By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
BATON ROUGE – The line of demarcation for LSU’s 2025 baseball team has been established.
When the 3rd-ranked Tigers score five or more runs, they are 32-1.
And when they score four or fewer runs, they are 6-10.
“We just need to be a little bit better,” LSU head coach Jay Johnson said. “We need to have a few more good at-bats to score five or six (runs), and then this team can be as successful as we all want it to be.”
Johnson and his third-ranked Tigers (38-11 overall, 15-9 SEC) may need more than six runs in the three games this weekend when they host No. 1 ranked Arkansas (40-9, 17-7) in LSU’’s final SEC home regular season series starting with tonight’s game at 6:30 in Alex Box Stadium.
Arkansas and LSU are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the SEC in hitting .316 and .306, respectively. The Tigers’ pitching staff is No.3 in the league in earned run average (3.74), just ahead of the Razorbacks (3.75).
Yet when you examine the stats for SEC games only, Arkansas blows away LSU in almost every offensive category, including batting 40 percentage points higher (.307 to .267).
The Hogs have scored 81 more runs than the Tigers (224 to 143), have 45 more hits (260 to 215), 79 more RBI (213 to 134), 24 more home runs (55 to 31), and 41 more at-bats (846 to 805).
“We kind of know how our offense works,” said LSU senior outfielder/designated hitter Josh Pearson, who will be among the five seniors honored before Sunday’s game. “We’ve got to take our free bases, just get on base as much as you can and hit extra base hits with guys in scoring position.”
The Tigers haven’t done much of that lately.
In its first four SEC series against Missouri, Texas, Mississippi State, and Oklahoma, LSU batted a collective .369 with runners on base and .367 with runners in scoring position.
In their last four league series against considerably better pitching vs. Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee, and A&M, the Tigers hit a combined .237 with runners on base and .273 with runners in scoring position.
That’s a drop of 132 percentage points with runners on base and 94 with runners in scoring position.
“When you face some of the pitching that we have,” Johnson said, “it makes that a little bit more challenging. You don’t quite impact the ball as much against them, and you don’t get as many free bases against them.
“If you’re playing in the SEC, you’re facing the best guys. Most of it is staying committed to our (offensive) plan, and persevering through some difficulties.”
LSU’s lack of offense has put enormous pressure on the Tigers’ starting pitchers, especially Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson, who are the Game 1 and 2 starters each weekend.
Anderson is No. 2 in the SEC in strikeouts (114) and No. 2 in the league in innings pitched (70.2). Eyanson is No. 3 in the league in strikeouts (105) and No. 4 in innings pitched (68.1).
The duo has virtually no margin of error. Each needs to last six or seven innings and hold opponents to three runs or fewer for the Tigers to have a legitimate chance to win.
LSU’s bullpen is just now getting to a place where Johnson trusts more than freshman Casan Evans (who transformed into the Tigers’ Sunday starter) and junior transfer Zac Cowan.
Redshirt sophomore Chase Shores, who had been shaky as LSU’s Sunday starter earlier this season after sitting out last year because of Tommy John surgery, is working his way into a reliever rotation. Also seeing more action lately are redshirt sophomore Jaden Noot, freshmen Cooper Williams and Mavrick Rizy, juniors Connor Benge, Connor Ware, and Jacob Meyers, and redshirt sophomore DJ Primeaux.
No. 3 LSU (38-11 overall, 15-9 SEC) vs. No. 1 Arkansas (40-9, 17-7 SEC), Alex Box Stadium, Baton Rouge
SCHEDULE/PITCHING MATCHUP
Game 1: Today, 6:30 p.m. CT (SEC Network+)
LSU – So. LH Kade Anderson (6-1, 3.57 ERA, 70.2 IP, 114 SO, 19 BB)
ARKANSAS – R-Jr. LH Zach Root (6-3, 3.95 ERA, 66 IP, 92 SO, 24 BB)
Game 2: Saturday, 5:30 p.m. CT (SEC Network)
LSU – Jr. RH Anthony Eyanson (7-2, 3.16 ERA, 68.1 IP, 105 SO, 28 BB)
ARKANSAS – Jr. RH Gage Wood (1-0, 3.77 ERA, 14.1 IP, 28 SO, 2 BB)
Game 3: Sunday, 3 p.m. CT (SEC Network)
LSU – Fr. RH Casan Evans (3-0, 1.24 ERA, 36.1 IP, 49 K 27 12)
ARKANSAS – Jr. LH Landon Beidelschies (4-0, 4.65 ERA, 50.1 IP, 50 KO, 16 BB).
LSU IN SEC THIS YEAR
Series wins (5): 3-0 vs. Missouri, 3-0 vs. Mississippi State, 3-0 at Oklahoma, 2-1 vs. Alabama, 2-1 vs. Tennessee.
Series losses (3): 1-2 at Texas, 0-3 at Auburn, 1-2 at Texas A&M
ARKANSAS IN SEC THIS YEAR
Series wins (5): 2-1 at Ole Miss, 3-0 vs. South Carolina, 3-0 at Vanderbilt, 3-0 vs. Missouri, 3-0 vs. Texas.
Series losses (3): 1-2 at Georgia, 1-2 vs. Texas A&M, 1-2 at Florida.
LSU-ARKANSAS SERIES
LSU leads the all-time series (which began in 1907) 77-44. The Tigers have won eight of the last nine series vs. Arkansas played in Baton Rouge. Arkansas has won four of the last five series over the Tigers, including a sweep in Fayetteville last season. Arkansas had won three straight SEC series vs. LSU before the Tigers captured the series in 2023. LSU is 41-26 vs. Arkansas over the past 20 seasons (2005-24), including two wins over the Razorbacks in the 2009 College World Series.
A LOOK AT LSU
LSU is No. 2 in the SEC in team batting average (.306), and the Tigers are No. 2 in the league in hits (496), No. 2 in doubles (107), No. 3 in on-base percentage (.419), and No. 4 in runs scored (404). The LSU pitching staff is No. 3 in the SEC in team ERA (3.74), and the Tigers are second in the league with 551 strikeouts. LSU is No. 4 in the league in opponent batting average (.220). LSU junior first baseman Jared Jones is No. 3 in the SEC in total bases (130), No. 4 in home runs (16), No. 4 in RBI (60), No. 5 in hits (68), and No. 10 in slugging percentage (.667). Freshman outfielder Derek Curiel is No. 5 in the SEC in doubles (15), No. 5 in on-base percentage (.482), No. 6 in walks (39), No. 6 in hits (66), and No. 7 in batting average (.361).
A LOOK AT ARKANSAS
Arkansas is No. 1 in the SEC with a .316 team batting average, and the Razorbacks also lead the league in hits (519) and runs (454). Arkansas is third in the league with 102 home runs this season. The Razorbacks’ pitching staff is No. 4 in the SEC with a 3.75 ERA, and Arkansas is fifth in the league in opponent batting average (.224). Arkansas infielder Wehiwa Aloy is batting .376 with 16 doubles, one triple, 17 home runs, and 52 RBI. His younger brother, INF/OF Kuhio Aloy, is hitting .359 with 14 doubles, 12 homers, and 65 RBI. Outfielder Charles Davalan is batting .351 with eight doubles, one triple, 13 homers, and 49 RBI.
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com