Preview: McNeese State Cowboys at No. [Rank TBD] LSU Tigers

BATON ROUGE, La. (Interstat) — The undefeated and eighth-ranked LSU Tigers host in-state foe McNeese State on Tuesday night at Alex Box Stadium, looking to extend their perfect start against a Cowboys team seeking a signature win.

LSU (8-0) has opened the season with a dominant run, outscoring opponents 93-22. The Tigers are coming off an 11-0 road shutout of UCF on Sunday. A player to watch for LSU is right-hander William Schmidt, who started that game with five perfect innings, striking out seven. Over his last two appearances, Schmidt has thrown nine scoreless innings without allowing a hit.

The McNeese State Cowboys (2-5) have struggled early, dropping five of their last six games, including a three-game sweep by Kansas last weekend. Their lone bright spot in Sunday’s 6-1 loss to the Jayhawks was reliever Eric Nachtsheim, who delivered four shutout innings with one hit allowed and seven strikeouts. Nachtsheim, a key player to watch for the Cowboys, has not allowed a run in his last six innings of work.

The Tigers’ offense has been relentless, averaging 11.6 runs per game. Center fielder Derek Curiel went 3 for 4 with three RBIs in the win over UCF.

McNeese State will need its pitching to contain an LSU lineup that has scored at least nine runs in five of eight games. The Cowboys’ staff posted a 3.86 ERA in the loss to Kansas despite the defeat.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, LSU is projected to win 7-2.

Following Tuesday’s contest, LSU begins a four-game homestand against Dartmouth and Northeastern on Friday. McNeese State opens a three-game Southland Conference series at Nicholls State on Friday.