Da Boot Sports
2/28/2022
By: David Penn


   BATON ROUGE, LA - The LSU Tigers came out hot in the final game of the weekend quadruple header and defeated the Southern Jaguars in seven innings by a score of 15-0. The Tigers would score 15 runs on seven hits and take advantage of four errors by the Jaguars defense.

   Eighteen different Tigers would stand in the batter’s box and 10 different Tigers scored a run in the contest.

   Will Hellmers picked up his first win of the season after starting the game on the bump for LSU. Hellmers pitched four innings and struck out four batters, surrendering four hits, and walking one Jaguar.

   Bryce Collins took the mound for an inning of middle relief striking out two hitters and combining with Tre’ Morgan for an out at first base as Collins covered the bag while Morgan fielded the ground ball.

   Trey Shaffer would close the deal for the Tigers on the mound securing the final six outs to include three punch outs against one walk.

   Coach Jay Johnson talked about the team’s pitching after the game, “The thing I’m most pleased with is the pitching, we only gave up three runs in four games. Two of those were day games against aluminum bats in college baseball – that’s not easy to do. The pitchers commanded the zone throughout the weekend."    
   The Tigers put up three runs in the first two innings with Jacob Berry hitting into a fielder’s choice that scored Morgan in the first inning. Dylan Crews drew a bases loaded walk that plated Jordan Thompson in the second frame and then Gavin Dugas would score on a wild pitch.
    
   LSU would erupt in the third inning, scoring seven runs in the home half. Alex Milazzo continued his stellar weekend with a single to right field that would score Thompson to give LSU a 4-0 edge on the scoreboard. Jack Merrifield would reach safely on a sacrifice bunt when the Jags pitcher would mishandle the ball and Dugas would come in for his second run of the game. Morgan would single to center field and score Milazzo, Crews would single to left and reach second on an error by the Jags left fielder with Merrifield coming in for the unearned run. Jacob Berry would reach second after the left fielder again couldn’t track the ball to his glove which scored Morgan and Crews. Berry would then reach home on a wild pitch to complete the scoring in the third frame.
    
   LSU added four more runs in the fifth frame. All four runs scored were on walks or a wild pitch. With Hayden Travinski, Berry, and Crews on the pads Collier Cranford would take one for the team and Crews would come across. Dugas and Tyler McManus would each draw walks on the next two at bats which would score Berry and Travinski, Cranford would come across on a wild pitch to end the scoring in the fifth inning.

   The Tigers would cap off scoring in the sixth inning when Josh Pearson found home plate following another wild pitch.
    
   Mykel Page (0-1) started on the mound for the Jaguars going 2.1 innings giving up four hits, eight runs, six walks, a wild pitch, and two strikeouts.  Deonte Dotson would come in for middle relief, pitching two innings giving up two hits, six runs, four walks, one strikeout, and three wild pitches. Brendan Evans would pitch the final 1.2 innings for the Jaguars, surrendering one hit, one run, four walks, two strikeouts, and two wild pitches.

   With the win LSU is now 7-1 on the season while Southern falls to 2-6.

   Next up LSU will host the University of New Orleans on Wednesday night. First pitch is set for 6:30pm CT.

Da Boot Sports
2/27/2022
By: David Penn


   BATON ROUGE, LA - On a gorgeous Sunday morning at Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field the LSU Tigers (6-1) beat the Towson Tigers (2-6) by a final score of 11-1. 

   Ty Floyd (2-0) went the first five innings for the Tigers recorded five punch outs, walking three, and the only hit surrendered was a solo homerun in the top of the second inning by Nolan Young.

   RHP Devin Fontenot would enter the contest in the sixth inning for the middle relief assignment and strike out four hitters, walking a pair, but giving up zero hits.

   LSU would get on the board in the fourth inning after threatening in the previous three. The Tigers of LSU would continue to
apply offensive pressure through the rest of the contest scoring at least two runs in every inning frame from the fourth inning on.
        
   Brayden Jobert cracked his fourth home run of the season in the fourth inning to get LSU started which scored Jordan
Thompson.

   Jacob Berry blasted his third homerun of the season, a solo shot in the fifth inning. Jobert added another run for the Tigers,
again scoring Thompson, on his single in the fifth inning.

