BSB PREVIEW: Top-10 Battle On the Bayou Awaits #4/6 Vols

BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 4/6 Tennessee is gearing up for another top-10 road series as it prepares to take on No. 3/7 LSU this weekend at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge.

The Vols and Tigers enter this weekend’s series down on the bayou with identical 12-6 SEC records, sitting in a tie for third place in the conference standings.
The Vols and Tigers enter this weekend’s series down on the bayou with identical 12-6 SEC records, sitting in a tie for third place in the conference standings.

BROADCAST INFO

Friday’s series opener will be streamed live on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app with Lyn Rollins (PxP) and Ronnie Rantz (analyst) calling the action. Games two and three of the series will both be televised as Dave Neal (PxP) and Todd Walker (analyst) will have the call on ESPNU and the SEC Network for Saturday and Sunday’s contests.

Fans can also listen to the official radio broadcast, featuring the Voice of Tennessee Baseball John Wilkerson, on the Vol Network (FM 99.1 / AM 990) as well as on UTSports.com, the Tennessee Athletics Mobile App and the Varsity App.

PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS

Game 1 – Friday (7:30 pm):   
UT: LHP Liam Doyle (10 GS, 7-1, 2.48 ERA)
LSU: LHP Kade Anderson (10 GS, 6-1, 3.92 ERA)

Game 2 – Saturday (8 pm):
UT: RHP Marcus Phillips (10 GS, 2-3, 2.96 ERA)
LSU: RHP Anthony Eyanson (10 GS, 6-1, 3.52 ERA)

Game 3 – Sunday (3 pm):
UT: TBD
LSU: TBD

SERIES HISTORY

Vols vs. Tigers
Overall: Tigers lead, 63-33
in Knoxville: Vols lead, 21-20
in Baton Rouge: Tigers lead, 38-9
at Neutral Sites: Tigers lead, 5-3
Last 10 Meetings: Vols lead, 6-4
Last Meeting: W, 4-3 on May 26, 2024, in Hoover, Ala. (SEC Tournament Championship Game)

Despite playing in opposite divisions prior to this season, Tennessee and LSU have become quite familiar with one another in recent years, having played 15 times since the start of the 2021 season. Six of those 15 meetings have come during postseason play (two in SEC Tournament, two in NCAA Super Regional, two in CWS), with the Vols holding a 4-2 mark in those contests.

UT will be looking to earn its first series win in Baton Rouge since 2009.

NOTABLE

Road Success Under Vitello
A consistent theme with Tony Vitello‘s Tennessee teams has been their success away from home in conference play. After going 3-12 on the road with no series wins in his first season at the helm in 2018, the Vols have won multiple SEC road series five times since 2019 including four or more series victories in 2021 (5), 2022 (4) and 2024 (4). UT has a 53-46 overall record on the road in SEC play under Vitello with 19 series wins in that span.

SEC Series Wins vs. Ranked Foes
During the Vitello era, Tennessee has played 42 SEC series against ranked teams and has won 27 of those series with a 73-53 overall record. Since 2021, the Vols are 22-6 in such series with a 57-27 overall record, including nine series wins. Against top 10 foes during SEC conference weekends, UT has claimed 11 series victories under Vitello while posting 34 total wins against top-10 SEC opponents in the regular season.

Doyle Continues to Dominate
Tennessee ace Liam Doyle is having an All-American caliber junior season for the Vols and has arguably been the most dominant starting pitcher in the country through 10 weeks.
After a rocky first inning, Doyle rebounded to spin yet another gem last Friday night against Kentucky, striking out nine in seven innings of work to improve to 7-1 on the year. The junior lefthander allowed just one hit over six scoreless innings following the Wildcats’ two runs on three hits in the opening frame.
For the season, Doyle boasts a 7-1 record and a 2.48 ERA in his 10 starts while leading the country in strikeouts (104) and ranking second in strikeouts per nine innings (16.14). Doyle has reached double-digit strikeouts five times this season, including twice in SEC play. His 2.48 ERA ranks second in the league while his seven victories lead the SEC and rank eighth nationally.

Cannon Coming On Strong
Cannon Peebles has begun to turn a corner offensively for the Vols, batting .357 with 10 hits, four home runs and eight RBIs in the team’s last 10 games. The junior backstop recorded three hits in back-to-back SEC games, doing so in the series finale at Ole Miss before following that up with another three-hit day in the opening game against Kentucky last Friday. In that win over the Wildcats, the switch-hitting Peebles homered from both sides of the plate and finished with a season-high four RBIs.

OPPONENT SCOUT

LSU Tigers (34-8, 12-6 SEC)

• 2024 Record: 43-23 (13-17 SEC)
• 2024 Postseason: NCAA Chapel Hill Regional (3-2)
• Highest Ranking: 3 (Perfect Game)
• D1Baseball Ranking: 7
• 2025 SEC Preseason Poll: 4^th
• Head Coach: Jay Johnson
  • Overall Record: 488-242 (13^th year)
  • Record at LSU: 171-70 (4^th year)
• Preseason All-Conference Selections (4):
  • 1B Jared Jones (1^st team)
  • SP Kade Anderson (1^st team)
  • RP: Gavin Guidry (1^st team)
  • 2B Daniel Dickinson (2^nd team)

  • ON DECK

    The Big Orange return to Knoxville for their final homestand of the regular season. UT hosts Northern Kentucky on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the first of nine consecutive home games at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.