LSU Baseball Encouraged By Recent Pitching Consistency
LSU would love to be the 1995 Atlanta Braves. This is a pitching staff that would like to run out three pitchers who have the ability to go eight innings and bring in closer Mark Wohlers for the ninth but it's just not where this program is yet.
And that has proven to be a good thing over the last several weeks as this pitching staff gets more comfortable with the roles that each player is being asked to execute. Coach Jay Johnson and pitching coach Jason Kelly have been piecing together this staff that can best highlight the team and each player's strength on the mound and they're seeing some consistency.
The bullpen has been a bright spot most of the year and that played out in Starkville, with LSU relief pitchers going 14 innings, allowing just two runs on nine hits with 21 strikeouts. What was also notable is that Mississippi State didn't score a run in the final days outside of home runs, an encouraging sign for Johnson.
"That whole group did a great job," Johnson said. "It's about as good as you can ask for. Really proud of those guys. All of them have really good makeup and competitiveness, good stuff. I kind of thought going into the year that would be a strength of our team and getting them lined up right, it was a great weekend for those guys."
However, finding that sweet spot with the pitching rotation remains fluid for this group. This is a rotation that very much is still matchup based, with the coaching staff not hesitant to pull a pitcher at early signs of trouble. Both Johnson and Kelly put on a masterclass of knowing when exactly to substitute their pitchers, particularly in the game two win over the Bulldogs.
Relief pitchers Trent Vietmeier, Devin Fontenot, Riley Cooper, Eric Reyzelman and Paul Gervase all were able to come in and clean up the previous guy's mistake, holding Mississippi State to no runs in a tightly contested ball game. Reyzelman, Cooper and Gervase all pitched multiple times over the weekend and all were productive outings.
As more and more weekends pass, Johnson and this coaching staff have learned who pitches well in conjunction with who's at the plate, who's on the mound and the situation of the game. That understanding is something that only can come with time and the pitchers are having success as a result.
"It's evaluating what's best for where we're headed. Looking at the team we're playing, the days rest, how we use the bullpen, who can play off of each other," Johnson said. "We've talked about re-elevate some guys pitch counts to keep them in the discussion but it's a week to week thing right now."
Johnson gave an example of having freshman Sam Dutton ready to go on Saturday after the rough start on the mound in game two. Dutton has primarily been used as the third starter in SEC play but LSU's quick decision to get him ready really proves how much fluidity there still is on this staff.
Blake Money would get out of a jam on Saturday and LSU was able to save its lethal 1-2 punch of Dutton and fellow freshman Grant Taylor for Sunday's game three win. That plays directly into the last point Johnson made in terms of which pitchers play well off each other.
Whether it's Dutton-Taylor or Taylor-Dutton, the two freshmen have given fits to two potent SEC offenses in Florida and Mississippi State on the road. Both Dutton and Taylor have won over the coaching staff with their recent performances and Johnson says it comes from strong command and makeup to pitch in those hostile environments.
"I'm really high on both of those guys," Johnson said. "They have stuff, fastball command, breakers go down but they are mature beyond their years. They both handle themselves like they've been here for three or four years and modern day coaching, that's really hard to find."
There's depth on this staff and for the first time all year it feels like all of those pieces are pulling in the right direction, making for a very formidable staff. The next step is seeing that weekend consistency translate to multiple series in a row.
(Photo courtesy of LSUsports)