   Crews would send his second homer of the season into the parking lot scoring Tre’ Morgan in the sixth inning followed by Berry
 singling in Cade Doughty to plate another run.

   Jack Merrifield scored Jobert in the seventh inning on a sacrifice fly before Drew Bianco would score on a wild pitch.

   Josh Stevenson would score on a wild pitch in the eighth inning and Josh Pearson would single to drive in Collier Cranford to cap the scoring.

  The LSU defense ended up committing two errors including a collision in right center between Dylan Crews and Gavin Dugas with the ball falling harmlessly to the grass.
    
   Nick Ramanjulu (2-1)  got the start for Towson and put in four innings of work, striking out none, walking four, and giving up the two run shot to Jobert in the fourth inning.

    LSU will take on the Southern Jags today, Sunday February 27 at 5:00pm to conclude their quadruple header.

Da Boot Sports
2/26/2022
By: David Penn

   BATON ROUGE, LA - The Tigers of LSU and the Southern University Jaguars met for LSU’s second game of the weekend at Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field and it was the Tigers that pounced all over the Jaguars in a 9-2 win. 

   With the win the Tigers are now 5-1 while Southern falls to 2-4 on the season. 

   The Jags would get on the board first, scoring a pair of runs in the top of the fourth, but LSU would find the scoreboard in the fifth frame and then break the game open with five runs in the sixth inning. 

   Ma’Khail Hilliard started for the Tigers and would lay down four innings of work, striking out four hitters, giving up two hits, two runs, and a pair of walks.

   Javen Coleman, Paul Gervase (1-0) would pull middle relief assignments with Trent Vietmeier grabbing his first work of the season, closing the affair for the Tigers over the final two frames. Coleman and Gervase would punch out a pair each and the Jags would not find their way back to home plate after their two-run fourth inning.

   Dylan Crews singled in the fifth inning which would score Alex Milazzo for the Tigers' first run of the game.

   The bats for the Tigers heated up in the sixth inning. Gavin Dugas would double to center which drove home both
Jordan Thompson and Brayden Jobert. Jack Merrifield then laced a hit down the left field line which would score Dugas. Tre’ Morgan singled to the left side gap which would set up an attempted pitch out at home plate, but Merrifield would be called safe initially and then confirmed safe after the umpire would look at the film. The attempt at home plate allowed Morgan to advance to second base. Jacob Berry put up a sacrifice fly to left field that would bring home Morgan for the fifth run of the frame putting LSU up 6-0. 

   Milazzo continued his impressive weekend at the plate with his second and third sacrifice bunts. His sacrifice bunt in the seventh frame scored Thompson. Morgan would finish off the scoring for the game in the seventh inning with a two RBI single that would plate Merrifield and Giovanni DiGiacomo.

   “It was a good day for us at the plate,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “We made good contact, and we came through with runners in scoring position. We have a new tradition here, we call it the ‘magic moment’ of the game when we win. It’s the moment of the game that tips the scales in our favor, and that was Gavin today staying behind the ball, driving it the other way. He’s great in clutch situations, and that’s a tribute to his maturity and his ability to slow the game down.”
 
   Anthony Fidanza started for the Jaguars, going four innings and holding the Tigers scoreless. Fidanza recorded two strikeouts, one walk, and three hits. Jerry Burkett (0-1) came on in relief for Southern in the fifth inning, but after giving up six runs in 1.1 innings of work was taken off the mound.

  Hunter Tabb and Tremaine Spears provided the two runs for the Jags with Tabb hitting a triple that scored O’Neill Burgos, Spears would then hit a single up the middle that would score Tabb.

​   LSU will take on Towson on Sunday February 27 at 11:00am CT followed by the second game of their double header when they take on Southern at 5:00pm CT at Alex Box Stadium.

Da Boot Sports
2/25/2022
By: David Penn

      
​   BATON ROUGE, LA - The LSU Tigers took to the field on Friday night to face off against the Towson Tigers in the first game of a weekend quadruple header at Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.

   LSU would put up six runs in the first three frames to take a 6-0 lead that they would not relinquish as RHP Blake Money (2-0) would go seven scoreless innings for the Tigers. With the win LSU is now 4-1, while Towson falls to 1-5.    

