By Hunt Palmer
Even though the college baseball regular season is technically nearly 40 percent complete, it’s still in its infancy.
The SEC teams outside of Texas A&M and Missouri blitzed non-conference play. That’s a good start, but the next nine weeks will tell the tale more accurately.
Generally speaking, SEC teams played three weak non-conference weekends and one test. And only one of 10 SEC weekends is in the rearview. The statistics to follow are skewed because of competition, but I find them to be noteworthy when taken with context. Let’s start with individual players.
Derek Curiel has reached base in every game. His on base percentage is .578. That’s second in the SEC. He’s tied for the SEC lead in walks with Andrew Fischer of Tennessee and second in batting average to Ryland Zaborowski of Georgia.
Jared Jones’s 36 hits are good for second in the SEC. He’s second in the SEC in doubles and fifth in RBI.
Kade Anderson is second in the SEC in strikeouts with 48. He’s five shy of Tennessee’s Liam Doyle.
Chase Shores has allowed 26 hits in 23.2 innings. That adds up to a .286 batting average against which is not very good. However, 24 of those hits are singles and two are doubles. He’s only allowed two extra base hits. That’s slightly encouraging.
Zac Cowan’s strikeout to walk ratio is 26:3.
Anthony Eyanson’s strikeout to walk ratio is 40:6.
Anderson’s strikeout to walk ratio is 48:8.
There’s a reason why these guys are as trusted as they have been thus far. Jay Johnson and Nate Yeskie know those three will throw the ball over the plate. The way LSU plays defense and scores runs, forcing teams to beat the Tigers with hits is a tall task for any opponent.
Speaking of defense, Steven Milam and Daniel Dickinson have had 132 chances in the field and have made three total errors. That’s championship level stuff if you’re playing Purdue Fort Wayne or the Dodgers.
To the team stats and rankings in the SEC.
(For reference, 1st and always the best, and 16th is always the worst no matter if the number is bigger or smaller)
LSU ranks in the SEC:
OFFENSE
- Batting Average: 1st, .345
- Slugging: 3rd, .589
- On Base Percentage: 2nd, .468
- Runs: 3rd, 228
- Hits: 1st, 250
- Doubles: 1st, 59
- Home Runs: 6th, 36
- Walks: 4th, 140
- Hit by Pitch: 6th, 41
- Strikeouts: 3rd (fewest), 124
- Sac Bunts: 3rd, 9
- Sac Flies: 2nd, 14
- Stolen bases: 14th, 20
LSU’s offense has been the balanced machine Johnson hinted at in the preseason. The home runs are lagging a tick behind the other numbers, but the on base percentage, doubles, slugging and runs scored numbers are fantastic. LSU has scored double digit runs in 10 of the last 12 games.
Then, you’ve got the strikeouts being down and sac flies being up. Both of those are execution stats.
PITCHING
- ERA: 6th, 3.32
- Strikeouts: 1st, 262
- Hits allowed: 6th, 130
- Runs allowed: 7th, 78
- Walks Allowed: 13th, 87
- Doubles Allowed: 3rd, 18
- Home Runs Allowed: 2nd, 11
- Wild Pitches 16th, 25
- Fielding Percentage: 5th, .981
Walks and wild pitches are such obvious issues for LSU. Those come down with three things—improved pitching, fewer pitchers logging innings and better catching. I think it’s reasonable to expect all three factors to help, but how much? Again, the way LSU plays defense and hits, giving away free bases on the mound is such a gift to opponents who will struggle to keep up any other way.
LSU led the country in strikeouts last year and leads the way in the league again. They’ve kept the ball in the ballpark, too. Only Texas has allowed fewer homers, and Texas plays in a massive ballpark.
