When the No. 19 LSU baseball team opens its weekend series at 6 p.m. on Friday at Auburn’s Plainsman Park, LSU will be in the unusual position of one spot out of last place in the Southeastern Conference’s West division standings.
“The way we start out Friday, if we can a get a [win] on Friday,  will set the tone for the whole weekend,” said sophomore pitcher Alex Lange. “I’m just going to go out there, pound the strike zone early and try to go deep into the game to save the bullpen as much as possible.”
LSU (16-8, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) sits ahead of only Auburn (12-13, 1-5 SEC) and is tied with Ole Miss for fifth in the West after two series, but LSU is only two games behind first place.
Against Auburn, LSU hopes it can find a way to improve on hitting, its players said.
LSU currently ranks eighth in the SEC in batting average at .295.
LSU’s ability to hit with runners in scoring position has been its biggest problem against SEC competition. LSU is batting 11-of-61 against SEC opponents with runners on second or third base, and hit four of 35 in the category during its four in-conference losses.
In LSU’s most recent outing, and loss, against Tulane, LSU had as many hits as the Green Wave but six fewer runs.
“Against Tulane, we kind of played dead out here,” Lange said. “It kind of started when we arrived, and we weren’t really in the right mindset. We cannot keep going through the motions.”
While LSU has struggled at the plate as the season has
progressed, Auburn has not.
Auburn is second in the SEC and ninth in the nation in batting average at .326, and fifth in the SEC, with 21 home runs.
“They have really good hitters,” said junior pitcher Jared Poche’. “Their leading hitter
[junior outfielder Anfernee Grier] is a really good hitter. I played with him before
college. One through nine, they are pretty solid. So, we will have our hands full. I am looking forward to that.”
To cool off the Auburn bats, LSU is starting right-handed Lange (2-1) on Friday for just the second time this season, LSU coach Paul Mainieri said
Thursday.
“[Lange] has overpowering stuff and gives us a chance to have a good start to the series,” Mainieri said. “He’s a true ace, and I just think it is time for him to be the Friday night guy.”
While Auburn’s hitting has been a potent force, Auburn’s pitching has been a source of troubles. 
Auburn is No. 13 in the SEC in ERA, No. 13 in strikeouts, No. 12 in runs allowed and No. 11 in
opponent’s batting average.
In recent years, LSU has had success against Auburn,
defeated them in nine of the last 10 outings and in 19 of their last 26 meetings.
LSU won three of the four meetings against Auburn last season, including a 9-8 victory in the SEC Championship Tournament.
Despite the recent dominance against Auburn and the tough SEC start, LSU is not letting the pressure control them, said junior shortstop Kramer Robertson.
 “We need to take it one pitch at time,” Robertson said. “We have all been playing this game for 14 to 15 years. It is just a game… We are going to focus on what we need to do to be successful and that will lead to us being successful overall. We trust each other and block out all outside things.”