How to Watch: LSU Baseball vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs in Friday's Game 1 Matchup

Jay Johnson and the defending National Champion LSU Tigers will hit the road to Starkville this weekend for an SEC clash against a red-hot Mississippi State Bulldogs squad.

After suffering back-to-back sweeps, Johnson and Co. enter a mutst-win three-game series in the Magnolia State with the Bulldogs up next on the docket.

“Mississippi State is loaded with talent, and their stadium is one of my favorite environments to play in. It will be a good battle; we’re all in the thick of this race, and everybody is competing for something in SEC play," Johnson said.

"We’re going to have to go in there and fight. It’s an opportunity, and we’re looking forward to this weekend.”

The Preview: LSU Tigers (24-18, 6-12) at Mississippi State Bulldogs (31-10, 10-8)

DATES/TIMES (TV/ONLINE)
• Friday, April 24 at 6 p.m. CT (SEC Network +)
STADIUM
• Dudy Noble Field in Starkville, Miss. (15,000)
RADIO
• LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates
• Live audio at www.LSUsports.net/live; Live stats at www.LSUstats.com
RANKINGS
MSU – No. 11 (USA Today); No. 13 (Baseball America); No. 15 (D1 Baseball)

LSU Tigers Baseball: Derek Curiel — Courtesy of LSU Tigers Baseball.

PITCHING MATCHUPS
Game 1
LSU – So. RH Casan Evans (2-2, 5.47 ERA, 52.2 IP, 26 BB, 76 SO)
MSU – So. LH Tomas Valincius (7-1, 1.81 ERA, 59.2 IP, 13 BB, 83 SO)

By The Numbers: Via LSU Tigers Baseball

• Sophomore centerfielder Derek Curiel leads LSU in batting average at .349, and he has produced eight doubles, two triples, five homers, 39 RBI and 44 runs scored … Curiel is No. 3 in the SEC in base hits (58), No. 5 in the league in triples (2) and No. 9 in runs scored (44).

• The LSU bullpen recorded a 3.21 ERA in 14.0 innings versus Texas A&M last weekend, holding the Aggies to five runs on 11 hits with eight walks and 25 strikeouts … the LSU relievers limited Texas A&M to a .204 cumulative batting average in their outings.

• Freshman right-hander Marcos Paz delivered an impressive relief effort on Saturday versus Texas A&M, firing 2.0 shutout innings while allowing just one hit with one walk and three strikeouts … sophomore left-hander Danny Lachenmayer made two appearances in the Texas A&M series, firing 1.1 scoreless innings with one hit, no walks and three strikeouts … Lachenmayer on Tuesday night versus New Orleans recorded a season-high five strikeouts in 1.2 innings with no runs, no hits and one walk.

More LSU News:

LSU Football True Freshman Defensive Weapon Drawing Immediate Praise From Lane Kiffin

Jay Johnson, LSU Baseball Suffers Brutal Loss in Jake Brown's Season-Ending Injury

LSU Football Beats Out Ohio State Buckeyes, Texas A&M Aggies for No. 5 ATH in America

Join the Community:

Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and LSU Tigers On SI: @LSUTigersSI for all coverage surrounding the LSU Tigers.

Add us as a preferred source on Google