, 4.68 ERA, 42.1 IP, 14 BB, 46 SO)
ARK – Fr. LH Hagen Smith (5-2, 4.54 ERA, 41.2, 20 BB, 45 SO)

Game 3
LSU – TBA
ARK – So. RH Jaxon Wiggins (4-0, 4.81 ERA, 43.0 IP, 22 BB, 47 SO)

QUOTING COACH JAY JOHNSON
“Our team has been competitive in every game this season, and I would stand behind them in terms of their confidence. Playing complimentary baseball is so important to the success of our team. There are still so many games left on the schedule - it’s about throwing strikes, about playing catch, about quality at-bats. Hopefully, by playing well we produce positive results and positive feelings are generated. I’m very proud of the team for the way it performed at Mississippi State; we prepared well, and it led to success over the weekend.”

ABOUT THE TIGERS
·LSU recorded a three-game SEC sweep at Mississippi State over the weekend … the sweep was LSU’s first in the SEC since March 2019 versus Kentucky and the Tigers’ first league sweep on the road since May 2017 at Mississippi State … the sweep also marked LSU’s ninth straight series win in Starkville; the Tigers last lost a series in Starkville in 2003.

·The Tigers’ scheduled game versus Lamar Tuesday night was postponed due to rain … LSU begins Week 5 of SEC play at 6:30 p.m. CT Thursday versus Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark. … LSU, which is 7-5 in the SEC, is in a three-way tie for second place in the Western Division, one game behind first-place Arkansas (8-4).

·True freshman rightfielder Josh Pearson was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week as he led LSU to a series sweep at Mississippi State over the weekend, batting .455 (5-for-11) in three games with two homers, six RBI and two runs scored … Pearson hit two homers and collected five RBI in Sunday’s 13-3 victory, which gave LSU its first SEC road sweep since May 2017, also at Mississippi State … his three-run homer in the fifth inning highlighted a five-run outburst that broke a 1-1 tie and propelled LSU to the victory.

·LSU’s batters have been hit by a pitch 74 times at the halfway mark through 32 games of the regular season … the Tigers lead the nation in batters hit-by-pitches, and the next-closest SEC teams in that category are Auburn and Kentucky with 48 HBPs … LSU is near the top of the SEC in several offensive categories, including batting average (No. 2 - .303); slugging percentage (No. 2 - .536); on-base percentage (No. 2 - .421); runs scored (No. 2 – 286); base hits (No. 2 – 335); RBI (No. 2 – 267); doubles (No. 2 – 72); home runs (No. 4 – 57) and total bases (No. 2 – 592).

·Right-hander Paul Gervase posted a save in each of the first two games of LSU’s sweep at Mississippi State, helping the Tigers clinch their ninth straight series win in Starkville … Gervase worked a perfect 2.2 innings in two appearances over the weekend with two saves and six strikeouts … he worked the final inning of LSU’s 5-2 win on Friday night and retired the side in order while recording two strikeouts … Gervase pitched the final 1.2 innings of Saturday’s game, preserving a 4-3 LSU victory.

·The LSU pitching staff is No. 3 in the SEC in ERA (3.43); No. 3 in opponent batting average (.221); and No. 3 in fewest earned runs allowed (109).

ABOUT THE RAZORBACKS
·Arkansas is No. 10 in the SEC in team batting average, as the Razorbacks are hitting .285 with 49 homers and 33 steals in 35 attempts … Arkansas is No. 4 in the SEC in team ERA (3.59), and its staff is averaging over 11 strikeouts per nine innings.

·Game 1 starting pitcher Connor Noland is No. 6 in the SEC with a 2.61 ERA, and he is fourth in the league in strikeouts with 60 … Game 3 starting pitcher Jaxon Wiggins is No. 9 in the SEC in opponent batting average (.205).

·Cayden Wallace has a team-high 32 RBI, and he is batting .315 with eight doubles, one triple and five homers … Brady Slavens also has 32 RBI, and he is hitting .276 with seven doubles, three triples and six homers … Braydon Webb leads Arkansas in homers with nine.