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LSU baseball vs Sacramento State: Pitching matchups, preview and prediction

By Bailey Adams

Jun 16, 2015; Omaha, NE, USA; LSU Tigers pitcher Alex Lange (35) throws against Cal State Fullerton Titans during the seventh inning in the 2015 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. LSU won 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 16, 2015; Omaha, NE, USA; LSU Tigers pitcher Alex Lange (35) throws against Cal State Fullerton Titans during the seventh inning in the 2015 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. LSU won 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Pitching matchups, preview and predictions for the LSU baseball team’s series with the Sacramento State Hornets.

After a season-opening sweep of Cincinnati at Alex Box Stadium last weekend, LSU dropped its midweek game to Lamar, 12-11, after leading 8-0 early. Now, the Tigers (3-1, 0-0 SEC) return home to open up a three-game series with Sacramento State (3-1, 0-0 WAC).

Opening weekend started slowly for LSU before it mounted two comebacks on Friday night in a 12-inning victory over Cincinnati. The Tigers then cruised to wins on Saturday and Sunday before picking up their first loss at Lamar on Wednesday night.

Sacramento State started off the season strong last weekend, taking two out of three from Auburn after dropping the first game of the series. The Hornets extended their winning streak to three with a 4-2 win at Northwestern State on Wednesday.

Below are the pitching matchups for the weekend, as well as a look at the key players to watch for each team:

Pitching Matchups:

Friday (2/26)- Sacramento State: Sam Long (0-1, 4.50 ERA), LSU: Jared Poche (0-0, 2.70 ERA)
Saturday (2/27)- Sacramento State: Grant Kukuk (0-0, 1.93 ERA), LSU: Alex Lange (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
Sunday (2/28)- Sacramento State: Max Karnos (0-0, 15.00 ERA), LSU: John Valek III (1-0, 3.18 ERA)

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Players to Watch:

Sacramento State

Matt Smith- In his first four collegiate games, Smith is hitting .467 (7-for-15) with two doubles and seven RBIs.

Kody Reynolds- Having played in all four games so far, Reynolds is second on the team with a .313 average (5-for-16) while leading the team with four walks.

Andrew McWilliam- McWilliam is hitting just .222 (4-for-18) in four games this season, but he has one home run, four stolen bases and four runs scored.

Tyler Beardsley- The senior right-hander has appeared in three games this season, working a total of six innings while giving up just two hits and no runs. He has picked up a save in two of the Hornets’ three wins this season.

LSU

Cole Freeman- The JUCO transfer from Delgado Community College is off to a hot start in 2016, hitting .429 (6-for-14) with three RBIs in the Tigers’ first four games

O’Neal Lochridge- Lochridge has started his college career with a bang, hitting .300 (3-for-10) in his first three games (two starts) with two home runs and five RBIs.

Jordan Romero- The JUCO transfer out of LSU-Eunice came through in the clutch last weekend, picking up a game-tying single in the ninth inning of Friday night’s game before delivering the walkoff single in the bottom of the twelfth. He has only appeared in two games (one start), but he is hitting .750 (3-for-4) with a home run and four RBIs. He will start behind the plate on Friday night.

Alex Lange- The 2015 National Freshman Pitcher of the Year picked up right where he left off last Saturday. He tossed six and two-thirds shutout innings while allowing just one hit in LSU’s 4-0 win over Cincinnati. He gets the start on Saturday afternoon against a Sacramento State lineup that has scored 22 runs in four games while hitting just .247.

Pitching matchups favor the Tigers once again this weekend. Sacramento State has struggled on the mound throughout the first four games of 2016, having pitched to a 4.15 ERA as a team. Poche and Lange match up well with nearly any staff in the nation on Friday and Saturday nights, while Valek will get another shot at cementing himself as the team’s Sunday starter when the series wraps up with game three. After blowing a huge lead on Tuesday, the bullpen will need to respond this weekend, but the offense has shown flashes early on in the season.

Prediction:

LSU pitches like they did last weekend while the offense stays hot and takes advantage of the Hornets’ pitching woes on the way to a three-game sweep.

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