   Centerfielder Dylan Crews would start the scoring for the LSU in the first inning with a two run homer that would score Tre Morgan.

   “Dylan is a special talent, and a good worker, too,” Johnson said. “I liked what I saw from him tonight, and if he’s just ‘kind of on,’ that’s going to be plenty good enough for us.”

   In the second inning Alex Milazzo would move runners into scoring position on a well laid sacrifice bunt. Jack Merrifield would then hit the sacrifice fly giving the Tigers their third score of the game bringing Brayden Jobert home. 

   Crews would again come through at the plate in the third inning, smacking a two-run triple to right field that would score Morgan and Gavin Dugas.
    
   Blake Money would strike out seven against only two walks while only giving up two hits in his seven innings of work. The excitable pitcher also relished the chance to get in on the defensive plays when Money and 1st baseman Tre’ Morgan would combine on a pair of outs in the contest where Morgan fielded the play with Money coming over to cover the bag.

   “An outstanding performance by Blake Money,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “I didn’t think he could top what he did last Friday, but he certainly tried to. In some ways, he was sharper than last week. This Towson team is better than people realize; they had a great offensive night last week against Miami’s ace. Blake executed tonight, and we had game control because of the job he did.”

   Garrett Edwards would come in for the final two innings of work on the bump, striking out one batter and allowing one hit with no runs.

   Milazzo hit a pair of singles for the Tigers, going 2-2 at the plate with a sacrifice hit.
    
   Teddy Blumenauer (0-2) started on the mound for Townson and would go three innings before being relieved by Justin Rebok. Rebok would give up the triple to Crews before settling in to keep LSU from inflicting any more damage with the bats.
    
   LSU will play the Southern Jaguars next on Saturday February 26 at 1:00pm CT.

Da Boot Sports
2/23/2022
By: Davis Penn


   RUSTON, LA - LSU (3-1) rode into Ruston, LA hoping to expound upon its opening weekend success but those hopes were dashed in short order as La Tech (4-0) jumped out to a five run lead and completed a wire to wire victory over the Tigers.

   The hot bats of the Bayou Bengals were cooled off for much of the game against the Bulldogs, managing a paltry .206 average as a team. To compound the meager offensive output were the defensive miscues that the Bulldogs took advantage of time and time again as LSU committed five errors in the game.

   Coach Jay Johnson said, “I was pleased with getting down 5-0 and getting it back to 5-4; I think that’s a good sign, and I think the energy in the dugout was a positive. I felt like we were engaged in the game, but we’ve got to play baseball better.”
    
   Don’t be too surprised though, while #2 LSU carried the better ranking into the game, #15 La Tech is continuing to
carry momentum from a season ago where they hosted a regional of their own and returned a fair amount of talent from last season.

   Sixth year senior LHP Cade Gibson (1-0) got the start for La Tech and went five innings, striking out eight batters and limiting the Tigers to three runs on three hits.

   Fifth year seniors Taylor Young and Steele Netterling got the Bulldogs offense going with Young producing a pair of hits in the first and second frame and Netterling hitting a solo HR in the third to give the Techsters a 5-0 lead after the three innings.
    
   Riley Cooper (0-1) started on the mound for the Tigers but only lasted two innings before Will Hellmers took over in the third inning. Javen Coleman, Eric Reyzelman, and Paul Gervase would each come on in middle relief before Grant Taylor would come in to close out the game.

   The defense would not help the pitching efforts in the contest, as three plays to first base that were all but routine allowed runners to reach safely. LSU was charged with five errors in the game but could’ve easily been charged with an additional two or three more.
    
   Brayden Jobert hit his third HR of the season, a two run shot that scored Jordan Thompson in the fourth inning. The Tigers were led by Thompson and Gavin Dugas who each had a pair of hits and helped the Tigers climb back into contention by narrowing the La Tech lead to 5-4 in the top of the sixth inning.

   Unfortunately for LSU though, two walks and three errors in the bottom of the sixth inning allowed La Tech to reclaim it’s five run lead. Taylor Young would add a two run homer in the seventh inning for the Bulldogs to give Tech an 11-4 advantage, then Gavin Dugas would hit a two run double in the eighth that would finish out the scoring for the contest. The LSU batting order struck out 14 times in the contest.
    
