The 2023 opening weekend begins this Friday at Alex Box Stadium with a three-game series against Western Michigan and undoubtedly will be an unusual one.
This will be the first meeting between LSU and Western Michigan’s baseball programs in their respective histories. On top of that anomaly, the SEC has announced changes to multiple rules specifically for SEC conference games attempting to speed up the game.
Coming into the season as the No. 1 team in every preseason poll, LSU is the clear favorite to win and most would be surprised if they didn’t sweep the series. However, Western Michigan has valuable experience in the bullpen and returned most of it’s solid hitters from last season.
LSU will start with its new ace Paul Skenes on the mound and test him out as one of their Friday night starters. Western Michigan will redshirt junior right-hander Brady Miller. Miller redshirted last season after suffering an injury, but made 12 starts during the 2021 season. Dane Armbrustmacher gets the start Saturday for the Broncos and sophomore right-hander Ethan Houghtaling will start Sunday.
For LSU, Jay Johnson surprised many with his weekend rotation, electing to start the veteran left-hander Riley Cooper on Saturday and freshman right-hander Chase Shores on Sunday.
Western Michigan also had its top three hitters from last season return. The top prospect on the team is first baseman Cade Sullivan, the best returning hitter by average is third baseman Gavin Doyle, and outfielder Dylan Nevar led the team in home runs as a redshirt freshman with 11.
There is reason for intrigue in this matchup. Everyone will be looking to see just how good the 2023 Tigers are and whether they will live up to the hype. If it turns out to be a lopsided sweep, it could be the start of a record book season for the Tigers. If LSU struggles or Western Michigan steals a game on the road, the doubters will be screaming from the top of floats in New Orleans on Tuesday.
Either way, this will be the first test for the 2023 Tigers. The outcome could add fuel to their fire or be a huge wakeup call.
Although the new SEC rules will not be enforced this weekend because Western Michigan is not in the SEC, they will be enforced when LSU travels to Bryan-College Station to take on Texas A&M on March 17.
The new rules are as follows:
- Hitters have 30 seconds from the conclusion of the previous hitter’s play to start their at-bat
- Coaches have 30 seconds to visit the pitcher when they exit the dugout
- Position players visiting the pitcher have 30 seconds from when they leave their field spot
- Relief pitchers have 2 minutes and 30 seconds to enter the game and complete their warmup
- Mandate conference games end after seven innings if one team is ahead by 10 or more runs.
These changes to the rules are an effort to increase the amount of action fans see, shorten the length of games and increase the rate at which pitches are thrown, according to the SEC.
