By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
STARKVILLE, Miss.— In an unexpected season of the lowest lows, LSU head baseball coach Jay Johnson is hoping his week concludes better than it started.
It isn’t enough that the defending national championship Tigers (24-18 overall, 6-12 SEC) are trying to avoid a school-record setting nine straight SEC losses as they open this weekend’s league series at No. 11 Mississippi State (31-10, 10-8 SEC) here today.
The mountain to climb into consideration for an NCAA Tournament bid grew exponentially on Tuesday when Johnson confirmed his best player and a starting pitcher are out for the season with injuries.
Junior right fielder Jake Brown (broken hamate bone) and starting pitcher Cooper Moore (Olecranon fracture in right elbow) are done for the year.
Moore had missed the last four SEC series, resting the arm in an effort to rehab. But it was finally determined this past weekend, after he threw in the bullpen, that the arm was not responding.
Sophomore William Schmidt has since stepped into Moore’s role as the game 2 starter in conference play.
But the loss of Brown is massive. He’s No. 5 in the SEC in home runs (16) and No. 5 in RBI (49).
“He’s easily one of my favorite players of all time,” Johnson said earlier this week. “He was a leader for this team, and I’m proud of his development. I can’t say enough good things about him.
“That (the season-ending injury) was a gut punch not just for the production for the team, but that dude means a lot to me, and not the way you want you know a career of that caliber to end. First question he asked me is, `Can I continue to travel?’ and I was like, `You can coach third base if you want to’, so I just love him.”
True freshman William Patrick from Monroe started in Brown’s place in Tuesday night’s win over UNO. He had an RBI.
“He’s got a good future here,” Johnson said of Patrick. “He can add two elements that maybe we’re missing a little bit. Athleticism on the team as a whole, and he’s a good competitor too.”
Perfect Game rated Patrick as the No. 2 Louisiana high school player in the Class of 2025. He was a three-time All-State selection in football and a state long jump champion.
Mississippi State enters today’s riding game with a five-game win streak, which includes a 6-2 win over Memphis on Tuesday and an SEC sweep at South Carolina last weekend.
LSU (24-18 overall, 6-12 SEC) vs. No. 11 MISSISSIPPI STATE (31-10, 10-8 SEC) Dudy Noble Field, Starkville
Game 1: Today, 3 p.m. CT (SEC Network+)
LSU – So. RH Casan Evans (2-2, 5.47 ERA, 52.2 IP, 26 BB, 76 SO)
MSU – So. LH Tomas Valincius (7-1, 1.81 ERA, 83 K, 13 BB)
Game 2: Saturday 6:30 p.m. CT (ESPN2)
LSU – So. RH William Schmidt (4-4, 4.14 ERA, 50.0 IP, 22 BB, 67 SO)
MSU – So. RH Duke Stone (6-1, 3.78 ERA, 70 K, 18 BB)
Game 3: Sunday, 1 p.m. CT (SEC Network+)
LSU – TBA
MSU – So. LH Charlie Foster (0-2, 5.17 ERA,
LSU VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE SERIES
State leads the overall series with LSU 212-199-1. The Tigers have won 14 of the past 18 SEC regular-season series with the Bulldogs, including a three-game sweep in Baton Rouge last March. Prior to last season, Mississippi State had captured two series in a row over the Tigers – the Bulldogs won two of three games over the Tigers in May 2023, in Baton Rouge, and MSU won two of three over LSU in March 2024, in Starkville.
A LOOK AT LSU
LSU is No. 9 in the SEC with a .280 batting average, and the Tigers are No. 14 in pitching with a 5.08 team ERA and 15th in fielding (.965., 51 errors). . . Sophomore centerfielder Derek Curiel leads LSU in batting average at .349, and he has produced eight doubles, two triples, five homers, 39 RBI and 44 runs scored. He’s No. 3 in the SEC in base hits (58), No. 5 in the league in triples (2) and No. 9 in runs scored (44). . .Junior shortstop Steven Milam has raised his batting average to .282. In the Tigers’ last eight games, he’s batting .387 (12-for-31) with four doubles, two homers, five RBI and five runs scored. Milam has committed just one error all season in 148 chances for a .993 fielding percentage.
A LOOK AT MISSISSIPPI STATE
The Bulldogs are No. 2 in the SEC with a .316 team batting average No. 3 in the SEC with a 3.42 ERA. Outfielder Bryce Chance is hitting .364 with 14 doubles and 20 RBI, infielder/outfielder Gehrig Frei is hitting .331 with nine doubles, two triples and seven homers, and infielder Ace Reese is batting .312 with team highs of 17 doubles, 12 homers and 47 RBI. The Mississippi State pitching staff has recorded 467 strikeouts in 353 innings while allowing 35 home runs.
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com