   Next up for LSU, the Tiers will play four games at Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field this weekend..

​Friday, 2/25: LSU vs. Towson, 6:30 p.m. CT,
Saturday, 2/26: LSU vs. Southern, 1:30 p.m. CT,
Sunday, 2/27: LSU vs. Towson, 12:00 p.m. CT,  and LSU vs. Southern, 5:00 p.m. CT

Da Boot Sports
2/20/2022
By: David Penn

   BATON ROUGE, LA - LSU batters seemed to grow more comfortable with each at bat over the season opening weekend. With a final tally of 21-6 in game three of the series, LSU scored a total of 51 against the Black Bears.
   
   Jacob Berry, Cade Doughty, and Brayden Jobert each hit two homeruns, and Giovonni DiGiacomo added a seventh for
the weekend. As a team the Tigers batted .388 and had 49 RBIs with Jobert getting off to a .667 average in his impromptu role as designated hitter.
    
   Ty Floyd (1-0) started on the mound for the Bayou Bengals, pitching five innings and giving up a run, striking out eight Black Bears against only two walks.

   Coach Johnson talked about Floyd after the game, “It was a good day, Ty got us off to a great start, and we felt good about his chances to have success today, He delivered, was in the strike zone for the most part and a threw a lot of good pitches.”

   Riley Cooper, Trey Shaffer, Garret Edwards, Eric Reyzelman, and Devin Fontenot would all take a turn on the bump in
relief.

   Maine (0-3) had the most success against Shaffer who gave up five runs in the seventh before being pulled in favor of Edwards and Fontenot would close the game out for the Tigers in the ninth inning.
    
   The Tiger bats went after starting Maine pitcher Jordan Schulefand (0-1) who pitched three innings and gave up 12 runs, 11 in the first two frames; the five runs scored in the first inning were unearned. RHP Caleb Leys was able to stop the bleeding for the Black Bears, allowing only 1 run in the 3.2 innings he spent on the mound.
    
   Johnson said. “It was clear that we were ready to go and face a team in a different uniform after all of the preseason work. Now we have to master our skill moving on, that’s what this sport requires. It comes at you hard and fast, we’re looking forward to our next opportunity on Wednesday at Louisiana Tech.”

   Doughty would go three for three at the plate with a home run and five RBIs, Jobert went three for four with a homerun and four RBIs, DiGiacomo went two for three with a homerun and four RBIs. LSU had 16 hits in the game that included five doubles, a triple by Dylan Crews, and three homeruns, they would accumulate 20 RBIs.
    
​   LSU (3-0) will now travel to Ruston to take on LA Tech (3-0) on Wednesday, February 23 at 6:00pm CT at Pat Patterson Park in their first midweek matchup of the season.

Photos Below By: Jonathan Mailhes

Da Boot Sports
2/19/2022
By: David Penn


   BATON ROUGE, LA - For fans that want to see more offense from the LSU baseball team the first two games at Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field have been a real treat. The Tigers followed up their opening season win in which they scored 13 runs in eight innings with a 17 run outburst in game two of the series to defeat Maine 17-8. The eighth inning was the only inning of the game on Saturday that LSU failed to plate a run. The Tigers had scored a run in 12 straight innings going back to yesterday’s contest.
   
   LSU started early, as second baseman Cade Doughty blasted a home run that scored outfielder Dylan Crews and first baseman Tre’ Morgan in the first frame. Gavin Dugas would pick up an RBI in the first inning when DH Brayden Jobert came across.  Doughty would go 3-6 in the batter’s box adding a double and accounted for five RBIs.
    
   Jacob Berry sent two over the fence in the game, flashing the power that earned him Freshman All-American honors last year at Arizona. Berry was 3 for 5 at the plate with three RBIs. Third baseman Jack Merrifield and Jobert had three RBIs each.

   Coach Jay Johnson was pleased with the offense today, “I thought we had a much better approach at the plate today,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “We were under control, and we have some talented players, and when they’re in the right mindset, they do a good job of controlling the strike zone and hitting mistakes by the pitcher.”
    
