By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
Four wins by No. 2 ranked LSU in a five-day Texas road trip.
LSU head baseball coach Jay Johnson was in the same position a year ago.
That’s when a win at Rice and victories over No. 14 Texas, UL-Lafayette and Texas State in the Astros Foundation Classic ran the No. 2 Tigers record to 11-1 with six non-conference games left before the start of SEC play.
Starting last Wednesday with a 7-3 win over No. 17 Dallas Baptist in Globe Field in Arlington, followed by wins over Kansas State, Nebraska and Sam Houston State in the Frisco (Texas) College Classic, No. 2 LSU is currently 11-1 with six remaining non-conference games left before hosting Missouri on March 14 in the opening game of the first of 10 SEC series.
Johnson was giddy last season when the Tigers marched through Houston. Two weeks later, LSU lost the first of five straight SEC series, including four to top 10 ranked teams, before rebounding to eventually lose to North Carolina in the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional championship game.
Sunday after disposing of Sam Houston State, ending the Tigers’ stay in the Dallas area, Johnson was content on what he’s seen so far from a deeper, more talented team than last season.
“We don’t have to rely on pitching, we don’t have to rely on the offense,” Johnson said. “It’s a well-rounded team with high character guys. It’s a bunch of really good players growing in the right mindset you need to win tough games against really good teams.”
The Tigers hit .346 in the four-game Texas swing, pounding out 63 hits. Because LSU stranded 47 runners – the Tigers were 18 for 63 (.285 batting average) with runners in scoring position – they just kept chopping wood believing LSU’s pitching would shut the door just enough.
Fourteen Tigers’ pitchers (four starters, 10 relievers) combined for a 5.31 earned run average with a 42 to 22 strikeout to walk ratio. The pitching staff is a work in progress.
LSU outfielder Josh Pearson was voted the Most Outstanding Player of the Frisco College Classic. He hit .667 (6-for-9) in three games with three doubles, two RBI, seven runs, and a .769 on-base percentage.
“Whenever I’m not in the lineup, I try to stay as ready as I can,” Pearson said.
Here’s what happened in the Lone State visit:
LSU 7, No. 17 Dallas Baptist 3:The Tigers led from start to finish and learned some things along the way last Wednesday.
First and foremost is true freshman left fielder Derek Curiel should be the Tigers’ leadoff hitter until further notice.
Curiel, who batted second in the lineup in six of LSU’s first seven games, debuted as leadoff hitter vs. Dallas Baptist. He reached base five times in six plate appearances – 2-for-3 with one double, three runs, two walks and one hit-by-pitch.
“I like to work my at-bats,” said Curiel, the D1 Baseball.com SEC Preseason Freshman of the Year, who has batted .466 with 4 RBI and 3 walks since hitting leadoff.
LSU 8, Kansas State 5 (10 innings): In their opening game of the Frisco College Classic on Friday, the Tigers made two spectacular defensive plays in the bottom of the ninth inning to send the game into extra innings.
K-State third baseman Dee Kennedy attempted to score from first base on DH Seth Dardar’s one-out double into left field, but he was thrown out at the plate. LSU left fielder Pearson fielded the ball deep in the left-center field gap, spun and fired it to shortstop Steven Milam, who threw a perfect strike to catcher Luis Hernandez for the home plate tag out of Kennedy.
Then, with Dardar at second base, K-State right fielder Nick English hit a sharply hit ground ball to the right side. LSU second baseman Daniel Dickinson made a diving stop and threw English out at first base to end the inning.
Dickinson had a huge game with six RBI, including a three-run homer in the seventh and a two-run single in the top of the 10th.
“I play with big chip on my shoulder,” said Dickinson, a junior transfer from Utah Valley who hit .381 with team highs of nine RBI and two homers on the Texas trip. “People have doubted me my whole life. I’ve always been an underdog.”
LSU 11, Nebraska 6: The Huskers held a 5-0 lead entering the top of the fourth inning on Saturday, but the Tigers scored 10 runs in the next four innings.
Designated hitter Pearson went 4-for-5 with three doubles (tying LSU’s single-game record for doubles), one RBI and three runs.
“I have a peace of mind when he’s at the plate with runners on base,” Johnson said of Pearson. “I just trust him.”
LSU 12, Sam Houston State 8: Spurred by a 7-run second inning starting with Milam’s leadoff homer and concluded with designated hitter Ethan Frey’s three-run homer, the Tigers got early control and held on.
“Our team has been very tough-minded in how our players have approached each day,” Johnson said after Sunday’s win. “Today was a great example of that. We had a great, emotional game Saturday night, and I wanted to see how they would respond today. I don’t think it could have been better.”
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com