What to Know for LSU Baseball's Critical Series Against Georgia

LSU baseball is against the ropes and only has six games left to improve its resume for a chance to make the NCAA tournament.

LSU needs to win four of those six to even have a chance at making the tournament, and has a three-game series against No. 5 Georgia this weekend, where it cannot afford to be swept.

But the Tigers are playing the best baseball they have all year.

LSU and Georgia's offenses will take centerstage

Cade Arrambide bats in a game against Southeastern Louisiana | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

"The crew of guys that are taking the at-bats right now have a good blueprint of what they need to do to contribute to scoring runs and the team winning," head coach Jay Johnson said. "They're staying committed to that, and they're not coming off of it."

Foley Field in Athens is hitter-friendly. The right field fence is only 314 feet from home plate. Some of LSU's hottest hitters—Mason Braun, Derek Curiel, Seth Dardar, Jack Ruckert, and Tanner Reaves—all bat lefty, with Steven Milam able to hit from either side of the plate as well.

Cade Arrambide has been one of the hottest hitters in college baseball, hitting 15 home runs so far for LSU. He has to be on this weekend for the Tigers to even have a chance.

The issue is that the small field works both ways.

Georgia leads the SEC in batting average and home runs, batting .325 and slugging 131 homers. Overall, its .622 slugging percentage is almost 50 points higher than next-best Texas A&M. LSU stands at seventh in both categories.

But the Bulldogs are missing a key piece, as Henry Allen will miss the rest of the year with a knee injury. He batted .321 and had 13 homers before the injury. LSU has a similar issue and is uncertain if freshman sensation Omar Serna Jr. will play, as he missed Tuesday's game with a back injury.

The offenses will be able to take advantage of the below-average SEC pitching staffs. Georgia's team ERA is 4.83, and LSU's is 5.05, but the Tiger staff has been hot recently.

LSU pitchers have to recreate last weekend

If the pitching staff can do what it did against South Carolina last weekend, LSU has a chance to win its biggest series of the year.

Johnson said that getting the success to carry over in Athens and the rest of the season isn't complex.

"I think it's about attacking the strike zone, getting ahead in the count and executing a finish pitch," Johnson said. "And most importantly, when you have a small adversity, you don't get sideways and turn it into something big."

Not getting sideways is how LSU excelled against South Carolina. The Tigers only used seven pitchers in the three-game sweep. William Schmidt, who will face Georgia's Joey Volchko on Friday, has gotten much better over the course of the year at evading runners on base.

Schmidt has found a groove, but Georgia's hot offense can disrupt it easily. He and Volchko have nearly identical stats, though the latter's ERA is about 30 points lower.

It will be harder for LSU on Saturday against Dylan Vigue, who posts a 2.35 ERA over 46 innings. But LSU has looked better offensively in the last two weeks than at any other point in the season, and momentum is paramount in college baseball.

Vigue's opposing starter will be freshman Paz, who had a career-best outing against South Carolina, striking out eight over five innings, with the only hit being a solo home run in the first inning.

LSU has found the confidence that it shed during its nine-game SEC losing streak. The current Tiger team looks like one that could make a run in the SEC and NCAA tournaments.

One player who is playing with pure confidence is Zac Cowan. He was named SEC co-pitcher of the week last week after only allowing four hits over 10 innings with no runs over two appearances.

He will be ready to go for a long relief outing on Friday or Saturday. He also will be LSU's prime choice for a Sunday starter if he isn't used in relief or if Casan Evans isn't healthy enough to go.

The bullpen has also looked phenomenal over the past few weeks, with Danny Lachenmayer, Deven Sheerin, Santiago Garcia, Grant Fontenot, and Gavin Guidry all giving strong performances. They will be the perfect complements to strong starts, but are also able to clean up an ugly situation.

The ride to the postseason can end in Athens, but LSU has a strong and confident team that they are bringing into Georgia.

First pitch is Friday at 5 p.m. CT, with Saturday's game at 6 p.m. and the finale coming Sunday at 2 p.m.

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