HawgBeat – How to Watch Arkansas vs LSU, Starting Pitchers (SEC Tournament)

The 2-seed Arkansas Razorbacks (40-15) will continue SEC Tournament play when they take on the 3-seed LSU Tigers (43-13) in the winner’s bracket third round at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday.

Arkansas gained an 11th-inning walk-off home run Wednesday from Kendall Diggs to defeat Texas A&M, 6-5. The Razorback bullpen performance from Zack Morris and Will McEntire came up clutch, as the pair threw a combined nine innings and allowed just two runs.

LSU saw starter Thatcher Hurd go 5 ⅓ innings and give up a 4-spot in the sixth inning as the Tigers cruised past South Carolina 10-3, on Wednesday morning.

“Well, they were really good when we played them, and I think they’re really good now,” Van Horn said of LSU on Wednesday. “I think they’re as talented as any team in the country, and they’re dangerous. They’re very offensive.

“No lead is safe. If we have a lead, we know that we’ve got to keep scoring. But they’re obviously a really, really good team, number one, pretty much 88, 85, 90 percent of the season, and I just think it’ll be a good ballgame. I think both teams are looking forward to playing each other.”

Arkansas left-hander Hagen Smith will make his first career SEC Tournament start against the Tigers. He pitched 4 ⅔ relief innings against LSU back in March, when he allowed three runs on five hits and struck out eight while walking three. Arkansas won that game 9-3 in 10 innings.

LSU will start right-handed SEC Pitcher of the Year Paul Skenes, who pitched seven innings against the Razorbacks in the regular season series in Baton Rouge, when he fanned 12 batters and allowed one run on two hits.

“He’s incredible,” Van Horn said of Skenes. “They’ve got a lot of good arms.”

HawgBeat will have you covered with live updates, stats, commentary and much more throughout the game, and you can check out details on how to watch, starting pitchers, starting lineups when they’re posted, notes and more below:

Who: 2-seed Arkansas Razorbacks (39-15) vs. 3-seed LSU Tigers (43-13)

When: 4:30 p.m. CT

Where: Hoover Metropolitan Stadium — Hoover, Alabama

Stream/Online: SEC Network (Tom Hart & Chris Burke)

Radio: Learfield Razorback Sports Network (Phil Elson & Bubba Carpenter)

Arkansas LHP Hagen Smith (8-1, 2.56 ERA) vs. LSU RHP Paul Skenes (10-1, 1.76 ERA)

~ Arkansas was ranked No. 4 in this week’s D1Baseball Top 25 rankings, while LSU checked in at No. 5.

~ LSU leads the all-time series 77-39 and has a 10-3 advantage in SEC Tournament games against the Razorbacks.

~ The last postseason meeting between these two came in the 2018 SEC Tournament semifinals, when LSU won 2-1.

~ Since joining the SEC in 1992, Arkansas is 39-44 in the SEC Tournament and it won the tournament for the first and only time in 2021.

~ Arkansas is looking for its first win against LSU in Hoover since 2013, as it has lost the last six against the Tigers in Hoover.

~ There is one team Arkansas has never played in the SEC Tournament — the Missouri Tigers.