BATON ROUGE - LSU baseball will begin their 2025 season on Friday afternoon in their first of a three-game weekend series against Purdue Fort Wayne in Alex Box. 

Head Coach Jay Johnson enters his fourth season at the helm of LSU baseball. The Tigers are No. 2 in Baseball America's preseason rankings.

LHP Kade Anderson will get the start on the mound for the Tigers. In 2024, Anderson's record was 4-2 with a 3.99 ERA in his 38.1 innings pitched. He also struck out 59 batters and walked 20. 

Friday's matchup will mark the first meeting between LSU and Purdue Fort Wayne, which is a member of the Horizon League. Last season, Purdue Fort Wayne had a 19-37 overall record including a 11-19 record in conference play.

LSU has won 23 consecutive season-opening games. The Tigers’ last loss in a season opener was on February 10, 2001, when LSU was defeated 9-8 by Kansas State.

The Tigers feature seven returning position players with starting experience at LSU, including senior third baseman Michael Braswell III, senior outfielder Josh Pearson, junior first baseman Jared Jones, junior outfielder Ethan Frey, sophomore shortstop Steven Milam, sophomore outfielder Ashton Larson, and sophomore outfielder/left-handed pitcher Jake Brown.

First pitch for Friday's matchup in Alex Box is set for 2 P.M., with start times of 11 A.M and 1 P.M. on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

All three games will be streamed live on SEC Network+ and broadcast on LSU Sports Radio.