Postseason baseball has made its way back to Baton Rouge for the first time since 2023, with four squads looking to survive and advance to the College World Series, and put their name in the history books of National Champions.
The hosting LSU Tigers are no stranger to postseason success, hosting their 28th Regional in program history, their first since their 2023 National Championship win.
The Tigers are anchored by a duo of aces in Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson, with both players in the top-five in the nation in strikeouts. The duo gives LSU a chance to beat anyone in the country with them on the mound, and righty Kade Anderson is ready to attack the postseason.
“I think as a kid you dream of these moments, and we’re looking forward to the fans coming out and really helping us out out there,” Anderson said.
The team facing off against LSU on Friday, the Little Rock Trojans, also bring a strong presence on the mound, and the Ohio Valley champs will look to shock the world and win the Baton Rouge Regional.
Senior Right-Hander Jackson Wells will take the mound Friday for the Trojans, coming off of a complete game win against Southern Indiana which sparked the Trojans OVC Tournament win.
Trojans Head Coach Chris Curry spoke on the keys to Wells’s success against the Tigers.
“He’s got something for every style of hitter and every situation,” Curry said.
From Trojans to Patriots now, the number two seed in the Baton Rouge Regional, Dallas Baptist, will look to avenge their loss to LSU earlier this year; in their 11th straight Regional appearance they look to win their first Regional since 2021.
With the patriots ranked 16th in the country in home runs, Dan Heefner’s squad will look to slug their way through Baton Rouge, and the veteran squad bring a measured but powerful approach in the box, making them dangerous in all facets.
They’ll start their Regional journey in the opposite dugout from the number 3 seed Rhode Island Rams, making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2016.
The Rams have stuffed the stat sheet offensively this year behind their patient approach at the plate, drawing the ninth most walks in the nation this year with 342, while also hitting over .300 as a team.
While the pitching has been touch and go for the Rams, they’ve found some consistency as of late, only allowing six runs in their Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament win, led by Graduate lefty Trystan Levesque.
“He can throw four pitches for strikes,” Head Coach Raphael Cerrato said. “He’s a competitor, he’s pitched against a lot of really good teams.”
These four school will do battle starting on Friday, with LSU taking on Little Rock and DBU taking on Rhode Island, with all four teams looking to start their postseason off strong.
