LSU starting pitchers Gage Jump and Luke Holman delivered gems to get the Tigers rolling with two wins at the SEC Tournament, combining for 205 pitches, 14 strikeouts, 4 hits, 1 run and three walks.
LSU entered the SEC Tournament in need of a win to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament, and the defending College World Series Champions delivered.
The Tigers, slotted as the No. 11 seed, knocked off No. 6 seed Georgia 9-1 on Tuesday before run-ruling No. 3 seed Kentucky 11-0 on Wednesday.
With No. 10 seed South Carolina’s upset over No. 2 seed Arkansas on Wednesday, the Tigers both stay in the winner’s bracket and draw a double-digit seed.
On deck: a matchup with the Gamecocks on Thursday, with first pitch set for 4:30 p.m. CT in Hoover. The game will be aired on the SEC Network, while radio coverage of the matchup is available on the LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates.
LSU head coach Jay Johnson announced Thatcher Hurd will be LSU’s starting pitcher against South Carolina.
LSU has been on fire to close out the season, winning four of the program’s past five SEC series and posting a 10-5 mark over the final five weeks of the SEC slate.
With SEC Tournament wins over Georgia and Kentucky in the books, LSU is 17-5 over the past 22 games.
LSU moved to 38-20 on the year with Wednesday’s win over the Wildcats and are now expected to not just land in the NCAA Tournament, but grab a No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the regional rounds. Kentucky, the 2024 SEC regular-season co-champion, dropped to 39-13 this season with the loss to the Tigers.
A win over South Carolina on Thursday would move LSU beyond Friday’s matchups and into Saturday’s single-elimination game at 12 p.m. A win on Saturday would then punch LSU’s ticket to Sunday’s SEC Championship Game at 2 p.m.
A loss to the Gamecocks would give LSU’s the program’s first defeat in Hoover, meaning the Tigers would take the field for Friday’s double-elimination round – which would match LSU up with the Wildcats after Kentucky knocked off Arkansas on Thursday.
Click here for the full SEC Tournament Bracket
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