By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
AUSTIN, Texas. – Who’s been LSU’s Most Valuable Portal addition so far?
It’s hard to say as the No. 2 Tigers (21-1 overall, 3-0 SEC, sporting a 16-game win streak, head to No. 5 Texas (17-2, 3-0 SEC) for LSU’’s biggest early season in a three-game series starting tonight.
Three transfers – junior second baseman Daniel Dickinson (Utah Valley), junior centerfielder Chris Stanfield and senior catcher Luis Hernandez (Indiana State) have cracked the starting lineup.
Junior pitcher Anthony Eyanson (UC San Diego) is part of the Tigers’ starting rotation while junior reliever Zac Cowan (Wofford) is one of the most dependable arms coming out of the bullpen.
They all have their merits, yet Dickinson has affected LSU’s defense and offense. He’s solidified the Tigers’ infield by allowing last year’s second baseman Steven Milam to move to shortstop and he’s hitting .368 and ranking second on the team in home runs (6) and RBI (28).
“If I had to describe myself as a player, it would just be someone who works hard, runs around the field, causes chaos, brings energy, plays with the chip on his shoulder,” Dickinson said. “I’m the underdog who plays with hair on fire. I embrace that mentality. It’s just who I am.”
If you want Cinderella stories, Dickinson is as good as it gets.
Despite being a self-proclaimed late bloomer at Kennewick (Wash.) High – “My freshman year, I was 5-4, 160 pounds and ran an 8-second 60-yard dash,” he said – Dickinson developed into a multi-sport athlete. He played point guard in basketball, wide receiver and safety in football, but hit .525 as a shortstop his senior year for a state championship runner-up squad.
His only college recruiting interest from a Division 1 program came from Utah Valley, a Western Conference Athletic school in Oren, Utah.
Then second-year Utah Valley head coach Eddie Smith, hired after two seasons as LSU’s hitting coach under Paul Manieri, offered Dickinson a spot as a preferred walk-on.
In two seasons at Utah Valley, he hit .369 with 27 homers, 33 doubles and 95 RBI. He had the itch to play at the highest level of D1 and became familiar with LSU because of all of Smith’s Tigers’ memorabilia in his office.
When Dickinson played on Team USA last summer, it was a self-affirmation he needed to enter the transfer portal. He called LSU head coach Jay Johnson and Johnson returned the call from the Cape Cod League where he was watching some of his players.
“We talked for like 45 minutes,” Johnson said of Dickinson, who ranked No. 2 among Baseball America’s top 100 college transfers. “I was walking around a forest next to the field, and I had mosquito bites all over me. I was locked into talking baseball because he’s a baseball guy. It wasn’t a normal recruiting conversation. Some guys play baseball, and then there’s ball players.”
Dickinson made LSU his only visit.
“It was a no-brainer,” he said. “I committed on the spot.”
A combination of excellent strength and nutrition programs developed Dickinson into a 200-pounder with increased pop in his bat.
Despite LSU having a multi-million hitting laboratory with all the latest technology, Dickinson remains old school in his honig approach at the plate.
“I’m not really a metrics guy, I’m just a guy who watches videos,” Dickinson said. “My Mom has never missed a game I’ve played and she videos all my at-bats. You’ll see her up in the parents’ section videoing my at-bats.”
Dickinson immediately bonded with Milam. They’ve quickly developed into a formidable double-play duo.
“We have fun playing baseball,” Dickinson said of Milam. “We kind of just enjoy being out there together. We take pride in our defense, both of us.
LSU veterans like senior Josh Pearson appreciate Dickinson’s infusion of positivity.
“Every time you look up, Danny’s doing something crazy out there on defense or hitting an oppo (opposite field) home run,” Pearson said. “He brings the energy in the dugout. He’s cheering for everybody. He’s the first one on the step whenever you do something good.”
No. 2 LSU (21-1, 3-0 SEC) at No. 5 Texas (17-2, 3-0 SEC) on Disch-Falk Field, Austin
SCHEDULE/PITCHING MATCHUP
Game 1: Today, 7 p.m. CT, SEC Network)
LSU –So. LH Kade Anderson (4-0, 2.57 ERA, 28 IP, 48 SO, 8 BB)
TEXAS – Sr. LHP Jared Spencer (2-0, 2.36 ERA, 26.2 IP, 36 KO, 10 BB)
Game 2: Saturday, 6 p.m. CT (SEC Network+)
LSU –Jr. RH Anthony Eyanson (3-0, 3.90 ERA, 27.2 IP, 40 SO, 6 BB)
TEXAS – RS Jr. LH Luke Harrison (2-0, 2.08 ERA, 21.2 IP, 24 SO, 10 BB)
Game 3: Sunday, 2 p.m. CT (SEC Network+)
LSU – RS So. RH Chase Shores (4-0, 3.80 ERA, 23.2 IP, 27 SO, 10 BB)
TEXAS – Fr. RH Jason Flores (2-0, 1.42 ERA, 12.2 IP, 9 SO, 2 BB)
LSU-TEXAS SERIES: Texas leads the series 26-14-1 that began in 1899. LSU has won the last two meetings. Last year, the Tigers won 6-3 on the opening day of the Astros Foundation Classic in Houston’s Minute Maid Park. In Austin in 2023, LSU’s Gavin Dugas hit a three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning for a 3-0 victory. The Tigers also beat Texas in two of three games to win the 2009 College World Series, scoring an 11-4 win in game three.
A LOOK AT LSU: LSU has won 16 straight games, the longest winning streak for the Tigers since the 2017 College World Series runner-up squad won 17 straight. The Tigers lead the SEC in hitting with a .345 average. Left fielder Derek Curiel, the league’s co-Freshman of the Week, is second in the SEC in hitting (.434), second in on-base percentage (.578), tied for sixth in runs scored (29), and tied for first in walks (23). First baseman Jared Jones leads the SEC in hits (36), is tied for fourth in hitting (.424), is tied for fourth in RBI (34), tied for third in doubles (9) and is tied for sixth in home runs (8). LSU’s pitching staff is sixth in the league in ERA (3.32).
A LOOK AT TEXAS: Texas is No. 10 in the SEC in team batting average (.296). Texas is led at the plate by second baseman Ethan Mendoza, who’s hitting .413 (eighth in the SEC) with three triples, four homers and 15 RBI. Catcher Ryan Galvan is hitting .326 and leads the team in homers (6) and RBI (18). The Longhorns’ pitching staff is fourth in the SEC with a 3.22 ERA.
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com