LSU Baseball
By Hunt Palmer
Talent is trumping tenure in LSU’s search for offense.
Omar Serna exemplifies that more than any player on the roster. Jay Johnson made his intentions clear with the freshman slugger on Saturday.
“Well, he’s not coming out of the lineup,” the head coach said. “That’s what I have on that. You have to be creative maybe a little bit to do that. (First base) was our way (Sunday) with the left-handed starter.”
Serna answered the bell with a missile of a two-run homer in the first inning that banged off the back wall of the left field bleachers having left the bat at 101 mph. At 6-foot-2 and nearly 240 pounds, Serna produces as much bat speed and power as any player on the roster.
While Johnson looks for offensive answers, Serna figures to be one.
The fall was bumpy for the freshman. That’s nothing new for players transitioning from high school ball to the nation’s top program.
Serna was eased into action this season and produced just eight hits in his first 35 at bats, a .228 average. Over the last week, he’s 6-for-15 (.400) with a pair of doubles and a pair of homers. He’s riding a seven-game hitting streak.
“He’s the next most impact player on the team right now outside of Jake Brown,” Johnson said. “We’ve got to get him up to bat often. He’ll only continue to get better. You could kind of see it coming a little bit, end of the spring. I thought we gave him a good and responsible ramp to get him in the lineup.”
Zach Yorke is just three for his last 17 (.176) and struck out six times in two games against Oklahoma. Plus, he’s been charged with three errors at first base. Against left-handed pitching Serna could be an option at first despite being a high school catcher.
Yorke, Seth Dardar and Brayden Simpson figured to be prominent offensive pieces as of Opening Day, but all three were out of the lineup on Saturday. They’ve combined to hit .252 against a largely non-conference schedule. The youth movement with Serna and John Pearson, who had a double and a homer over the weekend, appears to be LSU path forward.
The veterans will have another opportunity moving forward, but it won’t be at Serna’s expense. Johnson was clear about that.
“He’s ready to go now.”
More Top Stories