   Ma’Khail Hilliard got the start for the Tigers and put in four innings of solid work, Hilliard recorded two strikeouts, one walk, and three earned runs which all came in the third inning. 

   Javen Coleman (1-0) earned the win with his three innings of middle relief allowing one earned run and recording two strikeouts. Coleman threw 24 strikes on 30 pitches.

   “Ma’Khail got us off to a good start on the mound today,” Johnson said. “I know he was really excited to start the game, and he got us out of the first two innings quickly and then slowed down Maine’s momentum with a scoreless fourth. I thought Javen Coleman was outstanding; he just pounded the strike zone in his three innings and was really solid.” 
    
   Noah Lewis (0-1) started on the mound for the Black Bears. In three innings Lewis gave up seven runs, six earned, walked four batters, and failed to record a strikeout.

   Colin Fitzgerald entered the game for Maine in the fourth inning but didn’t fare much better as the Tigers plated 10 runs with Fitzgerald on the mound. Fitzgerald recorded five strikeouts and walked two Tigers. First baseman Joe Bramanti would get a pair of hits and RBIs for Maine, including his solo homerun in the sixth inning. Outfielder Jordan Schulefand hit .333 in the game, his double scored two runs for the Black Bears.
    
   The Tigers will look for a 3-0 start to the season tomorrow at Alex Box Stadium. First pitch to be delivered at 1:00pm CT. 

Da Boot Sports
2/18/2022
By: David Penn


​   Baton Rouge, LA - LSU Baseball Coach Jay Johnson got in a stance behind home plate as retired LSU Baseball Coach Paul Mainieri threw out the first pitch at Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field on Friday night and officially kicked off the Jay Johnson era in Baton Rouge. Coach Manieiri drew a standing ovation from the crowd as he took the mound to officially pass the torch to Jay Johnson. 
    
   After not traveling with the team for the post season last year, Blake Money (1-0) earned the start for the Tigers after an offseason that reshaped his physical fitness and his mechanics. Money would strike out four of the first six batters and a career high of ten Ks through seven scoreless innings allowing only one walk. Money threw 56 strikes out of 79 pitches against 18 balls. The sophomore looked comfortable on the bump and was efficient through his outing.  
​   Johnson said, “Blake was fantastic tonight and demonstrated why we gave him the opportunity to start the season opener. He has worked extremely hard to get to this point, and I’m honestly not surprised by how well he performed. He’s pitched this way beginning in fall practice and throughout the preseason.”
    
   Redshirt Brayden Jobert got the offense started in the 4th inning with a solo homerun. Jacob Berry would then single in the
5th inning to score Tre’ Morgan.
   The Tigers would add three more runs in the 6th inning with Alex Milazzo hitting a single to bring in Jordan Thompson. Tre Morgan would then hit a two run triple scoring Milazzo and Jack Merrifield.
   LSU would plate three more runs in the 7th inning when Dylan Crews scored on a sacrifice fly by Jobert. Thompson would then single to right scoring Cade Doughty. Next, Thompson scored on errors after Giovanni DiGiacomo grounded out and Maine’s 1st baseman would overthrow second, followed by the left fielder mishandling the ball, allowing Thompson to turn third and head home.
   LSU added five more in the 8th inning. Doughty smacked a double, scoring Morgan and Josh Pearson. Josh Stevenson would then ground out to first base scoring Crews. DiGiacomo capped off the scoring for LSU with a double scoring Jobert and Doughty.
    
   Maine would get on the board in the ninth inning on a solo homerun by Scout Knotts which would provide the finish to the scoring as LSU impressively wins their season opener, and starts the Jay Johnson era off with a 13-1 victory.

   Brett Erwin (0-1) started for Maine and gave up two runs - one unearned, seven Ks and one base on balls. The Maine defense committed six errors, three of which occurred when Tre’ Morgan was on the base pads and the two on one play that allowed a run for LSU to come in.
    LSU (1-0) and Maine (0-1) will face off again on Saturday, February 19th for game two of the series. First pitch is scheduled for 1:30pm CT at Alex Box Stadium.  Senior RHP Ma’Khail Hilliard will start for the Tigers.

