The Preview: LSU Baseball Set To Take On Wofford in Chapel Hill Regional Showdown

The reigning National Champions are set to defend their crown, Game 1 of the Chapel Hill Regional on Friday.

May 25, 2024; Hoover, AL, USA; LSU Tigers infielder Tommy White (47) waits out a pitching change against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports / Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

Jay Johnson and the LSU Tigers are clicking on all cylinders with postseason baseball in full swing for the defending National Champions.

Led by a dynamic one-two punch of Gage Jump and Luke Holman on the mound, the Tigers have found their groove at the right time.

LSU silenced doubters during the SEC Tournament after reaching "Championship Sunday" last week, and despite coming up short against No. 1 seed Tennessee, the run rejuvenated the program.

Now, all focus has shifted towards LSU's Chapel Hill Regional first-round matchup against the Wofford Terriers.

Here's the preview for Friday morning's showdown and "who to know" on Wofford's roster:

Wofford Terriers (41-18) vs. LSU Tigers (40-21)

DATE/TIME
Friday, May 31 at 12 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
STADIUM
Boshamer Stadium – Chapel Hill, N.C. (5,000)
RADIO
· LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates
· Live audio at www.LSUsports.net/live; Live stats at www.LSUstats.com
TV/ONLINE
Friday’s game will be televised by ESPNU; the game will also be streamed on ESPN+

REGIONAL FIELD
- LSU – No. 23 NCAA RPI; the Tigers are the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional
- Wofford – No. 46 NCAA RPI; the Terriers are the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional
- The other teams in the Chapel Hill Regional are No. 1 seed North Carolina (No. 4 RPI) and No. 4 seed Long Island (No. 195 RPI); UNC faces LIU at 6 p.m. ET Friday
- The winners of Friday’s games will meet at 5 p.m. ET Saturday; the losers of Friday’s games will meet at 12 p.m. ET Saturday in an elimination game

LSU SERIES RECORD VS. WOFFORD
• Friday's game will mark the first meeting between LSU and Wofford on the diamond ... Wofford is a member of the Southern Conference, which also includes Samford, Mercer, Western Carolina, East Tennessee State, UNC Greensboro, The Citadel and VMI ... LSU is 3-0 all-time vs. Samford, 9-0 vs. Mercer, 1-0 vs. Western Carolina, 1-0 vs. UNC Greensboro, 2-0 vs. The Citadel and 2-0 vs. VMI.

LSU IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
• LSU is in the NCAA Tournament for the 12th straight season and for the 36th time overall .... LSU has seven 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) ... 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 (.707, 174-72).

• LSU has played host to 27 NCAA Regionals at Alex Box Stadium, and the Chapel Hill Regional marks the Tigers' ninth regional on the road: LSU has a 108-27 (.800) all-time record in NCAA Regional games, including an 89-17 (.840) mark in home regional games and a 19-10 (.655) record in regional games on the road ... LSU has won its home regional on 23 occasions: 1986, '90, '91, '93, '94, '96, '97, '98, '99, 2000, '01, '02, '03, '04, '08, '09, '12, '13, '15, '16, '17, '19, '23 ... the Tigers have won road regionals three times - in 1987 (at New Orleans), 1989 (at Texas A&M) and 2021 (at Oregon).

QUOTING COACH JAY JOHNSON
“I know that Wofford played seven games to win their conference tournament, so it’s a team that has a lot of toughness to it. That’s an impressive accomplishment … What I like about our team is we have a mindset relative to confidence and belief that is stronger than it’s been all season. Our players had to win to earn it, and they did; they’ve won a lot lately. Having 40 wins before the NCAA Tournament starts, that’s a good accomplishment. I think we have a brand of baseball now where the pitching dynamic is good, and the at-bats have certainly gotten better. I feel like we have an identity and we have the confidence, and that’s what makes us tough to play.”

ABOUT THE TIGERS
• The Tigers won four of their last five SEC regular-season series in 2024, posting a 10-5 mark over the final five weeks of the league schedule … LSU is 18-6 in its last 24 games overall and 14-6 in its last 20 games versus SEC teams … the Tigers have seven of their past eight games; their seven-game win streak was broken with a 4-3 loss to top-ranked Tennessee on Sunday in the SEC Tournament championship game ... LSU enters the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional No. 23 in the official NCAA RPI rankings.

