Nothing beats the feeling of opening week. There is a new energy resonating from Alex Box Stadium across campus this season, due in large part to the arrival of first year Head Coach Jay Johnson. LSU is hosting Maine in a three game series this weekend to kick off his era as the Tigers’ manager, so let’s walk through the what, when, how, and whos to watch for the weekend and beyond.
LSU vs. Maine, Alex Box Stadium:
When to watch:
Friday: 6:30 p.m.
Saturday: 1:30 p.m.
Sunday: 1:00 p.m.
How to watch:
All three games will be available via ESPN streaming on SECN+. LSU will be featured on network television 12 times this season: seven on SECN, one on ESPN2, one on ESPNU, and three on AT&T Sportsnet (Shriners’ Hospital for Children College Classic in Houston). Single game tickets may be purchased via the LSU ticket office. Student admission to any home game is free throughout the regular season.
LSU’s Schedule:

Schedule wise, there is good news and bad news. The bad news is LSU will play all preseason top-5 teams at some point this season (Texas, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Ole Miss), and only one of those matchups will be in the Box (Ole Miss). That’s without mentioning another tough road trip to Florida, the team’s first true road series of the campaign, and hosting a gritty Georgia team.
The good news is LSU will have every opportunity to prove themselves to the selection committee come time for the SEC Tournament. Winning any four of those six SEC series should put LSU in a solid position for a national seed and a super regional at home. While the non-conference slate could be a bit stronger, participating in the Shriners’ Classic this season will give them a good barometer for where the team is at when it plays solid Big 12 teams in Oklahoma and Baylor and powerhouse Texas, while giving the team adequate time to get acclimated to the season before the SEC gauntlet begins.
As far as Maine this weekend, the Black Bears did not make the NCAA tournament last season, bowing out of the America East tournament to LSU’s favorite mid-major northeastern program, Stony Brook. They ranked T-183^rd in runs last season with 256 (LSU had 414) and T-100^th in ERA with a team 4.76 (LSU had a team 4.53). Maine’s star was ace pitcher Nicholas Sinacola, who posted a staggering 2.04 ERA in 79.1 IP, but he was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB Draft. They now replace him and their other two most effective pitchers. With the talent LSU has, anything other than wins over this team would look bad on their resume.
What to watch for:
1. How will the pitching perform? 
Johnson finally revealed on Wednesday who will be taking the mound to start Friday and Saturday. Sophomore Blake Money will be the Tigers’ first pitcher of the season as he earns the start for Friday, and fifth-year graduate Ma’Khail Hilliard gets the call for Saturday. The Sunday starter is yet to be decided upon. However, Johnson has stressed the pitching performance is going to be a group effort from the staff, so Tiger fans might be wise to expect starters to go four to five innings instead of the usual seven. Who stands out could be the setup of who the key contributors will be on a team with so many arms.
“He has a lot of traits that you need to win,” Johnson said of Money. “He’s throwing a lot of strikes, competing at a high level. And for me, it’s more about the reliability of the person in terms of I think he’ll go handle the game well and get us off to a good start.”
 2. Can the team find some defensive consistency?
One of the hallmarks of good teams is consistent defensive play. Throughout the fall and spring, LSU has seen ups and downs in the field, but Johnson was complimentary of the team’s defensive play ahead of the first weekend.
“We’ve played defense at a really high level,” Johnson said. “I think the last four scrimmages, neither team has made an error, and that is a really good sign, because that’s something that can come to the park every day.”
On the infield, it should be a lot of Jordan Thompson and Cade Doughty in the middle at shortstop and second base, respectively. Jacob Berry should get a lot of time at third base, while Tre’ Morgan is a rock at first base, picking any throw out of the dirt.
“We always take ground balls together and making sure that me and him are lined up together,” Thompson said about their combo. “Whenever we’re doing stuff, we have a good feel. The chemistry is definitely there, and I think that’ll help a lot.”
The outfield should include Gavin Dugas and Dylan Crews in left and center field on a very frequent basis. The last spot is up for grabs. Giovanni DiGiacomo has great speed, and do-it-all utility man Drew Bianco can cover a lot of ground and has experience in the outfield, although maybe not for opening day due to a tweak in his hamstring two weeks ago. Johnson may opt for transfer Brayden Jobert in right field, who has shown some good range as well. With Alex Milazzo’s cannon of an arm behind the plate, hopefully LSU will show its ability to play good defense throughout the weekend.
3. How will Johnson organize his first batting lineups?
Johnson was still holding his lineup card close to his chest Wednesday. It’s been talked at length how flexible it could be the season, but no one quite knows what Johnson will run out with on Friday. Here’s my projected lineup:
Projected Lineup:
1B Tre’ Morgan
CF Dylan Crews
3B Jacob Berry
2B Cade Doughty
DH Cade Beloso
LF Gavin Dugas
RF Brayden Jobert
SS Jordan Thompson
C Alex Milazzo
With four potential left-handed bats in the top of the lineup (Morgan, Berry switch-hitting, Jobert and Beloso), I think it’s likely Johnson opts for this versatility. This hinges a lot on the success of Cade Beloso, who’s struggled the past two seasons but has hit the ball well throughout the preseason. Having Dugas, the team’s home run leader last season, in the six hole is a testament to how talented this LSU offense may prove to be. I would figure DiGiacomo, Bianco, Safford and McManus to be other potential names to crack this lineup over the weekend.