LSU Athletics
By Hunt Palmer
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Jay Johnson settled on a decision.
He’s playing the youngsters the rest of the way. The Tiger head coach didn’t say that explicitly on Saturday night, but it was easy to decipher. Asked about the growth of the freshmen, four of whom were in the lineup both Friday and Saturday, Johnson called it a positive and a unique point in his career.
“It’s what we need to do right now, and I don’t know if I’ve ever said that in my entire coaching career,” the skipper said.
Allow me to editorialize that answer.
Johnson is suggesting he’s never taken the future of the program as significantly into the day-to-day equation as he has this month. He’s not quitting on 2026, but he’s going to get young players experience while trying to win. That means the freshmen are playing.
Mason Braun is going to play first base instead of Zach Yorke. Jack Ruckert is playing second instead of Trent Caraway or Brayden Simpson. William Patrick will play the outfield instead of Simpson or Tanner Reaves.
Omar Serna is hitting third. That’s not a decision based on the future. He might be LSU best hitter in the present. Over the last three weekends, eight games, Serna is hitting .448 with three doubles, a pair of homers and two walks. He’s got a hit in all eight games. His two home runs at Mississippi State have come off elite arms in ace Tomas Valincius and freshman fireballer Jack Bauer.
“He’s incredible,” said junior Eddie Yamin of Serna. “He’s going to be a first rounder in a few years. He’s one of the most talented baseball players I’ve ever seen. He’s unbelievably strong, unbelievably disciplined. He works really hard, continuing to grow.”
Serna’s Friday homer was a no-doubter to left. Saturday’s smash was a towering solo shot to right. He also hit a screaming line drive single up the middle and an RBI double inside the bag at third Saturday night. The Texan is capable of using al fields and showed that on Saturday night.
“He’s become obsessed with this,” Yamin said. “He loves catching. He loves hitting. He loves playing baseball. He loves competing, and he’s just doing everything he can to get better and try to help us win.”
Serna is not alone in his class.
Braun has been on base six times in two games for the Tigers at Mississippi State. Patrick produced a line shot RBI single in the ninth inning on Friday that scored the go-ahead run which happened to be Braun who had singled to right earlier in the inning.
With the game on the line, Braun also made a stellar pick of Steven Milam’s one-hop throw to first with two out in the ninth. He’s adjusting to a new position over at first.
Meanwhile Cade Arrambide is second on the team in hitting versus SEC pitching and hit his 12th homer of the season on Saturday. That’s another big piece to LSU’s future.
No one would suggest that the 2026 team is playing to expectations or that losing eight league games in a row is excusable. Johnson knows that as well as anyone. This group has underachieved and dealt with some awful breaks. Losing Cooper Moore and Jake Brown stung. Now Chris Stanfield and John Pearson are unavailable. Casan Evans missed his start, and Seth Dardar is out.
The walk-off losses to Vanderbilt and State were brutal. So was Saturday when LSU lead by five and couldn’t hold it.
Johnson has lauded the team’s response time and time again. He was especially complementary of the offense on Saturday.
“Guys are competing,” Johnson said. “They’re ready to play, and we’ve gotten better. Some of that’s shifting the personnel through unique circumstances, but they’re in the fight. They did what they needed to do offensively the last two days.”
Every day Johnson has to coach his team and manage his program. Those two responsibilities come with the job but are also not always aligned. The last four Mays have been 100 percent locked on the team.
This one will skew toward the program.
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