Brothers Austin and Aaron Nola, former LSU baseball stars and Baton Rouge natives, are set to face off in the National League Championship Series that begins at 7:03 p.m. CT Tuesday in San Diego, where the Padres play host to the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of a best-of-seven series.
Austin Nola, who played shortstop at LSU from 2009-12, is the Padres’ starting catcher, and Aaron Nola, who pitched at LSU from 2012-14, is an ace right-hander for the Phillies’ staff. The brothers were teammates at LSU for one season, as they helped lead the Tigers to the 2012 SEC championship and a berth in the NCAA Super Regional.
Austin Nola, in his third season with the Padres after making his MLB debut in 2019 with Seattle, batted .251 this season for San Diego with 15 doubles, four homers, 40 RBI and 40 runs scored.
Austin Nola earned All-America and All-SEC recognition at LSU, and he helped lead the Tigers to the 2009 College World Series title. He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2012 NCAA Baton Rouge Regional and the Most Valuable Player of the 2010 SEC Tournament. He played in 233 career games (219 starts) for LSU, batting .296 (236-for-797) with 49 doubles, six triples, 14 home runs, 155 RBI, 164 runs and 11 stolen bases.
Aaron Nola, a 2018 NL All-Star, helped lead Philadelphia this season to its first postseason appearance since 2011, recording an 11-13 mark and a 3.25 ERA in 205 innings with 29 walks and 235 strikeouts. He registered the most strikeouts with fewer than 30 walks in Major League Baseball history. Nola, the Phillies’ first-round draft choice in 2014, is in his eighth MLB season in Philadelphia.
Aaron Nola enjoyed a brilliant three-year (2012-14) career at LSU, compiling a 30-6 mark and a 2.09 ERA in 332 innings with 42 walks and 345 strikeouts. He was a two-time first-team All-American, and he is the only two-time winner of the Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Year award, receiving the honor in both 2013 and 2014.
LSU will also be represented in the American League Championship Series that starts on Wednesday night in Houston, where the Astros will play host to either the New York Yankees or the Cleveland Guardians.
Former LSU shortstop Alex Bregman, a two-time MLB All-Star, is the Astros’ starting third baseman, and he could be joined in the ALCS by another former LSU infielder, Yankees’ second baseman DJ LeMahieu, who has won batting titles during his career in both the American and National Leagues.
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