South-Carolina
Is LSU baseball a worthy top-8 seed in the NCAA tourney? 5 takeaways from South Carolina series
The Tigers lost the series opener on a walk-off wild pitch on Thursday, 6-5, but bounced back with an 8-1 win on Friday and a 7-3 victory on Saturday.
Here are five takeaways from LSU’s seventh series victory in Southeastern Conference play.
Is LSU worthy of a top-eight seed in the NCAA Tournament?
The Tigers finished the regular season with a 42-13 overall record, a 19-11 record in SEC play and a tie for third place with Vanderbilt for the best record in the toughest conference in the sport.
LSU is also No. 8 in RPI after Saturday and No. 7 in KPI following Friday’s games — KPI is another results-based rating system used by the selection committee. It’s gone 20-11 against Quads 1 and 2, and has more wins than all but six teams against Quad 1.
Thursday’s loss to South Carolina may have affected the Tigers’ chances of being the No. 1 team in the country in next week’s polls. But the defeat hasn’t altered the fact that this team deserves to host a regional and super regional at Alex Box Stadium.
How much does the SEC Tournament matter for LSU’s NCAA tourney seeding hopes?
A win or two in Hoover as the No. 3 seed will only help the Tigers’ odds of earning a top-eight seed in the NCAA Tournament. But even if they lost to No. 6 Auburn, No. 11 Mississippi State or No. 14 Texas A&M on Friday, it’s still hard to imagine them not earning that coveted bid in the NCAA tourney.
Besides LSU’s strong metrics, the perception around the Tigers’ play throughout the second half of this season has been strong. They entered this week as the No. 1 team in the country according to every poll and have won four of their last five series in SEC play.
There’s a strong argument to be made that a team’s spot in the NCAA Tournament should be based on merit alone. But since the selection committee is made up of human beings and not robots, national perception and how well a program is playing lately play a big role in determining a team like LSU’s fate as a top-eight seed.
Jake Brown’s strong play against righties
The sophomore outfielder started just one game this weekend, but Brown mashed the ball when he got his opportunities to dig into the batter’s box against South Carolina.
The Louisiana native went 5 for 8 with a home run and two doubles against the Gamecocks. He came off the bench on Thursday and Friday — both nights where South Carolina started a left-hander on the mound — before going 3 for 5 at the plate on Saturday.
Like with junior Ethan Frey against left-handers, Brown has clearly found his stroke versus righties. Trying to find playing time between those two and senior Josh Pearson will be something to continue to monitor as LSU heads into the postseason.
Given Pearson’s playoff history and experience, the Tigers will need all three of them to contribute in June in order to get to Omaha.
Evaluating the weekend for LSU’s top pitchers
It wasn’t a perfect series for LSU’s top arms.
Sophomore left-hander Kade Anderson allowed just one earned run in 6⅔ innings, but freshman right-hander Casan Evans, junior right-hander Zac Cowan and junior right-hander Anthony Eyanson struggled to varying degrees throughout the weekend.
Cowan was hit hard for the third time in three weeks on Thursday, allowing three earned runs and four hits in 1⅔ innings. He also walked a batter and hit another before allowing the walk-off run to score on a wild pitch in the ninth inning.
LSU had a two-run lead in the eighth when he entered the game.
“I don’t know if they were mistake pitches or they put good swings on it,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said, “but you’ve got to give them credit.”
Evans and Eyanson didn’t scuffle nearly as much, but neither were at their sharpest against the Gamecocks.
Evans walked a batter and barely threw more than half of his 27 pitches for strikes on Friday, and Eyanson admitted on Saturday that he didn’t have his best stuff, eventhough he only gave up two earned runs.
Eyanson walked three batters and only had five strikeouts against the lowly Gamecocks.
“I was waiting for an outing like that to happen where I didn’t have my best stuff and just had to mentally grind,” Eyanson said.
The top of the order gets going
LSU’s attack is at its best when freshman Derek Curiel, junior Daniel Dickinson and junior Jared Jones are clicking on all cylinders. And that was on display this weekend, especially on Saturday.
It was a big weekend for Dickinson and Jones. Jones went 6 for 13 with three home runs, moving to third on LSU’s all-time homers list on Friday. Dickinson was 5 for 12 and blasted a homer on Thursday and Saturday.
Curiel, LSU’s leadoff hitter, joined the party on Saturday after going 0 for 8 with a walk through the first two games of the series. He bounced back with a 3 for 5 performance in the series finale.
“I just tuned some things up, made some adjustments mentally,” Curiel said, “and just locked back into my plan and just had fun.”
South-Carolina
LIVE: SC AG Alan Wilson, state, national leaders hold press conference on statewide drug busts
Statehouse Reporter Mary Green will have more on this tonight.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – South Carolina Attorney General and other officials will be holding a press conference Friday at 9:30 a.m. to talk about statewide drug busts.
Wilson is set to be joined by South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel, representatives from the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security, as well as several local sheriffs and other law enforcement partners.
Watch the full press conference in the video above.
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The University of South Carolina’s 2026 football schedule has been unveiled, it was announced tonight on the SEC Network.
The Gamecocks’ 2026 schedule features nine regular-season SEC contests, with five games at home and four on the road. The schedule also includes non-conference games versus Kent State and Towson as part of the seven-game home slate, and a non-conference road contest at Clemson.
After opening the season with three-consecutive home games for the first time since 2014, the Gamecocks will alternate home and road contests throughout the remainder of the schedule. The 2026 schedule features just one open date which will come on week 7 (October 17).
