(Photo Credit: Nate Bell)
By Hunt Palmer
Nine innings separate LSU from elation or embarrassment.
After a pair of dominant wins to open the Baton Rouge Regional, LSU produced one of its worst efforts of the season at an awful time Sunday night. The pitching staff walked 11 hitters, eight of which scored. And the offense flatlined for the final eight innings.
The result was the first loss to a No. 4 seed in program history and another date with Little Rock on Monday night.
Still, LSU carries with it some distinct advantages entering the game. LSU is significantly more talented, has better arms rested, will be playing in front of 10,000 supporters and has experience in this situation.
Little Rock‘s lone advantage is psychology.
The Trojans have absolutely nothing to lose and are now armed with the fact that they can play with, beat and even dominate LSU.
There is no middle ground for LSU on Monday. The Tigers either advance to the Super Regionals as one of the national title betting favorites or suffer the worst loss in the history of the program.
That’s heavy, but it’s true.
PITCHING PLANS
LSU is in fine shape. Casan Evans and Zac Cowan have not thrown a pitch in two weeks. Those two are both capable of throwing 75 to 90 pitches. Evans has reached the 85-pitch mark three times since April 27, and Cowan was a starter last year. He’s gone north of 55 pitches three times in 2025 and has more than that in his right arm on a warm June night.
Those two, if effective, can work all nine innings.
Conner Ware has not been used. DJ Primeaux only threw four pitches on Friday and 18 Saturday. Both are very much available for a left-handed matchup or an inning.
The more questionable guys are Mavrick Rizy who threw 10 on Friday and 21 on Sunday and William Schmidt who threw 30 on Saturday.
I’d say the last group are longer shots but may be used lightly. Chase Shores threw 39 on Sunday. Jacob Mayers threw 13 on Friday and 36 on Sunday. Anthony Eyanson threw 98 on Friday.
I would rule out Kade Anderson, Cooper Williams and Jaden Noot.
As far as Little Rock goes, I don’t think anyone is off limits. They do not have professional futures and will be ready whenever Chris Curry asks. I would expect to see Friday’s starter Jackson Wells (3-7, 5.25 ERA) at some point. He threw 103 pitches in that game and only gave up three runs in five innings. Brody Bunting (4-4, 5.76 ERA) threw 83 on Saturday. Jack Cline (8-5, 5.06 ERA) started that game and threw 35. Both guys should see time. Those three lead the team in starts this year.
REST VERSUS RUST
As I mentioned, Evans and Cowan have not pitched since the South Carolina series. Will that be a positive or a negative?
Cowan’s strength is strike throwing. He has only issued 10 walks on the season and only once has he issued multiple walks in an outing. After last night, that’s a plus.
Evans has been more volatile. In his last three outings, he’s walked seven in 8.1 innings.
I would imagine Johnson will start Evans with the idea that Cowan and his composure will be out there in the late game situations.
PLAYING FROM AHEAD
I’m starting to speak “Jay Johnson-ease” pretty fluently. And I pick up on some things he says. Friday, he mentioned playing from ahead in the postseason and how important he thinks that is. Do not be at all surprised if LSU plays for a single run early in a scoreless game. That may mean a sacrifice bunt from Michael Braswell or Chris Stanfield. It may mean a safety squeeze. It may mean a first-and-third steal-and-stop with one out to be sure the run scores from third.
I would rather see LSU take as many swings off the Ohio Valley’s eighth place pitching staff instead of giving up an out, but Johnson sees value in the lead (yes, I know it was 3-0 last night).
The Box is a huge advantage for LSU far more often than not, but everyone in those seats tonight knows the words “Stony Brook and Coastal Carolina”, and if things go south early, it will get very tense. LSU has to avoid that.
BEAR TRAPPED
By now you’re all aware of Jared Jones’s slump. So is he. So is Chris Curry who walked Derek Curiel to get to Jones Sunday night. The Tiger slugger is 2-for-22 in the last five games and has struck out 10 times.
I keep coming back to this. He homered nine times in 13 midweek games this season. That’s the type of pitching he’s going to see Monday. LSU likely doesn’t need four huge swings from Jones. One early in the game would be massive, though.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Baseball is an amazing game because no sport offers more opportunity to the underdog. That’s why Fresno State and Coastal Carolina have won national titles this century and three top eight seeds have already been eliminated in this field.
That gives Little Rock a chance to shock the college baseball world Monday night. It does not erase the fact that LSU is 45-15 and Little Rock is 27-33. All that stands in the way of LSU and a home Super Regional is the lowest RPI team in the field playing its fifth game in four days.
The Tigers are 32-6 at home and have lost back-to-back games to the same team twice all year.
Friday and Saturday, especially Saturday, LSU played exceptionally clean and dominant baseball. Yes, some of that comes with the security blanket of Anthony Eyanson and Kade Anderson throwing shutouts, but the offense and defense were rock solid in both games.
There’s a greater likelihood that LSU wins by eight on Monday than it loses to Little Rock. But it’s baseball.
It should be a wild night across the college baseball landscape.
