By Hunt Palmer
This is different.
LSU takes to Skip Bertman Field at Alex Box Stadium for the final time this weekend. There will be no dogpile. No conference title will be clinched. A top eight seed isn’t on the line.
For the purple and gold, it’s just three games with Florida to cap a dismal regular season.
For Florida, plenty is on the line. The Gators are 34-18, 15-12 and sport an RPI of 12. Their 15 Quadrant 1 wins lead the country, and they’re fiercely battling for a Top 8 seed. Anything but a sweep at the hands of LSU will likely lock up a host site for the Gators if that isn’t already done.
The stakes for the two squads differ. That will likely be on display with LSU’s approach to the weekend.
HEADED FOR HOOVER
LSU’s only hope to make the NCAA Tournament is to win the SEC Tournament next week. That chance is thin as looseleaf, but it’s reality.
Jay Johnson acknowledged that circumstance on Wednesday and insinuated LSU would handle the weekend with that in mind. He has not named a starter for Thursday and has not named either William Schmidt or Casan Evans in the projected weekend rotation.
Marcos Paz will start Friday, and Zac Cowan, LSU’s most durable bounce-back pitcher, will throw Saturday. That’s a clear indication that LSU has eyes on Tuesday’s SEC Tournament opener. Cowan would likely still be available perhaps as early as Tuesday but almost certainly on Wednesday should LSU advance
Don’t expect to see Tiger pitchers extend in this three-game series. Schmidt won’t go 105 pitches when he gets out there. Deven Sheerin won’t be asked for a Texas A&M-like performance when he fired 61 pitches out of the bullpen.
Johnson will substitute pitchers very liberally to keep arms fresh. As remote as the chances may be, LSU is going to try to make a run in Hoover. An inconsequential series versus Florida won’t interfere with that.
SWAMP SUPERSTARS
Florida always features talent. This year is no exception.
Aidan King will get the ball for the Gators on Thursday night, and he could be the SEC Pitcher of the Year. King, a 6-foot-2 righty, has dominated league bats. In SEC action, his WHIP and opponent batting average numbers are lower than Paul Skenes’s three years ago. His season-long WHIP is 0.89, and last weekend his ERA crept above 2.00 for the first time all season.
He’s been a complete workhorse for the Gators, averaging seven innings per start over his last six including a 121-pitch outing against Texas A&M where he held the Aggies to two runs over eight innings.
Offensively, it’s sophomore Brendan Lawson. His .289 batting average isn’t gawdy, but he could be the top pick in next year’s draft. He’s 6-foot-3 and has an OPS of 1.129. He’s got 13 homers, eight doubles and 47 walks which are second in the SEC.
Blake Cyr and Kyle Jones are also having huge years, but Lawson is the highlight.
PAZ PERFORMANCE
This could be Paz’s last competitive outing of the season. It’s completely plausible that he throws 50-to-70 pitches on Friday and isn’t used in a loss on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.
That would end his season.
Paz has undoubtedly had his highlights. He was awesome in two innings against A&M. His five innings of one-run ball against South Carolina were awesome. This could be his last chance to navigate an SEC lineup.
And it’s not an elite lineup.
In SEC games, Florida ranks 11th in runs, 10th in batting average, 10th in doubles, and ninth in homers and on base percentage. It’s not a powerhouse like Georgia or Texas A&M. It’s not a bottom feeder like South Carolina. It’s an average SEC test.
Paz is auditioning for a big role on a 2027 pitching staff that has to make massive improvements from this year. Friday night could be his last real test before opening weekend 2027.
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