As announced on Monday, the Gamecocks will open the season on Sept. 5 by hosting Kent State. Carolina drubbed the Golden Flashes in its only previous encounter, a 77-14 decision in 1995. Kent State finished the 2025 season with a 5-7 mark overall and a 4-4 record in the Mid-American Conference.
Week 2 will see the Towson Tigers make their first trip to Williams-Brice Stadium. The Tigers compete in the FCS Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) and posted a 6-6 record in 2025 under head coach Pete Shinnick.
The Gamecocks begin their nine-game SEC gauntlet on Sept. 19 when Mississippi State visits Columbia. Carolina has won eight of the last nine meeting with the Bulldogs including a 37-30 win in 2023, the only contest played between the two schools since 2016. The Gamecocks lead the all-time series by a 10-7 margin. Mississippi State is one of seven teams on Carolina’s 2026 schedule that is playing in a post-season game this year.
The Gamecocks first road trip of the 2026 season takes them to Tuscaloosa on Sept. 26 for a date with the Alabama Crimson Tide, one of four teams on South Carolina’s 2026 slate that will appear in this year’s College Football Playoffs. It will mark the third-consecutive season that Carolina and Alabama have squared off, with the Tide narrowly winning the previous two – 27-25 in Tuscaloosa in 2024 and 29-22 in Columbia in 2025.
The Gamecocks and Kentucky Wildcats will meet in Columbia on Oct. 3. The teams met in Williams-Brice Stadium on Sept. 27, 2025, with Carolina prevailing by a 35-13 score, its fourth-straight win in a series they lead 22-14-1.
Carolina wraps up the first half of the season at Florida on Oct. 10. The Gamecocks and Gators met every year on the gridiron from 1992-2023 but have not played in either of the last two seasons. Florida holds a commanding 31-10-3 lead in the all-time series including a 17-2 advantage when playing in The Swamp. Carolina’s last win in Gainesville came in overtime the 2014 season.
After an open date on Oct. 17, the Gamecocks will return to action at home on Oct. 24 against the Tennessee Volunteers. Like Florida, the Gamecocks and Vols met every year from 1992-2023 but have not played in either of the last two seasons. Tennessee leads the all-time series by a 29-13-2 count including a narrow 10-8-2 advantage when the game has been played in Columbia.
The Gamecocks will spend Halloween in Norman playing the Oklahoma Sooners. The teams had never met prior to OU joining the SEC but have played each of the past two seasons with each team winning on the others’ home field.
The Bonham Trophy will be at stake on Nov. 7 when Texas A&M visits Williams-Brice Stadium. The Gamecocks and Aggies have met every year since A&M joined the SEC in 2014. The Aggies hold a 10-2 advantage in the all-time series, but the Gamecocks have won each of the last two meetings in Columbia.
The Gamecocks will travel to Fayetteville, Ark. for just the second time since 2013 when they tangle with the Arkansas Razorbacks on Nov. 14. South Carolina has won three of the last four games with the Hogs, but Arkansas clings to a 14-10 advantage in the all-time series.
The second-longest running series in school history behind only Carolina-Clemson, the Carolina-Georgia rivalry gets renewed on Nov. 21 when the Bulldogs make their way to Columbia from Athens. Georgia has won 55 of the previous 76 meetings between the flagship schools from neighboring states, with the Gamecocks last win coming in 2019.
The 2026 regular season comes to an end on Nov. 28 when the Gamecocks and Clemson Tigers meet in the annual Palmetto Bowl. The 2026 meeting will take place in the Upstate, where the Gamecocks have won each of their last two visits.
SEASON TICKETS
Whether you’ve been attending games for years or want to experience the magic for the first time, it’s not too early to secure your season tickets for the 2026 season. Season tickets are available for as low as $65 per game with a 10-month payment plan option available. Fans interested in purchasing season tickets for the first time, can place a season ticket deposit today for only $50 plus fees or fill out our season ticket interest form to receive more information. Current season ticket holders will receive information soon on how to renew their tickets for the 2026 season and can contact their Gamecock Club Account Representative today to enroll in the 10-month payment plan. For more information on ticket options for the 2026 season, visit 2026 Football Hub.
2026 SOUTH CAROLINA FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Sept. 5 vs Kent State
Sept. 12 vs Towson
Sept. 19 vs Mississippi State*
Sept. 26 at Alabama*
Oct. 3 vs Kentucky*
Oct. 10 at Florida*
Oct. 17 OPEN DATE
Oct. 24 vs Tennessee*
Oct. 31 at Oklahoma*
Nov. 7 vs Texas A&M*
Nov. 14 at Arkansas*
Nov. 21 vs Georgia*
Nov. 28 at Clemson
*-SEC game
Nebraska is targeting ex-South Carolina offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley for an offensive staff role, according to the Omaha World-Herald’s Sam McKewon. The role itself is still to be determined.
Teasley spent three seasons as the Gamecocks’ offensive line coach. He had been with the program since 2021, serving as an offensive analyst. He assumed on-field coaching duties for the program in 2022.
Teasley was let go by South Carolina in October, ending his time with the program.
In addition to his coaching role, he was a strong recruiter for the Gamecocks. He most recently landed Darius Gray, the top interior offensive line recruit in the 2026 class. He was also able to land four-star offensive tackle Kamari Blair for the class as well.
Nebraska football has undergone several changes on offense over the last couple of days. They hired former Georgia Tech offensive line coach Geep Wade for the same position on Saturday, following the firing of Donovan Raiola.
The program is making sweeping changes on both sides of the football. Adding Teasley to the staff would be important for the program, which needs to be better prepared across all areas.
Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes and opinions.
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