GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
He may not be Superman for a while, but there is a job waiting for LSU junior relief pitcher Gavin Guidry, who has missed the whole season with a back injury.
As a good portion of the Tigers’ bullpen struggles with walks and inconsistency this season, LSU’s best reliever the last two seasons – Guidry – could be pitching at Auburn on April 11-13 if everything goes right from not until that weekend.
LSU HAS ‘TWO KILLERS’ OUT OF THE BULLPEN
Guidry was 2-0 with a 2.59 earned run average with four saves in 22 relief appearances last season. In 24 and a third innings, he walked just 18 against 36 strikeouts. In the 2023 national championship season as a freshman out of Barbe High in Lake Charles, he was 3-0 with a 3.77 ERA with three saves as a reliever in 23 of 24 games. He walked only 12 in 28 and two-thirds innings with 42 strikeouts.
This season, LSU already has three relievers with 10 or more walks – junior Jacob Mayers (0-0, 4.50 ERA) with 12 in six innings through seven appearances, junior Connor Benge (1-1, 6.75 ERA) with 10 in 12 innings through 12 appearances, and highly recruited freshman William Schmidt (4-0, 3.72 ERA, 19 strikeouts) with 10 in 19 and a third innings through nine appearances.
In addition, freshman left-hander Cooper Williams (0-0, 0.00 ERA) has seven walks in eight and a third innings through nine appearances, freshman Mavrick Rizy (0-0, 4.50 ERA) has walked eight in 12 innings through 12 appearances, sophomore left-hander DJ Primeaux (0-0, 5.40 ERA) has walked six in eight and a third innings through 12 appearances, and junior Conner Ware (4-0, 6.39 ERA, 19 strikeouts) has walked eight in 12 and two-thirds innings through eight appearances.
Williams and Mayers each walked two in relief Tuesday night in the Tigers’ 12-3 win over Louisiana Tech as did senior Dalton Beck.
LSU coach Jay Johnson will keep going back to those as, he often says, “The best coach in your life is always going to be playing time – pitching time in this case.”
But likely less and less, depending how they do as the Tigers go deeper into Southeastern Conference play. The No. 5 Tigers (27-3, 7-2 SEC) play at No. 9 Oklahoma (22-5, 5-4 SEC) on Thursday (6 p.m., ESPN2), Friday (6:30 p.m., SEC Network+) and Saturday (2 p.m., SEC Network+).
The weekend after that, LSU continues on the road to Auburn.
“I don’t see him pitching this weekend,” Johnson said of Guidry. “There’s a chance for Auburn. That would be the most optimistic report that I could give you. We tried to set a time table for that. He’s got to clear some benchmarks for that.”
Meanwhile, LSU No. 3 starter Chase Shores (4-1, 5.40 ERA) is expected to start on Saturday despite a baseball to the face in Saturday’s game against Mississippi State and a nice shiner near his left eye.
“He’s OK,” Johnson said. “Looks like Rocky Balboa, probably in the first two movies, but we’re doing OK.”
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