Evans credits slowed delivery to stellar start

By Hunt Palmer

Casan Evans made some changes this week.

The sophomore starter had been good in his first three outings, but bumps showed up in all three. Pitching coach Nate Yeskie assessed his quick delivery and decided to slow things down just a bit.

“I would say it helps me with my command,” Evans said. “We had some struggles early on just with the fast-paced windup that I wasn’t getting my hands out in time. Everything was spraying. I feel like this one I’m able to be on time with the arm, and the body syncs up perfectly, so I feel like that’s part of the reason why everybody’s seeing a change in velo. Not much, but it had climbed up there a little bit.”

Evans walked seven in his first three starts. Friday night he didn’t issue a single free pass. He stayed in advantage counts and mowed through Sacramento State with relative ease until he was lifted in the sixth.

“I kind of had in my mind I was happy to get him out after 72 pitches today,” said head coach Jay Johnson. “Over the course of my career, I always look for opportunities to do that. I think he was throwing a perfect game or something like that through five. I would have let him go for that with the shortened seven-inning game. I would not have for nine because that wouldn’t be in his best interest.”

Evans grabbed some eyeballs with a 99 mph fastball in the first inning. Generally, he pitches in the 94 to 96 mph range. Though he credited the slowed delivery with a bit of an uptick, Evans knows there is more is his powerful right arm when he needs it.

“I wouldn’t say I’m holding back,” Evans said. “I say I know when to get a little more in certain spots. I’m not going to go out there and throw 110 percent because then I’ll be gassed by the third inning. Just trying to go out there and pitch like you’re supposed to. Not trying to go out there and overpower anybody. Just trying to throw strikes and let the hitters get themselves out.”

An ace is vital to championship aspirations. LSU’s baseball program enters every season with those. That was the case last year when Kade Anderson took the mound as a sophomore on Opening Day. He never relinquished the role and finished in style with a complete game shutout win over Coastal Carolina in the College World Series Final.

With LSU’s Friday night role comes expectations in line with Anderson, Paul Skenes, Alex Lange, Aaron Nola, Kevin Gausman and others. That’s just the reality. Johnson mentioned to the media last week that a look back at Anderson’s third start would be helpful when assessing Evans who hadn’t quite unlocked his dominant stuff in the pre-conference.

Anderson walked three and allowed a pair of runs on three hits in 5.1 innings against Kansas State. Evans matched that against Dartmouth. While those stat lines are helpful in understanding improvement happens over three months, that’s where the comparisons stop for Johnson.

“I don’t need him to do that,” Johnson said. “One’s left-handed, and one’s right-handed, so you stop there with the comparisons, but what I do know is they’re both great athletes. They have high-level pitchability, tremendous stuff, and they’re about the right things.”