GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
Other than a few misadventures from the bullpen, the LSU baseball team did Texas big over the weekend.
The Tigers (11-1) beat No. 17 Dallas Baptist, 7-3, on Wednesday at the Texas Rangers’ ballpark in Arlington, then swept the Frisco College Classic at Riders Field in nearby Frisco on Friday, Saturday and Sunday with 8-5, 11-6 and 12-8 wins over Kansas State, Nebraska and Sam Houston State, respectively.
LSU put up 53 hits and 38 runs along with some spectacular defensive plays amid only two errors in the four games. The Tigers went 5-0 overall on the week with a 13-3 win over Nicholls State at home early last week.
And on Monday, the Tigers moved up from No. 2 in the nation to No. 1 in D1 Baseball’s top 25, replacing preseason No. 1 Texas A&M (6-4), which went 1-3 last week.
“Great weekend for our team,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said Sunday. “Great week for our team. Feels like we’ve been here for a while.”
LSU is scheduled to play five home games this week, beginning with North Dakota State (1-9) at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Alex Box Stadium. But that one could be moved to Wednesday as thunderstorms are in the forecast with heavy winds on Tuesday. The Tigers may play an afternoon or twinight doubleheader on Wednesday with North Dakota State, which is scheduled to play LSU again at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The Tigers host North Alabama (3-7) on Friday (6:30 p.m.), Saturday (6 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.).
Johnson used six relievers Sunday after starter Chase Shores (3-0) threw a season-high 89 pitches in five innings, allowing seven his and four runs with three walks. He struck out five, reached 98 mph multiple times and threw 57 strikes.
Redshirt junior Kade Woods struggled, allowing four runs on two hits with two walks and did not record an out in the sixth. Freshman left-hander Cooper Williams, junior transfer Connor Benge and freshman Mavrick Rizy combined to walk five more. Redshirt sophomore left-hander DJ Primeaux threw a perfect eighth inning, using just nine pitches, including six strikes.
Redshirt sophomore Jaden Noot relieved Rizy in the ninth with one out and two runners on and got a ground out and strikeout to end the game and earn his first save of the season.
“We were one at-bat away from talking about a 10-run rule,” Johnson said of the Tigers leading 11-3 in the fourth and 11-4 in the fifth before Sam Houston State scored four to cut the Tigers lead to 11-8 in the sixth off Woods. “And then all of a sudden, I’m making decisions about where we’re putting guys in to make sure we get out of here with a win. It was getting tight.”
LSU DEFENSE, 17 HITS TOO MUCH FOR NEBRASKA
LSU’s defense, meanwhile, produced a memorable web gem on Saturday in the 11-6 win over Nebraska. With one out in the bottom of the sixth and LSU trailing 5-4, second baseman Daniel Dickinson fielded Nebraska shortstop Dylan Carey’s ground ball behind second base. Instead of the traditional pivot and throw to first, Dickinson flipped the ball with his glove to shortstop Steven Milam, who had tried to field the grounder as well.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? WHAT. A. PLAY.
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) March 2, 2025
📺 D1 Baseball pic.twitter.com/emqSlsvj4f
Milam caught the lateral with his non-glove hand and threw perfectly to first base to get the speedy Carey out.
“It’s kind of just instincts,” Milam said.
Dickinson then led off the top of the seventh by getting hit by a pitch. And the Tigers rallied for six runs to take a 10-5 lead.
LSU collected 20 extra-base hits in the four Texas games – five versus Dallas Baptist, three against Kansas State, seven vs. Nebraska and five against Sam Houston State.
“That was a clinic,” Johnson said of his team getting 17 hits against Nebraska. “They just did a good job of staying within themselves, hunting the mistake, not chasing.”
Be the first to comment