LSU Baseball head coach Jay Johnson spoke to the media Thursday morning as his team faces No. 6 Tennessee this weekend.

Johnson pointed out how with an upcoming opponent like Tennessee, it is important to understand its mindset.Tennessee (33-7, 12-6 SEC), the defending champions of the College World Series, looks to come into Alex Box Stadium with its eyes set on a series win, after delivering its two worst offensive performances of the season against Kentucky (23-15, 8-10).

Just like how the Volunteers are on a losing streak, the Tigers are, too. After suffering a 7-4 loss to Alabama on Saturday and one of the most disappointing games of the season with a 13-3 loss to Northwestern State on Tuesday, LSU is in a dire need of a win to help them maintain its ranking within the top 10.

With Johnson noting how talented this Volunteer team is, such as its big arms on the mound and strong at bats, he understands how important this matchup is and expressed to his team how despite its worst performance on Tuesday against Northwestern State, it must focus on what’s ahead.

“In baseball, you have to master the ability to move forward,” Johnson said. “My position as a leader obviously I analyze … everything. I think the good thing about young people and young players is they have the ability to do that.”

No.7 LSU (34-8, 12-6) is looking to focus its eyes on its individual players. With talented arms like LHP Conner Ware and RHP Casan Evans, Johnson believes his team can compete with the best of the best within the SEC. In order to come out with a series win, LSU must shift its focus on how they perform on the mound.

“It’s never about who we play, it’s about how we play,” Johnson said.

“We need our pitchers to be themselves. Our guys do what they do very well. At least the guys who throw the majority of the innings. We’ll rely on that this weekend.”

No. 7 LSU will play No. 6 Tennessee in a top 10 SEC matchup at Alex Box Stadium starting Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT.