Who does LSU play in the first round of the College World Series? Taking a deep dive into the Tennessee baseball roster

The LSU Tigers have done well in the 2023 college baseball postseason as they have advanced to the College World Series after dominating the Kentucky Wildcats in a sweep to get to Omaha, Nebraska.

Their next test begins with the Tennessee Volunteers, who were able to bounce back from a Game 1 loss in the Super Regional round to the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles to win the next two games and advance.

But what is the scouting report on the Tennessee Volunteers and how are they playing? What weaknesses can the LSU Tigers take advantage of so they can win this game?

What will the LSU Tigers lineup do against the Tennessee Volunteers pitching staff?

The Tennessee Volunteers have one of the greatest collections of pitching in the entire NCAA as they are second in the country with a 3.57-team ERA thus far. They also have been able to get to strike three consistently, ranking second in the nation with 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

Andrew Lindsey is the Volunteers' top starting pitcher but was hit in Game 1 of the Super Regional round against Southern Mississippi. In that game, he only lasted four innings and gave up four runs on six hits with a walk and five strikeouts.

With the stakes even higher and going up against a more potent lineup, things will likely be different for him results-wise. However, the bullpen only allowed one run in their five innings of the game.

How will the LSU Tigers pitching staff handle this Tennessee Volunteers lineup?

The LSU Tigers' pitchers have been excellent throughout the year and are going to need to continue that if they want to win. The Volunteers are not an amazing team at getting hits, ranking down at 123rd in college baseball with a .284 team batting average. Despite that, they are scoring an amazing 7.62 runs per game.

Despite not hitting for average, this lineup has a lot of pop as they are sixth in the country with 125 home runs as a team. They have spread the wealth too as five different players have hit at least 12 home runs this season and that is going to be a lot more difficult to navigate.

Power pitching facing off against power hitting is going to make for an explosive matchup.