Johnson announces pitching plans for opening weekend

LSU’s starting pitching rotation is set. At least for the first weekend.

Head coach Jay Johnson announced that Kade Anderson, Anthony Eyanson and Chase Shores would start games in that order on the mound this weekend.

Anderson, a sophomore southpaw from Madisonville, made nine starts last year and posted a season-long ERA of 3.99. He struck out 59 hitters in just 38.1 innings of work. His best work came late in the season when he made four postseason appearances, working four scoreless innings with nine strikeouts.

Eyanson was the highest-profile transfer portal pitching addition. The former UC-San Diego ace went 6-2 for the Tritons last season holding opponents to a .190 batting average. He struck out 85 hitters in 82 innings. Baseball America ranked Eyanson the No. 4 pitcher in the transfer portal.

Shores has completed the long journey back to the active roster after a UCL tear cost him the last three months of 2023 and all of 2024. He has not thrown a competitive pitch since March 31 of 2023 against Tennessee.

The towering right hander features a fastball nearing 100 mph and a developing slider that makes him a potentially dominating option for the Tigers. With so much time off, rust could be a factor, but Johnson will get Shores to the mound quickly in 2025.

LSU’s season opener is set for Friday at 2:00 against visiting Purdue-Fort Wayne.