South Carolina vs LSU: 2023 SEC Baseball series preview, prediction

Two of the hottest teams in SEC baseball so far this season officially face off this weekend from Columbia, as South Carolina hosts LSU for a Top 10 showdown.

South Carolina vs LSU: 2023 SEC Baseball series preview, prediction

When:

• Thursday, April 6 at 7:00 PM ET on SEC Network+
• Friday, April 7 at 7:00 PM ET on SEC Network+
• Saturday, April 8 at 12:00 PM ET on SEC Network

Where: Founders Park, Columbia, SC

Ranked as the No. 6 overall team in the country, South Carolina currently sits at 27-3 overall this season, as well as 8-1 in SEC baseball play. The Gamecocks are also currently sitting at 18-0 at home so far this season, and are coming off a 5-0 win over North Carolina on Tuesday night in what was a Top 25 showdown.

The Gamecocks lineup is led by Ethan Petry, who is currently leading South Carolina with a .439 AVG and 42 RBI, while also ranking second with 13 HR. South Carolina has also gotten stellar play this season from first baseman Gavin Casas, who leads the Gamecocks with 15 HR, while Cole Messina, Braylen Wimmer, and Will McGillis are also names to know.

Pitching-wise, the Gamecocks rotation of Jack Mahoney, Noah Hall, and Will Sanders has been strong this season, while South Carolina’s bullpen has also been a major talking point. Included in that group are names such as Eli Jones, James Hicks, Eli Jerzembeck, and more, each of which have ERA’s under 3.00.

As for LSU, the Tigers come to Columbia ranked as the No. 1 team in the country, currently sitting at 25-4 overall, as well as 6-3 in SEC baseball play. The Tigers are also coming off a 12-2 midweek win over Nicholls on Tuesday night.

Leading the Tigers offensively is outfielder Dylan Crews with a .531 AVG, while LSU has five other .300+ hitters, three of which have at-least nine HR this season in Tommy White, Jared Jones, and Gavin Dugas. Batting for a combined .337 AVG as a team, LSU’s two other .300+ hitters are Paxton Kling and Tre’ Morgan, while Jordan Thompson is another prominent name just under the .300 line.

LSU’s starting rotation features’ names such as Paul Skenes, Ty Floyd, and Thatcher Hurd, with Skenes in particular one of SEC baseball’s top pitchers owning a 0.81 ERA with an 83:8 K:BB ratio across 44.1 IP so far this season. The Tigers bullpen has also impressed so far this season, a group featuring names such as Garrett Edwards, Chase Shores, Christian Little, and more.

As for a series prediction, the pick to win the three-game set goes to LSU, even despite South Carolina having yet to lose at home this season. I’ll say that the Gamecocks do win a game however, with LSU also likely taking the series opener Thursday night.

Series Prediction: LSU 2-1