Photos Below By: Jonathan Mailhes

Photos Below By: Michael Bacigalupi

Da Boot Sports
2/17/2022
LSU Sports Information
By: William Franques

   
Maine Black Bears (0-0) at No. 3 LSU Fighting Tigers (0-0)
 
DATES/TIMES
Friday, February 18 – 6:30 p.m. CT
Saturday, February 19 – 1:30 p.m. CT
Sunday, February 20 – 1 p.m. CT
 
STADIUM
Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field (10,326)
 
RANKINGS
·        LSU – No. 3 Collegiate Baseball; No. 7 USA Today; No. 8 D1 Baseball; No. 10 Baseball America
·        Maine – unranked
 
RADIO
·        LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates
·        Live audio at www.LSUsports.net/live; Live stats at www.LSUstats.com 
 
ONLINE
SEC Network +, accessible at Watch ESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app
 
SPECIAL EVENTS
·        Paul Mainieri, who retired as LSU’s head coach at the end of the 2021 season, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Friday’s game … Mainieri led LSU to the 2009 national championship, five College World Series appearances, nine NCAA Regional titles, four SEC regular-season titles and six SEC Tournament championships during his 15 years with the Tigers … he coached for 39 seasons overall at St. Thomas, Air Force, Notre Dame and LSU, and he is one of only five coaches in NCAA Division I Baseball history to win 1,500 career games and a national championship.
·        First 1,000 fans on Friday night will receive “Greatest Fans in College Sports” T-shirts
 
SERIES RECORD VS. MAINE
LSU leads the all-time series versus Maine, 6-1, and the teams are meeting this weekend for the first time since 1995, when the Tigers swept a three-game series in Alex Box Stadium … LSU also won two of three games over the Black Bears in 1992 at “The Box” … the first meeting between the schools occurred at the 1986 College World Series, when LSU posted its first-ever win in a CWS game, defeating Maine, 8-4, on June 1, 1986 … LSU has a 12-3 all-time record against current members of the America East Conference – the Tigers are 6-1 vs. Maine, 2-2 vs. Stony Brook, 3-0 vs. UMass Lowell and 1-0 vs. Binghamton.
 
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Game 1
LSU – So. RH Blake Money (1-2, 8.68 ERA, 28.0 IP, 10 BB, 28 SO in 2021)
UM – Gr. RH Brett Erwin (at UC Davis in 2021:  1-4, 5.06 ERA, 58.2 IP, 28 BB, 37 SO)
Game 2
LSU – Sr. RH Ma’Khail Hilliard (6-0, 4.31 ERA, 54.1 IP, 12 BB, 53 SO in 2021)
UM – So. RH Noah Lewis (4-6, 5.16 ERA, 61.0 IP, 28 BB, 45 SO in 2021)
Game 3
LSU – TBA
UM – Gr. RH Jordan Schulefand (at Richmond in 2021:  4-1, 4.19 ERA, 19.1 IP, 4 BB, 10 SO)
 
QUOTING COACH JAY JOHNSON
“We are extremely excited about this weekend and can’t wait to play in front of our great fans in a stadium with no capacity restrictions. Our team is starting to take shape; there are just so many guys that can make a contribution, and it’s our job to put them in a spot for them to be successful. I like the versatility of our team – we’re a strong team, but we also have a lot of athleticism. We can mix and match our players on a given day to give us the best chance to win. I’m looking for our guys to have a good mindset and execute their jobs the way they’ve been trained. The most important thing for the opening weekend is for the players to control their heartbeats; they’ve worked extremely hard to get to this point, so we just want to default to our training and have a good heartbeat about what we’re doing.”
 
