After taking care of business against Tennessee in the Fayetteville Super Regional, the OmaHogs will face a familiar foe in LSU in the first round of the College World Series. The last time the two teams met was in Baton Rouge, where the Tigers won two of three games. Now, the Hogs and Tigers will square off in Omaha, Nebraska.
Previewing LSU
The Tigers have had an impressive season, finishing with a 48-15 overall record and a 19-11 mark in SEC play, which placed them third in the conference just one game behind Arkansas. LSU is hitting .299 as a team with 101 home runs. Jared Jones leads the Tigers in homers and RBI with 20 and 70, respectively. Freshman Derek Curiel has been a standout at the plate, leading the team with a .347 batting average and a .473 on-base percentage. He also tops LSU with 50 walks this season, showing patience at the plate.
On the mound, LSU has a 3.82 team ERA and has held opponents to a .220 batting average. Ace Kade Anderson has led the charge, posting a 3.58 ERA with 163 strikeouts. The Tigers have allowed just 46 home runs all season and have recorded 710 strikeouts compared to 439 hits allowed. Casan Evans has been a reliable bullpen option, logging a 1.90 ERA over 47 1/3 innings while limiting hitters to a .225 average.
Previewing the OmaHogs
Arkansas continues to produce at the plate, carrying a team batting average of .313 with 124 home runs. Logan Maxwell has surged into the team lead in batting average, now hitting .360. The Aloy brothers have been key contributors as well, especially Wehiwa Aloy. He leads the team with 20 home runs and ranks second with 64 RBI. Wehiwa is also a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award and is the only one of the three finalists still playing. His younger brother, Kuhio Aloy, leads the Hogs with 70 RBI on the season.
The Arkansas pitching staff has been lights-out, not allowing more than five runs in a game since May 16 against Tennessee. Zach Root has been outstanding in recent outings, entering the CWS with a 3.59 ERA, a team-high 119 strikeouts, and just 31 walks. In his latest start, Root threw seven innings of one-hit, two runs with six strikeouts, and Gabe Gaeckle shut the door over the final two frames to secure the win in game one of the Super Regional.
Broadcast Information
The OmaHogs and LSU will meet at Charles Schwab Field on Friday, June 14. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. CST on ESPN.