Preview: LSU Looks To Stay Hot Against Tulane In Midweek Matchup

Tulane Green Wave (23-26) at LSU Tigers (28-21)

DATE/TIME (ONLINE)
Tuesday, May 5 @ 6:30 p.m. CT (SEC Network +)

STADIUM
Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field in Baton Rouge, La. (10,718)

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

LSU SERIES RECORD VS. TULANE

LSU leads Tulane, 176-133-3, in a series that began with the first intercollegiate athletics event in LSU history, a 10-8 victory for the Tiger baseball squad over Tulane in 1893 … Tuesday’s game marks the first meeting between the schools since June 2, 2023, when LSU posted a 7-2 win over Tulane in the opening game of the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional in Alex Box Stadium … the last regular-season meeting between the teams occurred on April 11, 2023, when LSU defeated Tulane, 11-5, in New Orleans … LSU has won three straight games in the series; Tulane’s last victory over the Tigers occurred on April 18, 2018, a 10-9 win in New Orleans.

QUOTING COACH JAY JOHNSON

“I think our team identity has been very aggressive in nature, very focused and fundamentally sound. All of the things that we’re about, we struggled with a little bit early in the season. I think a lot of guys have turned a positive page and are playing really good ball right now.”

ABOUT THE TIGERS

-Senior right-hander Zac Cowan pitched a combined 10.0 shutout innings over two victories last week, as he earned a relief win over Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday and a win over South Carolina as a starter on Sunday ... Cowan threw a total of 155 pitches over 10.0 innings in the two victories, allowing no runs on four hits with two walks and 14 strikeouts ... he defeated Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday, working 4.0 scoreless innings with two hits, one walk and seven strikeouts over 72 pitches ... he returned to the mound on Sunday versus South Carolina as the Tigers' starting pitcher, and he blanked the Gamecocks through 6.0 innings with two hits, one walk and seven strikeouts over 83 pitches ... 105 of Cowan's 155 pitches (67 percent) during the week were strikes.

-Sophomore catcher Cade Arrambide helped lead LSU to an SEC sweep of South Carolina last weekend, batting a team-high .538 (7-for-13) in the series with one homer, four RBI, three runs and a .500 on-base percentage ... he provided a run-scoring single in the bottom of the first inning of Game 1 on Saturday that broke a 1-1 tie and proved to be the game-winning RBI in LSU's eventual 6-1 victory ... Arrambide also collected two hits and an RBI in Tuesday's win over Southeastern Louisiana, as he batted .529 (9-for-17) for the entire four-game week … Arrambide is batting .362 (21-for-58) over LSU’s last 15 games with one double, six homers, 15 RBI and 14 runs.

-Freshman catcher/DH Omar Serna Jr. helped lead LSU to a three-game SEC sweep of South Carolina last weekend, batting .417 (5-for-12) with two doubles, one homer, four RBI, five runs and a .467 on-base percentage ... Serna Jr.'s two-run homer in the bottom of the third inning on Sunday gave LSU a 2-0 lead in a game the Tigers would win 7-0 … Serna Jr. enters Tuesday’s game versus Tulane riding an 11-game hitting streak and a 15-game reached-base safely streak … Serna Jr. is hitting .386 (22-for-57) over LSU’s last 15 games with six doubles, four homers, 14 RBI and 14 runs.

-Junior shortstop Steven Milam has a current reached-base safely streak that has stretched to 26 games, and he is also riding a 15-game hitting streak … he is batting .344 (21-for-61) during the 15-game hitting streak with four doubles, three homers, 13 RBI and eight runs scored … Milam has committed just two errors all season in 178 chances, producing a .989 fielding percentage.

-The LSU pitching staff performed brilliantly last weekend in the Tigers’ three-game sweep of South Carolina, posting a 0.67 ERA while allowing just two earned runs on 15 hits in 27.0 innings … the staff recorded eight walks and 33 strikeouts while limiting South Carolina to a .160 cumulative batting average.

-Sophomore right-hander William Schmidt recorded the longest SEC outing of his career on Saturday in Game 1 versus South Carolina, allowing just one run on five hits in 6.0 innings with one walk and seven strikeouts … freshman right-hander Marcos Paz earned his first career LSU win on Saturday in Game 2 versus South Carolina, limiting the Gamecocks to one run on one hit in 5.0 innings with three walks and eight strikeouts.

ABOUT THE GREEN WAVE

-Tulane is 23-26 overall, 8-13 in the American Conference … the Green Wave were swept in a three-game league series at Charlotte last weekend … Tulane, however, defeated 12th-ranked Southern Miss, 7-6, last Tuesday in its most recent non-conference game.

-Tulane is hitting .252 as a team with 106 doubles, seven triples, 31 home runs and 69 steals in 87 attempts … outfielder Jason Wachs is batting .324 with 19 doubles, one triple, six homers and 43 RBI; INF/OF Matthias Haas is hitting .295 with 10 doubles, two homers and 31 RBI, and infielder Nate Johnson is batting .280 with five doubles, two triples, three homers and 27 RBI.

-The Green Wave pitching staff has a 5.43 cumulative ERA, recording 405 strikeouts in 415.2 innings while allowing 52 home runs and a .268 opponent batting average.

(Release via LSU Athletics)