Tigers Open CWS with Matchup vs. Arkansas Saturday Night – LSU

NCAA College World Series
LSU Tigers (48-15) vs. Arkansas Razorbacks (48-13)

DATE/TIME
• Saturday, June 14 @ 6 p.m. CT (ESPN)
STADIUM
• Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb. (24,500)
RANKINGS
• LSU – No. 6 NCAA Tournament National Seed
• Arkansas – No. 3 NCAA Tournament National Seed
RADIO
• LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates
• Live audio at www.LSUsports.net/live; Live stats at NCAA.com
TELEVISION
• Saturday’s game will be televised on ESPN

LSU HISTORY IN NCAA TOURNAMENT
• LSU is in the NCAA Tournament for the 13th straight season and for the 37th time overall …. LSU has won seven baseball national championships (1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2009, 2023), the second-most in NCAA history … the Tigers were an NCAA Tournament Top 8 National Seed for an NCAA-record six straight seasons (2012-17) and this season marks LSU’s second Top 8 seed in the past three seasons … LSU was the No. 5 National Seed in 2023 and claimed the school’s seventh CWS title … LSU has the second-highest all-time NCAA Tournament winning percentage (.708, 182-75).

• LSU is participating in its 20th College World Series and is just the seventh school in NCAA history to make 20 CWS appearances … LSU is the only school in the nation with 20 CWS berths in the past 40 seasons … the Tigers were led to 11 CWS by coach Skip Bertman (1986, ’87, ’89, ’90, ’91, ’93, ’94, ’96, ’97, ’98 and 2000) including national titles in 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 2000 … coach Smoke Laval directed LSU to the CWS in 2003 and 2004 … coach Paul Mainieri guided the Tigers to the CWS in 2008, ’09, ’13, ’15, ’17, with a national title in 2009, and coach Jay Johnson has led LSU to CWS berths in 2023 and 2025, with a national title in 2023.

• Last week, LSU won its 10th NCAA Super Regional title by sweeping two games from West Virginia in Baton Rouge … LSU’s 10 Super Regional titles have come in 2000, ’03, ’04, ’08, ’09, ’13, ’15, ’17, ’23 and ’25 all of its Super Regional titles have been won at home … the Tigers have a 22-16 (.579) Super Regional overall record, including a 21-9 mark (.700) in home Super Regional games … LSU’s home record in NCAA Tournament games (Regionals and Super Regionals combined) is 113-27 (.807).

• Two weeks ago, LSU captured its 27th NCAA Regional title by winning the Baton Rouge Regional … – LSU has a 114-30 (.792) all-time record in NCAA Regional games, including an 92-18 (.836) mark in home regional games and a 22-12 (.647) record in regional games on the road … the Tigers have a total of 27 NCAA Regional titles, and LSU has won its home regional on 24 occasions: 1986, ’90, ’91, ’93, ’94, ’96, ’97, ’98, ’99, 2000, ’01, ’02, ’03, ’04, ’08, ’09, ’12, ’13, ’15, ’16, ’17, ’19, ’23, ’25 … the Tigers have won road regionals three times – in 1987 (at New Orleans), in 1989 (at Texas A&M) and in 2021 (at Oregon).

LSU SERIES HISTORY VS. ARKANSAS
• LSU leads the all-time series with Arkansas, 79-45, and the Tigers have won 15 of the past 20 and nine of the past 13 SEC regular-season series versus the Razorbacks, including a 2-1 series victory earlier this season (May 9-11) in Baton Rouge … LSU is 43-27 versus Arkansas over the past 21 seasons (2005-25), including two wins over the Razorbacks in the 2009 College World Series.

QUOTING COACH JAY JOHNSON
“I’m very proud of our team’s consistency this season. To consistently play to their capability week in and week out against the caliber of teams that we play, that’s what championship teams do. I’m also proud of our ability to find different ways to win. We’re very tough to beat when we have all phases going, but even when we haven’t, we’ve been able to find ways to win, and I’m very proud of that.”

ABOUT THE TIGERS
• LSU is 48-15 overall and the Tigers are the No. 6 National Seed in the NCAA Tournament … LSU is ranked No. 1 in the nation by Baseball America, and No. 3 by D1 Baseball and USA Today in their most recent polls … the Tigers posted a 19-11 SEC regular-season record and finished in third place in the 2025 conference standings … LSU won at least 19 league games for the 19th time in school history and for the second time in the past three seasons.

