The Preview: LSU Baseball vs. Tennessee Volunteers in Pivotal SEC Series Showdown

Jay Johnson and the LSU Tigers will hit the road to Knoxville this weekend with the Tennessee Volunteers up next on the docket for the defending National Champions.

After capturing an SEC series victory over the Kentucky Wildcats last weekend, Johnson and Co. will look to earn back-to-back wins in conference play with a clash against Tennessee up next.

“We’ve had a lot of history with Tennessee in recent years, playing them in the 2023 College World Series and in the 2024 SEC Tournament championship game, and this is the fourth year in a row we’ve faced them during the regular season," Johnson said.

"Tennessee is a very talented team, well-recruited with a lot of upside and future Major League players. They’ve renovated their stadium, and they have great fan support, so we’re looking forward to it. It’s a challenge our team hasn’t had yet, playing a road series in a very hostile environment. I think their fans will show up, and it should be a great weekend.”

Now, all eyes are on Game 1 with first pitch set for 4:30 p.m. CT on Friday in Knoxville.

LSU Fighting Tigers (20-10, 4-5) at Tennessee Volunteers (19-10, 3-6)

DATES/TIMES
• Friday, April 3 at 4:30 p.m. CT (SEC Network)
• Saturday, April 4 at 5 p.m. CT (ESPN2)
• Sunday, April 5 at 12 p.m. CT (SEC Network +)
STADIUM
• Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. (8,012)
RADIO
• LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates
• Live audio at www.LSUsports.net/live; Live stats at www.LSUstats.com

PITCHING MATCHUPS
Game 1
LSU – So. RH Casan Evans (2-1, 5.00 ERA, 36.0 IP, 19 BB, 53 SO)
UT – So. RH Landon Mack (3-2, 3.89 ERA, 37.0 IP, 16 BB, 48 SO)
Game 2
LSU – So. RH William Schmidt (4-1, 2.55 ERA, 35.1 IP, 11 BB, 49 SO)
UT – So. RH Tegan Kuhns (1-3, 4.08 ERA, 35.1, 6 BB, 46 SO)
Game 3
LSU – Jr. RH Gavin Guidry (3-3, 6.64 ERA, 20.1 IP, 12 BB, 32 SO)
UT – Sr. LH Evan Blanco (2-2, 4.00 ERA, 36.0, 16 BB, 46 SO)

ABOUT THE TIGERS
• Second baseman Seth Dardar was named SEC Co-Player of the Week on Monday after he led LSU to an SEC series victory over No. 19 Kentucky last weekend, batting .600 (6-for-10) with four doubles, one homer, five RBI, four runs, three walks and a .692 on-base percentage … Dardar’s three-run homer in the sixth inning of Sunday’s game versus Kentucky erased a 10-8 deficit and gave LSU a lead it would not relinquish as the Tigers clinched the series win … Dardar also contributed an RBI double in Sunday’s series-deciding victory … Dardar on Friday night versus Kentucky tied the LSU single-game record for doubles with three, and he added one RBI in the contest. He walked three times and scored twice in the Tigers’ Game 2 win over the Wildcats on Saturday.

• Freshman designated hitter/outfielder Mason Braun helped lead LSU to a series victory over No. 19 Kentucky, hitting .429 (3-for-7) in three games with one double, one homer, four RBI, one run, two walks and a .556 on-base percentage .. he blasted a three-run homer and an RBI double in Saturday’s win over Kentucky … Braun ripped the run-scoring double in the second inning on Saturday to increase LSU’s lead to 2-0, and he widened the margin to 5-0 in the fourth with a three-run dinger.

• LSU is hitting .357 (60-for-168) as a team in its last five games with 12 doubles, one triple, 10 homers and 59 runs scored … centerfielder Derek Curiel is hitting .450 (9-for-20) in his last five games with two doubles, two homers, 11 RBI and seven runs; Curiel launched his first career grand slam in Tuesday’s win over Southern … shortstop Steven Milam is hitting .400 (8-for-20) in his last five games with two doubles, two homers, four RBI and seven runs

• Leftfielder Chris Stanfield batted .455 (5-for-11) in the Kentucky series with one double, one RBI, three runs, two walks and a .538 on-base percentage … he was 4-for-5 at the plate in Sunday’s win with one double, one RBI, two runs and one walk as the Tigers’ lead-off hitter … Stanfield is batting .375 (6-for-16) in LSU’s last five games with one double, one RBI, seven runs, five walks and a .545 on-base percentage.

• Right-hander Zac Cowan delivered a dominant relief effort on Saturday in LSU’s 7-0 win over Kentucky … he earned the save by pitching the final 3.2 innings, allowing no runs on one hit with one walk and seven strikeouts … in his three SEC relief appearances this season versus Vanderbilt, Oklahoma and Kentucky, Cowan has worked a combined 8.1 scoreless innings with two hits, one walk, 13 strikeouts and an .074 opponent batting average.

• Right-handers William Schmidt and Zac Cowan combined to blank Kentucky, 7-0, on Saturday, marking LSU’s first shutout in an SEC game since April 3, 2025, when the Tigers posted a 2-0 victory at Oklahoma … Schmidt earned his first career SEC win over Saturday, limiting the Wildcats to six hits in 5.1 scoreless innings with two walks and three strikeouts.

• LSU trailed Kentucky, 7-0, entering the bottom of the third inning on Sunday before rallying for a 17-10 victory over the Wildcats … the comeback win marked LSU’s largest since May 24, 2024, when the Tigers overcame an 8-0 deficit in an SEC Tournament game against South Carolina to record a 12-11 victory.

• LSU trailed Southern, 6-1, entering the bottom of the third inning on Tuesday before roaring back for a 16-6 victory over the Jaguars … the Tigers’ consecutive comeback wins over Kentucky on Sunday and over Southern on Tuesday marked the first time in LSU history it won consecutive games after trailing by five or more runs in each contest.

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