LSU vs Alabama: 2023 SEC Baseball series preview, prediction

One of the more intriguing series’ in SEC baseball this weekend comes in Baton Rouge, as top-ranked LSU welcomes an Alabama team that has won four-straight to Alex Box Stadium.

LSU vs Alabama: 2023 SEC Baseball series preview, prediction

When:

• Friday, April 28 at 7:00 PM ET on SEC Network
• Saturday, April 29 at 7:00 PM ET on SEC Network+
• Sunday, April 30 at 2:00 PM ET on SEC Network+

Where: Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field, Baton Rouge, LA

Beginning with a look at LSU, the Tigers enter this weekend ranked as the nation’s No. 1 team, sitting at 32-8 overall for the year, as well as 12-5 in conference play to sit solely atop the SEC West. Led by head coach Jay Johnson, the Tigers are also coming off a 6-5 loss to Nicholls on Tuesday night, as well as having swept Ole Miss in Oxford last weekend.

The Tigers enter the weekend batting for a combined .320 AVG as a team, and are led by one of the nation’s top hitters in outfielder Dylan Crews, who holds a .485 AVG with 11 HR and 44 RBI this season. LSU also has three other double-digit HR hitters in Tommy White, Jared Jones, and Gavin Dugas, as well as countless others who all make key impacts such as Tre’ Morgan, Cade Beloso, Brayden Jobert, and Jordan Thompson.

LSU’s pitching staff holds a combined 4.26 ERA so far this season, and are led by one of the SEC’s top starters in right-hander Paul Skenes, who holds a 1.97 ERA and a 115:12 K:BB ratio across 59.1 IP. The Tigers have also received strong play from another starter in Ty Floyd, who holds a 3.80 ERA, while others such as Christian Little, Riley Cooper, Garrett Edwards, and Chase Shores, among others, all make key impacts.

As for Alabama, the Crimson Tide are currently unranked, and come into the weekend sitting at 30-12 overall, as well as 9-9 in SEC play. Led by head coach Brad Bohannon, the Crimson Tide are also currently on a four-game winning streak, which included a sweep at Missouri last weekend, as well as a win over Samford on Tuesday night.

Batting for a combined .308 AVG, Alabama also has a deep lineup led by six .300+ hitters, a group that includes Tommy Seidl, Drew Williamson, Ed Johnson, Andrew Pinckney, and Dominic Tamez alongside third baseman Colby Shelton, a freshman who has 16 HR so far this season. Alabama also has a few other names to know such as Jim Jarvis, Mac Guscette, Will Hodo, and Caden Rose, each of which are just below the .300 AVG line.

The Crimson Tide’s pitching staff owns a combined 3.77 ERA so far this season, with the trio of Luke Holman, Garrett McMillan, and Jacob McNairy having started for Alabama this past weekend. Alabama’s bullpen has also received strong play this season from the likes of Alton Davis II, Hagan Banks, Riley Quick, and Zane Probst among others, each of which own ERA’s under 4.00.

A three-game SEC baseball set featuring two good offensive teams, the pick to win this series goes to LSU, with a sweep also a possibility as well. However, I’ll say that Alabama does win at-least one game over the nation’s No. 1 team this weekend.

Series Prediction: LSU wins two games, Alabama wins one