• The LSU pitching staff enters the College World Series ranked in the Top 10 in the nation in three major statistical categories – the Tigers are No. 3 in the nation in strikeouts per nine innings (11.8), No. 6 in hits allowed per nine innings (7.32) and No. 9 in team ERA (3.82).
• LSU enters the College World Series No. 5 in the SEC in team batting average (.299), and the Tigers are No. 2 in the league in on-base percentage (.414), No. 3 in runs scored (511), No. 3 in hits (627) and No. 2 in doubles (129) … the LSU pitching staff is No. 2 in the SEC in team ERA (3.82), and the Tigers are No. 2 in the league with 710 strikeouts … LSU is No. 3 in opponent batting average (.220).

• LSU junior first baseman Jared Jones, a semifinalist for the 2025 Dick Howser Trophy, has moved into sole possession of third place on the LSU career homers list – he has 62 homers in three seasons, trailing only catcher Brad Cresse (78 HR, 1997-2000) and first baseman Eddy Furniss (80 HR, 1995-98).

• Sophomore left-hander Kade Anderson, a 2025 Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist, is No. 2 in the nation in strikeouts this season with 163. He is also No. 4 in the nation in strikeouts per nine innings (14.24) and No. 13 in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.82).

• Kade Anderson’s total of 163 Ks this season is No. 3 on the LSU single-season strikeouts list; he trails only Ben McDonald (202 Ks, 1989) and Paul Skenes (209 Ks, 2023). Anderson is No. 2 this season in the SEC in strikeouts, and he is No. 1 in the league in innings pitched (103.0).

• Junior right-hander Anthony Eyanson, a semifinalist for the College Baseball Foundation National Pitcher of the Year Award, is No. 3 in the nation in strikeouts with 142, and he is No. 9 in the nation in strikeouts per nine innings (12.95). He is No. 3 in the SEC in ERA (2.74), No. 1 in wins (11), No. 3 in strikeouts (135), No. 2 in innings pitched (98.2) and No. 7 in opponent batting average (.211).

• Junior first baseman Jared Jones is No. 2 in the SEC this season in RBI (70), No. 3 in hits (84), No. 4 in total bases (159) and No. 5 in home runs (20) … freshman outfielder Derek Curiel is No. 1 in the SEC in doubles (19), No. 3 in the league in walks (50), No. 4 in hits (83), No. 4 in on-base percentage (.473) and No. 10 in batting average (.347) … junior second baseman Daniel Dickinson is No. 8 in the SEC in on-base percentage (.463).

• LSU freshman right-hander Casan Evans was one of 13 finalists for the NCBWA 2025 Stopper of the Year award … Evans and left-hander Dylan Volantis of Texas are the only freshmen among the 13 finalists … Evans, a product of Houston, Texas, is 4-1 on the year with a 1.90 ERA and six saves in 47.1 innings (17 appearances) … he has logged 19 walks and 65 strikeouts, and opponents are hitting just .225 against him.

• LSU junior centerfielder Chris Stanfield was named on Friday the recipient of the inaugural Tony Gwynn Trophy, honoring NCAA baseball student-athletes who exemplify the Gwynn legacy of philanthropy. He launched his “Be The 1” campaign at LSU, where he donates $100 to the Miracle League in Baton Rouge for every game in which he produces an extra-base hit or stolen base. He is actively involved with the Miracle League, which gives children with any type of disability or special needs the opportunity to play baseball as part of a team.

ABOUT THE RAZORBACKS
• Arkansas, the No. 3 National Seed, is undefeated in the NCAA Tournament, having swept through the Regional and Super Regional in Fayetteville, Ark. … the Razorbacks defeated Tennessee, two games to none, in the Super Regional to advance to the College World Series for the first time since 2022.
• Arkansas has been the top offensive team in the Southeastern Conference throughout this season, batting .313 with 113 doubles, eight triples, 124 home runs and 49 steals in 64 attempts … the Razorbacks are led by the SEC Player of the Year, shortstop Wehiwa Aloy, who is hitting .348 with 18 doubles, one triple, 20 homers and 64 RBI … Aloy’s younger brother, DH Kuhio Aloy, has 15 doubles, 13 homers and a team-high 70 RBI … outfielder Charles Davalan is batting .355 with 12 doubles, two triples, 14 homers and 59 RBI … seven Arkansas players have hit 13 or more home runs.
• The Razorbacks’ pitching staff has a 3.91 cumulative ERA with 646 strikeouts in 522.0 innings … left-hander Zach Root has been Arkansas’ No. 1 starter, as he is 8-5 with a 3.59 ERA, 31 walks and 119 strikeouts in 92.2 innings.