Who: LSU (53-10) and TCU (49-13)
When/Where: 2:00 p.m. at TD Ameritrade Park | Omaha, Nebraska
Television: ESPN
Radio: WDGL-FM 98.1 (Baton Rouge)
Series History/Last Meeting: LSU holds a 6-1 series lead against TCU with the last win coming in a three-game sweep of the Horned Frogs in 1994.
LSU’s last game: Senior catcher Kade Scivicque jumpstarted a stagnant Tiger offense with a monstrous solo home run in the top of seventh, giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead that they wouldn’t relinquish against UL-Lafayette. LSU went on to score four runs in the top of the eighth and another run in the top of the ninth for a 6-3 win, clinching a sweep of the Baton Rouge Super Regional. Sophomore lefty Jared Poche’ produced another strong showing on the mound with seven strikeouts in 7 ⅔ innings.
TCU’s last game: It was a wild one that appeared wouldn’t end, but the Horned Frogs finally outlasted Texas A&M, 5-4, in 16 innings in Game 3 of the Fort Worth Super Regional. With men on second and third and two outs in the top of the 16th, freshman catcher Evan Skoug ripped an 0-1 pitch down the third baseline, which bounced off Aggies third baseman Ronnie Gideon’s glove. As TCU senior second baseman Garrett Crain ran through a stop sign at third base, Gideon’s throw to the plate got away from Texas A&M catcher Michael Barash, allowing the game-sealing run to score. Redshirt sophomore reliever Mitchell Traver record the win, tossing four shutout innings with six strikeouts.
LSU starting lineup:
RF Mark Laird (.323 avg., 23 RBI, 1 HR)
LF Jake Fraley (.308 avg., 34 RBI, 2 HR)
SS Alex Bregman (.312 avg., 49 RBI, 9 HR)
C Kade Scivicque (.347 avg., 45 RBI, 6 HR)
3B Conner Hale (.343 avg., 56 RBI, 4 HR)
CF Andrew Stevenson (.356 avg., 21 RBI, 1 HR)
1B Chris Chinea (.355 avg., 58 RBI, 11 HR)
DH Chris Sciambra (.309 avg., 27 RBI, 3 HR)
2B Jared Foster (.284 avg., 34 RBI, 9 HR)
TCU starting lineup:
CF Cody Jones (.371 avg., 33 RBI, 5 HR)
1B Jeremie Fagnan (.267 avg., 25 RBI, 4 HR)
DH Connor Wanhanen (.320 avg., 37 RBI, 1 HR)
C Evan Skoug (.286 avg., 44 RBI, 7 HR)
LF Dane Steinhagen (.282 avg., 23 RBI, 0 HR)
3B Derek Odell (.303 avg., 39 RBI, 3 HR)
SS Keaton Jones (.256 avg., 39 RBI, 2 HR)
RF Nolan Brown (.314 avg., 30 RBI, 5 HR)
2B Garrett Crain (.271 avg., 28 RBI, 1 HR)
Pitching matchup:
LSU – LHP Jared Poche’ (9-1, 2.91 ERA, 69 SO, 23 BB, .249 b/avg.)
TCU – RHP Preston Morrison (11-3, .255 ERA, 86 SO, 21 BB, .233 b/avg.)
LSU player to watch: junior shortstop Alex Bregman
After starting the postseason 0-for-15, the All-American finally came through in a critical moment of Game 2 of the Baton Rouge Super Regional, driving a two-out, two-RBI single up the middle in a 1-0 game in the top of the eighth. A hot start from Bregman, who is second on the team in slugging percentage .534, in the College World Series could go a long way in the Tigers’ hopes of a seventh national championship.
TCU player to watch: senior centerfielder Cody Jones
The Big 12 Player of the Year and sixth round draft pick brings a nice combination of plate discipline and pop. While his RBI numbers aren’t gaudy, he leads the team in runs, hits, batting average, total bases, walks and slugging percentage. Sitting at the top of the order, Jones is a tone-setter for the Horned Frog offense and is a threat to steal bases, recording 31 on the year.