By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
BATON ROUGE — LSU head baseball coach Jay Johnson’s biggest takeaway from the No. 2 Tigers 4-0 opening weekend was confirmation rather than a discovery.
His team has depth, talent and versatility, giving him more lineup variations than last season’s national championship team.
“Our depth allows us to take care of our guys (health),” said Johnson, whose team opens a four-game series playing Northern Illinois on Thursday and Saturday and Stony Brook on Friday and Sunday. “Versatility is a strength. It gives us a lot of flexibility figuring out who’s going to play in the lineup, and it’s taking a while right now.”
For instance, the sizzling debut of true freshman second baseman Steven Milam who started the last two games last weekend and batted .545 as LSU’s leadoff hitter allowed Johnson to shift junior Josh Pearson back to the outfield where he started last season.
“Going around the field, (catcher/designated hitter) Brady Neal could easily go to the outfield if we wanted to do that,” Johnson said. “I have no problem rolling (first baseman) Jared (Jones) over to the third (base) and (third baseman) Tommy (White) over to first.
“Josh can play second and the outfield, Steven and (shortstop) Michael Braswell III can play virtually all the infield spots, Mac (Bingham) and Paxton (Kling) can play different outfield spots, (outfielder) Jake Brown can go to first.”
Johnson is shuffling his starting pitching order this weekend.
Gage Jump, the transfer from UCLA who sat out last season recovering from Tommy John surgery, will get his first start as a Tiger.
The sophomore lefty was electric last Friday closing out LSU’s game 1 win by retiring VMI in order in the ninth. He struck two batters and threw six strikes in his eight pitchers in his first live game action in 22 months.
“It felt really controlled out there,” Gage said. “There was a lot of people (in the stands), but my heart really wasn’t beating too fast.
“We’ve (he and the LSU coaches) have been conservatively kind of ramping me up. Now I’m able to start and get some innings in there, I’m super pumped.”
Junior righthander Thatcher Hurd, one of LSU’s best hurlers in its stretch run a year ago, will be the second-game starter on Friday although he was knocked out of the box by VMI as the opening day starter. Hurd gave up 5 hits and 4 runs in 2.2 innings.
Alabama transfer Luke Holman, who started last weekend’s game two and struck out 10 in 5.1 innings, in a 2-0 win over Central Arkansas, will start Game 3 on Saturday.
Johnson hasn’t decided on a starter for Sunday’s Game 4.
THIS WEEKEND’S PITCHING MATCHUPS
LSU (4-0) vs. Northern Illinois (1-3)
(Today, 2 p.m., SEC Network+)
LSU: LH Gage Jump (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.0 IP, 0 BB, 2 SO)
Northern Illinois: TBA
Series: LSU leads 12-5
LSU vs. Stony Brook
(Friday, 2 p.m., SEC Network+)
LSU: Jr. RH Thatcher Hurd (0-0, 13.50 ERA, 2.2 IP, 1 BB, 4 SO)
Stony Brook: TBA
Series: Tied 2-2
LSU vs. Northern Illinois
(Saturday, 1 p.m., SEC Network+)
LSU: Jr. RH Luke Holman (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5.1 IP, 1 BB, 10 SO)
Northern Illinois: TBA
LSU vs. Stony Brook
(Sunday, 1 p.m., SEC Network+)
LSU: TBA, Stony Brook: TBA
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com