By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
BATON ROUGE – The iconic crooner Frank Sinatra understood SEC baseball parity long before anyone.
Like the opening lyrics of his song “That’s Life” from almost 60 years ago:
“That’s life,
That’s what all the people say,
You’re riding high in April, shot down in May,
But I know I’m gonna change that tune,When I’m back on top, back on top in June.”
’Ol Blue Eyes may have had his months reversed, but the sentiment is spot on for most of the 10 SEC’s ranked teams in D1 Baseball’s top 25 this week.
That’s the case for No. 9 LSU (31-6 overall, 10-5 SEC) as it begins the second half of conference play tonight at 7 vs. No. 15 Alabama (30-8, 8-7 SEC) in the opener of a three-game series in Alex Box Stadium.
LSU is tied for fourth with Georgia in the SEC standings, three games behind first-place Texas (13-2), two games behind second-place Arkansas (12-3), and one game behind third-place Tennessee (11-4). Alabama is tied with Vanderbilt for eighth place.
After LSU’s pitching staff allowed no earned runs in a sweep at Oklahoma two weekends ago, the Tigers got swept at Auburn last weekend when they hit an ice-cold .182 and scored a minuscule eight runs in the three losses.
“I don’t know if I’ve had a team play as close to its potential for as long as this team did, and I’m very proud of them for that,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said. “It’s just the game, and it caught up to us against a good team on the road. More series are going to be like that the rest of the way. It’s a good learning experience.”
Johnson said he used Monday’s practice and Tuesday’s pre-game batting practice before LSU’s 10-3 non-conference home win over McNeese as correction reminders to help with the Tigers’ struggling bats.
He pointed out his team’s 17-8 home win over Mississippi State on March 29 that clinched a series sweep as an example of how his team does its best at the plate. It had 15 singles among its 19 hits
“’This guy (MSU starter Karson Ligon) is throwing 98 (miles per hour),’” Johnson told his squad, “’and you guys are just tattooing in on a line. This is a very fundamental principle (of hitting) that we’re doing, and that’s what turned us into like this kind of unstoppable machine for two months.’
“We honed in on what guys do well, and then tried to bring them back to what they do well individually. Pair some of that with some approach things, and you’ve got to compete a little harder with two strikes and with runners on base.”
Against Auburn, LSU junior first baseman Jared Jones had the worst hitting series of his career, getting one hit in 13 at-bats with six strikeouts. In the first 15 SEC games, Jones is batting 254 through the league’s first half (15 games) with more strikeouts (22) than hits (17, including a homer and a double).
Jones was one of several Tigers that Johnson met privately with on Monday.
“He’s done that throughout my career since I’ve been here,” Jones said of Johnson. “He just gives me a different perspective. I really listen to what he has to say, and I trust him. “It’s a very personal one-on-one conversation that I always feel is a good reset button.”
Johnson moved Jones from the No. 2 spot to No. 3 in the batting order vs. McNeese. Paired with Johnson’s Monday conversation, Jones responded by going 3 for 3 with a two-run homer and three RBI.
He also had one of LSU’s four hits (all singles) in the Tigers’ two-out four-run fourth inning rally.
“It was one of my favorite innings of the year for many different reasons,” Johnson said, “The ability to hit the ball on a line to the big part of the field with runners on base and with two outs is going to separate you.”
Starting with Alabama, LSU has three of its last five SEC series at home, including vs. No. 4 Tennessee on April 25-27 and No. 2 Arkansas on May 9-11.
No. 3 LSU (32-6 overall, 10-5 SEC) vs. No. 15 Alabama (30-8, 8-7 SEC), Alex Box Stadium, Baton Rouge
SCHEDULE/PITCHING MATCHUP
Game 1: Today, 7 p.m. CT (ESPNU)
LSU – So. LH Kade Anderson (6-1, 3.48 ERA, 51.2 IP, 81 SO, 13 BB)
ALABAMA – R-So. RH Tyler Fay (0-0, 4.98 ERA, 21.1 IP, 15 SO, 6 BB)
Game 2: Friday, 6 p.m. CT (ESPN2)
LSU – Jr. RH Anthony Eyanson (5-1, 3.78 ERA, 47.2 IP, 71 SO, 16 BB
ALABAMA – R-So. RHP Jr. Riley Quick (5-1, 3.13 ERA, 31.2 IP, 31 SO, 13 BB)
Game 3: Saturday, 5 p.m. CT (SEC Network+)
LSU – RS So. RH Chase Shores (5-2, 5.12 ERA, 38.2 IP, 41 SO, 20 BB)
ALABAMA – So. LHP Zane Adams (4-2, 6.18 ERA, 39.1 IP, 38 SO, 14 BB)
LSU-ALABAMA SERIES
Alabama leads the all-time series with LSU, 202-181-3, but the Tigers are 40-15 vs. the Crimson Tide since 2007 (35-15 in regular-season games, 5-0 in the SEC Tournament). LSU has won 14 of the 17 SEC regular-season series since 2007.
A LOOK AT LSU
LSU is No. 2 in the SEC in batting average (.319), No. 1 in the league in doubles (89), No. 3 in hits (402), No. 3 in on-base percentage (.437), No. 4 in runs scored (339) and No. 4 in total bases (668). The Tigers’ pitching staff is No. 3 in the league in ERA (3.50), No. 2 in strikeouts (420), and No. 4 in fewest earned runs allowed (126). First baseman Jared Jones is No. 3 in the SEC in hits (57), No. 3 in total bases (104), No. 4 in RBI (53), and No. 5 in batting average (.373). Leftfielder Derek Curiel is No. 3 in the SEC in doubles (13), No. 4 in walks (33,) and No. 7 in hits (51). Junior second baseman Daniel Dickinson is No. 6 in the SEC in on-base percentage (.497). Sophomore left-hander Kade Anderson is No. 2 in the SEC in strikeouts (81) and No. 4 in the league in innings pitched (51.2). Junior right-hander Anthony Eyanson is No. 4 in the SEC in strikeouts (71).
A LOOK AT ALABAMA
Alabama is No. 9 in the SEC batting average (.291). The Crimson Tide pitching staff is No. 11 in the league in ERA (4.64), and it has 340 strikeouts in 330 innings while limiting opponents to a .249 batting average. Alabama infielder Justin Lebron is hitting .333 this season, and he is No. 1 in the SEC with 58 RBI and No. 3 in the league with 15 home runs. Crimson Tide right-hander Carson Ozmer, a graduate transfer from Penn, leads the SEC in saves this season with 11 and in appearances with 19.
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com