By Hunt Palmer
After waiting all week, LSU finally takes the Hoover Met field on Friday. Half of Texas A&M’s roster will do the same.
Ok, it’s more than half, but the Aggies are severely limited by injuries and burned pitching.
The Tigers are playing for postseason seeding. Texas A&M is playing for its postseason life. Neither the injuries nor the pressure have mattered to the Aggies yet. They thumped Mississippi State 9-0 on Tuesday and followed that up with a 3-2 win over Auburn on Thursday.
Jay Johnson has not so subtlety hinted that LSU will keep its top arms on a pitch limit like Paul Skenes was in 2023. It would be a massive surprise if Kade Anderson didn’t start the game for the Tigers. He’ll be on full rest. Still, he will likely be held to a pitch count between 70 and 90 depending on how each inning goes.
The winner of Friday’s game will play again Saturday against the Ole Miss-Arkansas winner.
AGGIE ABSENCES
Texas A&M will not have the services a truckload of production on Friday. Here is a list of the key absences:
- Gavin Grahovac: 2024 SEC Freshman of the Year, out since February
- Caden Sorrell: team leader in batting average (.337) and OPS (1.219); broke hamate bone last weekend
- Jace LaViolette: all-time home run leader; broke hand on Thursday
- Ryan Prager: two-year Friday starter, started Tuesday
- Justin Lamkin: two-year Saturday starter, started Thursday
- Weston Moss: best reliever, threw 34 pitches on Thursday
That’s A&M’s top three hitters and top three pitchers from February. Kaeden Kent’s three-run homer was all the offense A&M got on Thursday, and Lamkin, Moss, Kaiden Wilson and Clayton Freshcorn made it stand up.
This Aggie team is the very definition of a wounded dog. Do they have enough bite left in them to get to Anderson and the Tigers, or is it time to pack up the bags for the summer?
LAST TIME
Anderson faced the Aggies in game one of their series a month ago. He worked six innings and only allowed a run on three hits. He struck out 12 and walked three. A&M got to the LSU bullpen in the eighth to win it, but Anderson was outstanding.
On the other side, Myles Patton is expected to start for the Aggies. He’s been the Sunday starter all year. In the series-clincher against LSU, Patton worked six innings and gave up four runs on six hits. He struck out six. Patton is a lefty with very average SEC stuff. His fastball will hover around 90 mph, and he’ll throw a changeup and a slider. His SEC ERA this year was 6.47, and league hitters hit .321 against him.
NCAA IMPLICATIONS
With a win, Texas A&M moves to two wins away from an NCAA Tournament auto-bid. The same goes for LSU, but the Tigers don’t need it.
LSU is in excellent position to get a top eight seed entering the game, but a loss to RPI 50 Texas A&M will hurt. Auburn tumbled from No. 1 to No. 4 by losing to the Aggies on Thursday. LSU currently sits at No. 8, so a three-spot fall might be uncomfortable.
Still, plenty of baseball is to be played this weekend. If LSU can avoid one more landmine, a top eight will be on ice. It may already be.
First pitch is set for 6:30 on SEC Network. Baton Rouge listeners can catch pregame at 6:00 on WDGL 98.1 FM, the Flagship of LSU Athletics.
Stayin’ Ready pic.twitter.com/9EOecsSfit
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) May 22, 2025
