By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
BATON ROUGE — When you win 17 straight games and seem like you may never lose, and the balloon of invincibility suddenly pops with two straight road losses at a nationally-ranked SEC opponent, it’s easy to lose perspective.
By and large, LSU’s pitching staff, particularly the relievers, absorbed most of the blame for the then-No. 2 Tigers dropping Games 2 and 3 at then-No. 8 Texas last weekend to lose the series.
What is overlooked is that 10 of the 13 LSU pitchers who saw action – three starters and 10 relievers – had never pitched to a single batter in an SEC road game before last weekend vs. the Longhorns.
“The best coach any player ever has is playing time and experience,” said LSU head coach Jay Johnson, whose now No. 8-ranked Tigers (22-3 overall, 4-2 SEC) open a three-game SEC home series here tonight at 7 p.m. against unranked Mississippi State (16-9, 1-5). “It gets lost sometimes because of talented players, but they haven’t been there (in certain situations). They have to get out there to get better. It’s totally by design to put them out there and get better.”
Johnson has enough veteran players who understand how to handle the peaks and valleys of playing in college baseball’s toughest conference.
“Last weekend didn’t go how we wanted,” said LSU junior first baseman Jared Jones, who’s hitting .422 after batting .400 in the Texas series and then launching a grand slam homer in LSU’s nine-run first inning in an eventual 17-4 seven-inning run rule win over UL-Lafayette on Tuesday. “But we talk as a team about how you respond to failure.
“It’s a big thing, not just in baseball but life. Coach Johnson does a great job teaching us about. There’s a way to respond, and we pride ourselves in doing that.”
LSU still leads the SEC in batting average (.338), hits (290), and doubles (68). Johnson has tinkered very little with the Tigers’ batting order in an offense that can score many ways.
There’s the plate discipline of freshman left fielder leadoff hitter Derek Curiel, who has been on base in all 25 games; the power of two-hole hitter Jones who leads the team in home runs (8) and RBI (37); and the clutch hitting of three-hole batter Daniel Dickinson, the junior second baseman who tops the squad in slugging percentage (.679).
Curiel, Jones and Dickinson have scored 31 runs each, not only a testimony to their skills but also to the eight and nine-hole batters senior third baseman Michael Braswell and junior center fielder Chris Stanfield for their speed and bunting skills.
“One thing I like about our offense is we have plenty of power,” Johnson said. “We don’t have to sell out to get to power.”
No. 8 LSU (22-3 overall, 4-2 SEC) vs. Mississippi State (16-9, 1-5 SEC) in Alex Box Stadium, Baton Rouge
SCHEDULE/PITCHING MATCHUP
Game 1: Today, 7 p.m. CT (SEC Network)
LSU –So. LH Kade Anderson (5-0, 2.65 ERA, 34 IP, 56 SO, 8 BB)
MISSISSIPPI STATE – Jr. RH Evan Siary (0-0, 2.31 ERA, 11.2 IP, 3 BB, 15 SO.
Game 2: Friday, 6:30 p.m. CT (SEC Network+)
LSU –Jr. RH Anthony Eyanson (3-0, 4.50 ERA, 32 IP, 46 SO, 8 BB)
MISSISSIPPI STATE– Sr. LHP Pico Kohn (4-0, 2.52 ERA, 35.2 IP, 53 KO, 7 BB).
Game 3: Saturday, 2 p.m. CT (SEC Network+)
LSU – RS So. RH Chase Shores (4-1, 4.88 ERA, 27.2 IP, 30 SO, 12 BB)
MISSISSIPPI STATE – Sr. RH Karson Ligon (2-3, 4.76 ERA, 22.2 IP, 32 SO, 9 BB)
LSU-MISSISSIPPI STATE SERIES: Mississippi State leads the overall series with LSU, 212-196-1. LSU has won 13 of the past 17 SEC regular-season series with the Bulldogs. MSU has captured consecutive series over the Tigers. LSU won nine straight series over MSU from 2007-15, but the teams have split the last eight series from 2016-24 (no series in 2020).
A LOOK AT LSU: LSU is No. 1 in the SEC in team batting average with a .338 mark. The Tigers are also No. 1 in the league in hits (290), No. 1 in doubles (68), No. 2 in on-base percentage (.462), and No. 3 in runs scored. First baseman Jared Jones leads the SEC in hits (43) and is No. 3 in RBI (42), No. 3 in total bases (76), No. 4 in in doubles (10), No. 4 in batting average (.422), No. 7 in slugging percentage (.784) and No. 10 in on-base percentage (.516). Left fielder Derek Curiel, who has reached base safely in all 26 of LSU’s games this season, is No. 3 in the SEC in on-base percentage (.566), No. 3 in walks (26), No. 5 in batting average (.418), No. 7 in doubles (9) and No. 7 in hits (38). . .Pitchers Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson rank No. 3 and No. 5 in the league with 56 and 46 strikeouts, respectively.
A LOOK AT MISSISSIPPI STATE: MSU is No. 5 in the SEC in team batting average (.314), and has 55 doubles, four triples, 38 homers and 32 steals in 36 attempts. The Bulldogs’ pitching staff is No. 4 in the league with a 3.39 ERA and has recorded 291 strikeouts in 207.0 innings. Designated hitter Noah Sullivan tops the Bulldogs with a .395 batting average with eight doubles, four homers, and 22 RBI. Infielder Ace Reese leads MSU in doubles (8), homers (8), and RBI (34).
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com