The LSU baseball team surged into the national rankings Monday on the strength of a nine-game win streak, including back-to-back Southeastern Conference series sweeps.

The Tigers (32-16-1 overall, 12-11-1 SEC) are ranked No. 22 by Baseball America magazine, No. 22 by USA Today/ESPN and No. 23 by Collegiate Baseball magazine.

LSU last appeared in the Baseball America poll on March 27, 2006, when the Tigers were ranked No. 16.

LSU last appeared in the Collegiate Baseball and USA Today/ESPN polls on April 17, 2006. The Tigers were No. 27 in the Collegiate Baseball poll and No. 18 in the USA Today/ESPN rankings.

LSU has recorded consecutive three-game sweeps over South Carolina and Kentucky to move into first place in the SEC Western Division. The Tigers are a half-game ahead of Ole Miss and Alabama in the division race with six conference games remaining.

The six straight SEC wins marked the first time LSU has recorded consecutive conference sweeps since 1998, when the Tigers swept Arkansas and Kentucky.

LSU resumes SEC action this weekend when the Tigers open a three-game series versus Mississippi State at 7 p.m. Friday in Alex Box Stadium.