The LSU baseball team is looking to earn a second-straight College World Series championship, and the schedule that could get them there is out.
There are several key games to note going into the 2026 baseball season. It all starts on Feb. 13 as the purple and gold take on Milwaukee in Alex Box Stadium.
Here are the games to keep an eye on as the season gets closer.
Opening weekend
A date with the Panthers at the ballpark will open the season for LSU. Milwaukee finished the 2025 baseball season with a .552 win percentage in conference play and played a harsh non-conference schedule. The Bayou Bengals might be battle-tested early.
In a three-game series versus South Carolina, the Panthers held the Gamecocks to two close games, despite the loss. When Milwaukee took on Purdue Fort Wayne, which LSU faced in last season’s opening weekend, the Panthers topped Fort Wayne in both games with a combined score of 13-2.
In addition to the battle-tested Milwaukee team from 2025, the Panthers look to add six promising freshmen to the staff. Notable recruits include left-handed pitcher and outfielder Riley Golden and utility player Peter Visconti.
Golden looks to contribute from both sides of the ball and is expected to significantly develop athletically throughout his freshman season. Visconti brings in promising high school stats with a 1.91 pop time behind the plate and gap-to-gap power offensively.
Non-conference
Another significant nonconference game for the Tigers includes Notre Dame.
LSU tackles Notre Dame on Feb. 21 in the Jax College Baseball Classic in Jacksonville, Florida. In 2025, the Fighting Irish finished the season with a win percentage of over .600 and were battle tested, playing notable teams like Louisville, Clemson, Virginia Tech and Stanford.
Despite finishing conference play sub .500, Notre Dame finished second in the ACC Tournament and was only swept once during conference play. Notably, the Fighting Irish completed a sweep of the University of California and Stanford, and took the series from Louisville and the University of Miami.
SEC play
Conference play is where everything gets exciting for LSU.
The Tigers open at another baseball-savvy school, Vanderbilt, a few weeks before heading to a newer SEC rival, Tennessee. LSU will also go on back-to-back weekends, playing the historically tough Ole Miss and Texas A&M teams. LSU will end SEC play against the Florida Gators.
In 2025, Vanderbilt only dropped 18 games in the regular season, 11 of which were in the tough SEC.
The Commodores completed sweeps of Texas A&M, Florida, Georgia and Kentucky, and took the series from in-state foe Tennessee, who were the 2024 World Series Champions. A&M was the preseason No. 1 team in the country, but Vanderbilt’s sweep was a significant resume boost.
In the Tigers’ second week of SEC play, they will head to Knoxville to tackle the Vols at home. LSU and Tennessee met in the 2023 postseason twice, and the Vols swept the Tigers in 2024.
In 2025, the Tigers walked off Game 1 with a Jared Jones home run after 1 a.m. Game 2 went to the Vols before LSU took Game 3 in a dominant run-rule victory.
This rivalry is just heating up, and with the history brewing between the Vols and the Tigers, it will be a series to watch.
Later in conference play, LSU will take on Ole Miss and Texas A&M.
Ole Miss put together a solid season in 2025, but the Rebels have always been tough for LSU. In 2025, Ole Miss ended the Tigers’ run in the SEC tournament in a hard-fought game but was ultimately eliminated in the NCAA Tournament regionals.
After LSU runs through Oxford, it will face a vengeful Texas A&M, especially after the Tigers knocked them out of playoff contention and the SEC tournament in a single victory.
With that in mind, the Aggies won’t be an easy sweep for LSU.
The Tigers will end SEC play against the Gators at home. Playing at the Box gives LSU an edge, but the last time Florida came to the bayou, the Tigers were hit hard.
Despite a solid start to the series, LSU fell flat in the latter two games of the series. The Gators took a late lead in the 11th inning of Game 2 to even the series and achieved a run-rule victory in Game 3.
LSU will be looking to continue the streak it started in the 2025 postseason, and the Gators will be in the way right when wins matter most.
In the hunt for a third national championship in four years, the Tigers have their work cut out for them next season. With the spotlight on so many big weekends in the SEC, LSU will find out what it’s made for early and often.
Head coach Jay Johnson and the rest of his staff will want to keep the Tigers hot as their test begins on Feb. 13 at Alex Box Stadium.