ABOUT THE TIGERS
·        Coach Jay Johnson enters his first season at the helm of the LSU program this weekend versus Maine … Johnson has worked nine seasons as a collegiate head coach, including one season (2005) at Point Loma Nazarene, two seasons (2014-15) at Nevada and six seasons (2016-21) at Arizona … he directed Arizona to College World Series appearances in 2016 and in 2021, and the Wildcats finished as the national runners-up in 2016 to Coastal Carolina … Johnson’s 2021 Arizona club also won the Pac-12 conference title, and he was named the league’s coach of the year.
·        LSU posted a 38-25 overall mark last season, 13-17 in the Southeastern Conference … the Tigers won the 2021 NCAA Eugene (Ore.) Regional – after dropping its first game of the regional to Gonzaga, LSU rebounded to defeat Central Connecticut State, Gonzaga and Oregon (twice) to win the regional … the Tigers advanced to the NCAA Knoxville Super Regional, where LSU was eliminated in two games by Tennessee.
·        The Tigers, ranked as high as No. 3 by Collegiate Baseball in the 2022 preseason polls, return nine position players with starting experience and 10 pitchers who recorded innings last season. LSU was predicted to finish fourth in the SEC Western Division in the annual poll produced by the league coaches.
·        Eleven LSU players appear in the 2022 D1 Baseball Preseason Position Rankings:  Dylan Crews is rated No. 1 among outfielders, Tre’ Morgan is the No. 1 first baseman, Jacob Berry is the No. 1 third baseman, and Cade Doughty is the No. 4 second baseman. Other Tigers in the position rankings are Gavin Dugas (No. 14 outfielder), Jordan Thompson (No. 23 shortstop), Tyler McManus (No. 29 catcher), Eric Reyzelman (No. 42 relief pitcher), Paul Gervase (No. 51 relief pitcher), Javen Coleman (No. 98 starting pitcher) and Devin Fontenot (No. 102 starting pitcher).
·        LSU leads the nation with three players on the 2022 Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List released by USA Baseball on Tuesday. The announcement of the 55-player watch list begins the process of identifying the top amateur baseball player in the country for the 2022 season. The LSU players on the Golden Spikes Award Watch list are sophomore outfielder Dylan Crews, sophomore first baseman Tre’ Morgan and sophomore infielder Jacob Berry. LSU is the only school with three players on the list and is followed by Arizona State, Arkansas, California, Florida, Ole Miss, Texas and Vanderbilt, all of which have two representatives.
·        LSU has won 20 consecutive season-opening games; the Tigers’ last loss in a season opener occurred on February 10, 2001, when LSU dropped a 9-8 decision to Kansas State in the original Alex Box Stadium.
 
ABOUT THE BLACK BEARS
·        Maine posted a 22-22 overall record in 2021, including a 16-17 mark in the America East Conference … Maine was No. 2 in the conference in batting average, as the Black Bears hit .270 with 36 homers and 28 steals in 39 attempts … Maine was also No. 2 in the conference in team ERA (4.76), and the Black Bears’ staff recorded 368 strikeouts in 353.1 innings.
·        Maine head coach Nick Derba enters his fifth season with the Black Bears, having recorded an 83-131 overall mark, 47-53 in the America East Conference.
·        Maine’s leading returning hitter is senior catcher Ryan Turenne, who batted .308 last season with four doubles, five homers and 19 RBI … other top returning hitters include senior outfielder Scout Knotts (.295, eight doubles, three triples, four homers, 21 RBI) and graduate infielder Joe Bramanti (.293, seven doubles, six homers, 28 RBI).
 

Da Boot Sports
2/3/2022
LSU Sports Information
By: William Franques


   BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU Baseball 2022 individual-game tickets will go on sale at 9 a.m. CT on Tuesday, February 8. Fans may purchase tickets online at www.LSUtix.net, or by calling 225-578-2184.
 
Tickets will be on sale for 35 regular-season home games, not including the April 19 game versus UL-Lafayette, which will be the Wally Pontiff Jr. Foundation Classic. Ticket information for the Pontiff Classic will be announced in the coming weeks.
 
Individual-game tickets will be available in the bleachers or in the Standing Room Only areas of Alex Box Stadium.  Prices range from $10 to $18 depending upon the game and seat location. Youth tickets (ages 3-12) are $5 for all games.
 
Group tickets for groups of 15 are available at a discounted rate, based on availability.  Group tickets may be purchased by filling out this request form or by calling the LSU Athletics ticket sales and services staff at 225-578-0100.
 
Loge Boxes, which are reserved 4-person table tops located on the concourse, will return for the 2022 season, and they range in price from $300 for non-conference games to $500 for SEC games. They include four reserved table-top tickets and a parking pass, along with the option to purchase food from a catered menu.  Interested fans can submit a request form to reserve a Loge Box this season.
 
