How to Watch: No. 2 LSU vs Northern Illinois in Non-Conference Battle
No. 2 LSU Tigers (4-0)
Northern Illinois Huskies (1-3)
Stony Brook Seawolves (1-3)
DATES/TIMES
• Thursday, February 22 – Northern Illinois at LSU @ 2 p.m. CT (Northern Illinois vs. Northwestern State @ 6 p.m. CT)
• Friday, February 23 – Stony Brook at LSU @ 2 p.m. CT (Stony Brook vs. Northwestern State at 10 a.m.;
Northwestern State vs. Northern Illinois at 6 p.m.)
• Saturday, February 24 – Northern Illinois at LSU @ 1 p.m. CT (Northwestern State vs. Stony Brook @ 6 p.m. CT)
• Sunday, February 25 – Stony Brook at LSU @ 1 p.m. CT
STADIUM
• Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field (10,326)
RANKINGS
• LSU – No. 2 Baseball America; No. 2 USA Today; No. 3 D1 Baseball
• Northern Illinois and Stony Brook are unranked
RADIO
• LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates
• Live audio at www.LSUsports.net/live; Live stats at www.LSUstats.com
ONLINE
• All three games will be streamed live on SEC Network +
LSU SERIES RECORDS VS. NORTHERN ILLINOIS AND STONY BROOK
• Thursday’s game marks the 18th meeting between LSU and Northern Illinois, but it’s the first meeting between the schools since 1970 … the Tigers played the Huskies 17 times from 1939-70, and LSU holds a 12-5 advantage in the all-time series … LSU has a 24-7 mark all-time against schools in the Mid-American Conference – the Tigers are 12-5 vs. Northern Illinois; 0-1 vs. Kent State; 2-1 vs. Ball State; 2-0 vs. Central Michigan; 3-0 vs. Western Michigan; 3-0 vs. Ohio and 2-0 vs. Toledo.
• LSU has a 2-2 mark all-time against Stony Brook, and Friday’s game will mark the first regular-season meeting between the schools … Stony Brook won two of three games over the Tigers in the 2012 NCAA Super Regional, and LSU defeated the Seawolves in the opening round of the 2019 NCAA Regional … all four of the previous meetings were played in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field … Stony Brook is a member of the Coastal Athletic Association, and LSU has a 13-2 all-time mark versus CAA schools – the Tigers are 2-2 vs. Stony Brook; 1-0 vs. Northeastern; 3-0 vs. UNC Wilmington; 1-0 vs. Charleston; 3-0 vs. William & Mary; 1-0 vs. Hofstra and 2-0 vs. Towson.
LSU PITCHING ROTATION
Game 1 vs. Northern Illinois – So. LH Gage Jump (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.0 IP, 0 BB, 2 SO)
Game 2 vs. Stony Brook – Jr. RH Thatcher Hurd (0-0, 13.50 ERA, 2.2 IP, 1 BB, 4 SO)
Game 3 vs. Northern Illinois – Jr. RH Luke Holman (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5.1 IP, 1 BB, 10 SO)
Game 4 vs. Stony Brook – TBD
QUOTING COACH JAY JOHNSON
“I think we managed playing four games in four days last week better than I would have anticipated, and that’s a challenge at this time of year. I think on the position player side, our depth helps to give players some time off during a four-game stretch. I like our pitching depth, obviously, and it’s a strength of our team. The fact that we have that depth keeps us from having to over-use anybody and give guys the proper rest. I feel like we’re well-positioned for the four-game week ahead.”
ABOUT THE TIGERS
• LSU began he 2024 season with four straight wins last week, defeating VMI twice and Central Arkansas twice … the Tigers’ 11-8 win over VMI on Friday marked LSU’s 23rd straight victory in a season opener.
• Graduate catcher/designated hitter Hayden Travinski was named SEC Co-Player of the Week on Monday … he led LSU offensively in Week 1, batting .571 (8-for-14) with one homer, five RBI and nine runs scored … Travinski also walked three times and was hit by a pitch on two occasions, as he recorded a .684 on-base percentage … he was 3-for-5 in Sunday’s win over VMI with two RBI and three runs scored … his solo homer in the bottom of the eighth inning on Friday with LSU holding a 10-8 lead provided an insurance run in the Tigers’ 11-8 victory over VMI.
• Junior right-hander Luke Holman enjoyed a spectacular LSU debut on Saturday in a win over Central Arkansas … Holman, a transfer from Alabama, worked 5.1 shutout innings and limited the Bears to three hits with one walk and 10 strikeouts … Holman fired 87 pitches in the outing, 55 for strikes … he retired nine straight Central Arkansas batters in his first three innings of work, and he allowed just one runner to advance beyond second base over the course of his outing.
• Freshman second baseman Steven Milam excelled in his collegiate debut, batting .545 (6-for-11) in three games with one double, four RBI, five runs, one steal, two walks, one hit-by-pitch and a .643 on-base percentage … Milam delivered the game-winning hit in LSU’s 2-0 victory Saturday over Central Arkansas, lining an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth inning to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead … in Sunday’s win over VMI, Milam batted in the lead-off position and was 4-for-6 at the plate with one double, three RBI and four runs.
• Coach Jay Johnson, the 2023 National Coach of the Year, is in his third season at the helm of the LSU program … Johnson, who directed LSU to the 2023 NCAA National Championship, is in his 12th season as a collegiate head coach, including one season (2005) at Point Loma Nazarene, two seasons (2014-15) at Nevada, six seasons (2016-21) at Arizona and three seasons (2022-24) at LSU … he directed Arizona to College World Series appearances in 2016 and in 2021, and to the 2021 Pac-12 title … he enters Thursday’s game with a 414-211 (.662) overall record, including a 97-39 (.713) mark at LSU.
ABOUT THE HUSKIES
• Northern Illinois opened the 2024 season by dropping three of four games at Abilene Christian … NIU was 10-43 last season, 5-24 in the Mid-American Conference … the Huskies are led this season by first-year head coach Ryan Copeland, who was hired by NIU in June after four seasons as the head coach at Illinois-Springfield.
• The Huskies hit .234 in their first four games of the season versus Abilene Christian with seven doubles and five homers … catcher Colin Summerhill batted .313 in the series with one double, two homers, five RBI and three runs scored.
ABOUT THE SEAWOLVES
• Stony Brook began its season by dropping three of four neutral-site games to Purdue in Sugar Land, Texas … Stony Brook was 23-29 last season, 14-16 in the Coastal Athletic Association.
• The Seawolves batted .219 in their four games versus Purdue with seven doubles, two triples and one home run … infielder Matt Brown-Eiring hit .438 in the series with two doubles and nine RBI.