• Third baseman Tommy White has 75 career homers - 27 in 2022 at NC State, 24 last season at LSU and 24 this season for the Tigers. He is No. 8 all-time in NCAA history in career home runs. White is just the fourth player in NCAA history to reach the 75-homer mark in three seasons.The others are Pete Incaviglia of Oklahoma State, Frank Fazzini of Florida State and George Canale of Virginia Tech. White is also only the fourth player in NCAA history to hit 20+ homers in three seasons. The others are Incaviglia, Canale and Todd Greene of Georgia Southern.

• Second baseman Steven Milam launched a two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th inning Saturday to lift LSU to a 12-11 win over South Carolina in an SEC Tournament semifinal game at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium last Saturday. LSU, which trailed the Gamecocks, 8-0, heading into the bottom of the fourth inning, recorded its biggest comeback win since May 7, 2016, when the Tigers overcame a 9-1 deficit to defeat Arkansas, 10-9 (10 innings), in Alex Box Stadium … Milam hit .476 (10-for-21) in the SEC Tournament with two doubles, two homers, seven RBI and six runs, and he was voted to the all-tournament team.

• LSU shortstop Michael Braswell III lined a two-out RBI single in the top of the ninth inning Thursday night to break a 10-10 and lift the Tigers to an 11-10 SEC Tournament win over South Carolina. Braswell, who at played South Carolina for two seasons before transferring to LSU last summer, delivered the game-winning hit against his former team as he slapped a single down the left-field line that helped propel LSU into the tournament semifinal round … Braswell hit .381 (8-for-21) for the entire SEC Tournament with two homers, six RBI and eight runs, and he was voted to the all-tournament team.

• LSU right-hander Luke Holman fired six hitless innings last Wednesday, and the Tigers blasted two grand slams in an 11-0 SEC Tournament win over Kentucky ... Holman (9-3) blanked the Wildcats through his six-inning outing, allowing no hits with two walks and seven strikeouts ... he threw 100 pitches in the outing, 63 for strikes … Holman was voted to the SEC All-Tournament team.

• LSU left-hander Gage Jump limited Georgia to one run on four hits in 7.0 innings last Tuesday, as the Tigers posted a 9-1 win over the Bulldogs in the opening round of the 2024 SEC Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium ... Jump (6-1) tied his season high on Tuesday by firing 105 pitches, 75 for strikes … he allowed just one run on four hits in seven innings with one walk and seven strikeouts, and he was voted to the all-tournament team.

The Rundown on Wofford:

The Wofford Terriers fought in order to get to the NCAA Tournament after winning seven games in just five days to take home the Southern Conference Tournament Championship last week.

LSU will face off against the Terriers on Friday with many capable of overlooking the opponent. Wofford is as impressive as it gets at the plate and has proven that towards the backend of the season.

Success at the Plate: Marshall Toole is the name to know

If there is one player to keep tabs on ahead of Friday's showdown against Wofford, it's First-Team All-SoCon selection Marshall Toole.

The Terriers leadoff hitter attains a whopping .383 batting average with 15 doubles, 10 triples, nine home-runs, 37 walks and 42 stolen bases on 45 attempts this season.

He's Wofford's go-to guy when a big play is needed and will be a player to monitor in the lineup come Friday at 11a.m. CT.

More to Know: Batting Average and On-Base Percentage

Wofford comes in as the No. 3 program in America in batting average and on-base percentage, but when on-base, it's even more important to monitor the runners.

The Terriers are ninth in the country in stolen bases per game, largely in part because of Toole's success, but there are other impressive weapons.

Wofford will be a threat in the North Carolina Regional with patience at the plate, efficiency when on-base and a veteran lineup that is dialed in with postseason play in full swing.

Other LSU News:

Report: USC Football Tried To Back Out Of Week 1 Contest Against LSU

NCAA Tournament Bound: LSU Baseball's Regional Site Revealed on Monday

The Betting Odds: What are LSU's Chances of Winning the College World Series?

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