No. 1 LSU gets ready to host No. 12 Kentucky for 3-game SEC series

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Fans could experience more of the excitement they saw two weeks ago when No. 1 LSU hosts another ranked SEC team for a three-game series that starts Thursday, April 13.

Jay Johnson’s Tigers took the series from then-No. 10 Tennessee with wins in the first two games. His crew improved to 20-1 vs non-conference opponents by blowing past Tulane on Tuesday.

“It’s the best thing in the world; I mean, being able to come up, the first pitch of the game, and kind of show you what LSU’s got is something I don’t take for granted and I just love every aspect of it,” said LSU second baseman Gavin Dugas. “I just love the fact that we keep winning. I mean, that’s all that I care about. And any way I can contribute is what I try to do. At the end of the day, like, it’s awesome to be able to succeed in those moments for your team. I’m just glad there’s a ‘W’ at the end of the game.”

Dugas is the leadoff batter for the Tigers and was 2-for-5 with one RBI and one run against the Green Wave. He hit a two-run homer in the series against the Vols in the fifth inning and has 10 home runs on the season, which is good enough for second on the team behind Tommy White, who has 11.

Brayden Jobert had the game-tying RBI and laser that plunked off the top of the wall, bouncing back on the field but ruled a homer, as LSU rallied from a 3-2 deficit to defeat Tulane, 11-5.

The enthusiasm and chemistry this team enjoys have been evident, but Johnson said it’s not something he takes for granted entering a series with 27-5 Kentucky.

“As we’re going through this right now, you know, regardless of wins and losses, this is like a team you want to coach forever, because of what you’re saying,” said Johnson. “I mean, there’s guys that could play every day almost anywhere else, even in our league. They’re not just accepting the role they have, they’re embracing it. And I think they know what they have together. And going back to the leadership thing, it’s held at a really high level. You know, you can have a lot of peace of mind and work on the things you need to work on because that’s being done at such a high level. I don’t think that’s talked about enough.”

LSU ace Paul Skenes will face a Cats team that ranks top 10 in getting hit by 72 pitches and sacrifice bunts with 30. Game 1 is slated to start at 6 p.m.

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