Around the Horn: Tigers take Baton Rouge Regional

(Photo Credit: @LSUbaseball on X)

By Hunt Palmer

I’ll take the heat. I did it to myself.

On Wednesday of last week, I wrote about how difficult advancing through a regional often is. I’ve sat through 10 of them and watch a handful more. It’s seemingly never easy. But On Sunday afternoon I allowed myself to believe it would be easy. The Tigers had won two games 19-0. Almost the entire pitching staff was fresh. Little rock was 26-33. LSU led 3-0, and The Box was full.

It wasn’t easy.

Little Rock fought for every inch of that field for two nights, and it was all LSU could do to pull it out having been outscored 15-5 through 12 innings. Like 24 of the 27 teams before them, LSU got it done at home. They’re moving on. All that stands between the Tigers and a fight to Nebraska now is two wins against West Virginia. More on that to come.

ACES WILD

Without a single hesitation, the story of the weekend and the last month is Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson.

Over four days and three outings, those two combined for 16.1IP, 10H, 0R, 3BB, 21K. Read that again.

Unquestionably, LSU has the two toughest pitchers going, and that’s a major component in making a run.

Jay Johnson said after the game Monday that he had been planning for those final five outs for two weeks. He used Eyanson out of the bullpen in Hoover to get him relief experience. He started him Friday to have him available for Monday. He pulled him Friday at 98 pitches to keep that plan viable. He gave Eyanson a look in the dugout while facing a 10-4 deficit Sunday night, and nothing else needed to be said. Eyanson was ready for Monday, and he delivered.

ZAC ATTACKED

On the flip side, it’s time to raise real concerns about Zac Cowan. The blip on the radar is now a full-blown issue.

In Cowan’s last 6.2 innings, he’s allowed 14H, 12R, 11ER, 5BB, 5K. That comes to an ERA of 14.85. In the previous 40 innings he’d allowed 5ER, a 1.13ERA. He’s not missing any bats with the changeup, and the breaking ball isn’t a strong enough pitch to be his “out pitch”. For three months, LSU could count on Cowan to close games. I don’t feel as good about that now. And if Casan Evans is the third starter, you now don’t have a trusted bullpen arm. Can Cowan do it? Sure. He did it for 12 weeks. Can Chase Shores do it? Sure. He throws 100 and looked awesome the last two weeks. Until he didn’t on Sunday.

But I have no idea who to turn to other than Evans right now, and he is positioned as a starter after Monday night.

That’s a problem.

BREAKING OUT

Steven Milam and Derel Curiel busted out his weekend.

Milam was a unanimous All-Regional selection. He was 5-for-12 with 6BB, 4R and 3RBI, and that included an 0-for-5 on Monday though he hit the ball hard twice.

Curiel reached base 12 times in four games and scored four runs. This offense is different when he’s humming. He was for 43 games, and he took three weeks off. If he’s found it again, that’s major news for LSU.

Those two guys getting on base 23 times in four games was a welcomed sight.

BIG PICTURE

This team is one of the last 16 standing, and the next two or three games are at home. Having been in that stadium Monday night, it matters. West Virginia will find that out on Saturday. I said this after the Arkansas series, and I still believe it. LSU is good enough to finish this thing. However, there are serious concerns. After Anderson and Eyanson, you need three or four guys to step up. Those candidates are Evans, Cowan, Shores, Noot, Mavrick Rizy and Jacob Mayers.

If I cherry pick, I can get there. Give me Noot, Mayers and Shores from the SEC Tournament game against Ole Miss. Give me Rizy from Friday’s ninth inning. That group combined for 10IP, 3H, 1ER, 5BB, 16K.

Now the flip side. In their regional outings, outside of Rizy on Friday, they combined for 3IP, 2H, 8R, 8ER, 8BB, 4K. Too much volatility.

If Evans is going to start games in the Super Regional or Omaha, that group of four arms simply has to show up. Sometimes they do, but “sometimes” isn’t reliable enough.

The offense isn’t perfect, but it’s got plenty of ability. Frey crushed right-handed pitching this weekend. Remember he started as DH vs. LHP. Jones may have found something with his swing in the ninth. Curiel and Milam broke out. Hernandez hit three homers. Still, LSU only produced two crooked numbers in the first 21 innings it played against Little Rock over the weekend. As well as the Trojans played, that’s still the worst RPI team in the field.

Anderson-Eyanson-Defense is always going to be the backbone of this team. The other parts are going to have to be at their best starting Saturday.

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