Drink Rail Seats, which are new for the 2022 season, will be available on the concourse level in sections 206 and 218.  Drink Rail seat prices vary from $18 to $35 depending upon the date and opponent.
 
Also on sale will be a limited number of individual-game parking permits in the Golf Course Lot, which is located across the street from Alex Box Stadium. Parking is $10 for mid-week non-conference games and $15 for weekend and SEC games.
 

Da Boot Sports
2/3/2022
LSU Sports Information
By: William Franques


   BATON ROUGE, La. – A nation’s best four LSU players have been named to the 2022 Baseball America Preseason All-America teams.
 
Outfielder Dylan Crews and infielder Jacob Berry were voted to the first team, and first baseman Tre’ Morgan and infielder Cade Doughty were named to the second team.
 
Crews, the 2021 Perfect Game National Freshman of the Year, hit .362 (89-for-246) in 2021 with 16 doubles, two triples, 18 homers, 42 RBI, 64 runs scored and 12 stolen bases. The product of Longwood, Fla.,  also received All-America, Freshman All-America, Second-Team All-SEC and Freshman All-SEC recognition, and he was voted the Louisiana Freshman of the Year.
 
Crews’ total of 18 home runs represented the most by a freshman in LSU single-season history, surpassing the mark of second baseman Mike Fontenot, who launched 17 dingers as a freshman in 2000.
 
He finished No. 1 in the SEC last season in total bases (163), No. 3 in batting average, No. 3 in on-base percentage (.453), No. 4 in base hits, No. 4 in runs scored, No. 5 in doubles and No. 5 in home runs.
 
Crews helped lead LSU to the NCAA Eugene Regional title, earning all-tournament honors as he batted .476 (10-for-21) with two doubles, one triple, three home runs, four RBI and six runs scored.
 
Berry, who transferred this summer to LSU from Arizona, led the Wildcats to the 2021 College World Series and the Pac-12 championship.
 
A product of Queen Creek, Ariz., Berry batted .352 in 2021 with team highs of 17 homers and 70 RBI, and Collegiate Baseball newspaper named him the National Co-Freshman of the Year.
 
Berry earned first-team All-America recognition from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, and he received second-team All-America honors from D1Baseball and Perfect Game.
 
Morgan, a product of New Orleans, La., batted .357 (89-for-249) in 2021 with 16 doubles, four triples, six homers, 42 RBI, 64 runs scored and 15 stolen bases.
 
He received Freshman All-America, Second-Team All-SEC and Freshman All-SEC honors,  and he was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team. Morgan was twice recognized as the SEC Freshman of the Week during a three-week period in late April-early May.
 
Morgan collected six hits, including a double, in the NCAA Eugene Regional to go along with three RBI and three runs scored. He finished No. 4 in the SEC in batting average, No. 4 in base hits, No. 4 in runs scored, No. 4 in triples, No. 5 in doubles, No. 5 in stolen bases and No. 7 in on-base percentage (.441).
 
Doughty, a Denham Springs, La., native, batted .308 (70-for-227) for LSU in 2021 with 11 doubles, two triples, 13 homers, 55 RBI and 41 runs scored. He was 5-for-18 in the NCAA Eugene Regional with two doubles, one RBI and four runs , including 3-for-4 in the regional championship game win over Oregon with two doubles and two runs scored.
 
Doughty led LSU to a crucial series win at Texas A&M May 20-22, batting .333 (5-for-15) with one double, one homer, six RBI and three runs scored. In the Tigers’ Game 2 win over the Aggies, Doughty doubled, homered and collected five RBI.
 
His two-out, three-run homer in the fifth inning erased a 6-3 deficit and the game remained tied at 6-6 until the top of the 13th, when Doughty’s two-run double highlighted a six-run outburst in the 12-6 LSU victory over the Aggies that clinched a berth in the SEC Tournament.
 
Doughty was named National and SEC Player of the Week on March 15, as he collected five home runs, six runs scored and 12 RBI in leading LSU to five wins in five games versus Texas Southern, New Orleans and UT San Antonio.