Three Observations From No. 12 LSU Baseball Series vs Eastern Kentucky
It was an arduous week for LSU baseball filled with ups and downs as the Tigers went 3-2 in a five game week. That's not an awful job by any stretch but it's certainly not up to the standards LSU has its sights set on.
LSU (5-3) slowly began to piece together some consistency within its offense, after being shutout by Eastern Kentucky on a forgettable Friday night and only mustering five hits at Nicholls just two nights previous.
Coach Paul Mainieri continued to tinker with his lineup into the Saturday and Sunday games and may have stumbled across a few moves that could be long term answers.
Zack Mathis should be Tigers unquestioned leadoff hitter moving forward.
As part of the many moves Mainieri made this weekend, inserting junior third baseman Zack Mathis into the leadoff spot might be one he wants to stick with. Mathis batted leadoff in the Tigers final two games of the Eastern Kentucky series, going 3-for-6 at the plate with two drawn walks.
In total, Mathis reached base in five of his six plate appearances in the final two games, an astounding 83% rate. It's true the sample size is small but Mathis has been without a doubt the Tigers’ most consistent hitter with the possible exception of Cade Beloso in the Tigers’ eight games this year.
Not only have his offensive numbers been stellar but his defense has been exquisite, particularly in Saturday and Sunday's contests. Of the six balls hit at him in the final two games, Mathis fielded all six for outs, including five in Saturday's game alone.
"I thought Mathis put on a clinic at third base," Mainieri said Saturday. "He made so many great plays for us."
Freshman Alex Milazzo deserving of full time catching duties
The freshman Milazzo continues to be the surprise of the early season as eight games in his defensive prowess behind the plate has been a breath of fresh air for this LSU team. Not since Michael Papierski three years ago has LSU had a catcher this skilled behind the plate.
His pop up time is exquisite as runners can never take too small a lead for Milazzo to think he has a chance at a pickoff. Against Eastern Kentucky this weekend, Milazzo picked off two batters on Saturday and nearly had at least three others throughout the weekend.
“Milazzo is a game changer behind the plate,” Maineri said Saturday. “He stops the other team’s running game, picks a guy off second base, gets a pitcher out of a jam. He’s just outstanding. He’s a real asset for our team, no doubt.”
He's also batting .278 with four RBI in five starts and was a big reason why the Tigers held on against Indiana in game two opening weekend with a double that scored two insurance runs.
The freshman has earned his spot in the lineup as the team's full time catcher and it really looks like the sky's the limit for this young man.
Bottom of the order shown to be a clear weakness for LSU
The bottom of a college baseball batting order can often times dictate a successful season for a team. Sure you have the one through five hitters that are always expected to produce but those six through nine spots need to show consistency in reaching base as well.
This weekend that didn't go as planned. The Tigers’ six through nine hole hitters went a combined 3-for-40 at the plate, an .075 batting average. Mainieri tried multiple different lineups this weekend to try and fix the bottom of the order but none of it worked.
LSU only has so many players so it'll be interesting to see over the next few weeks which bats can become a little more consistent at the bottom of the order.
First baseman Cade Beloso said Saturday the team was still looking for a rhythm offensively and thinks the Tigers started to find one Sunday after a 10 run explosion.
"I think we finally showed what we are capable of at the plate today," Beloso said. "Hitting is contagious and that's what Eddie [Smith] preaches everyday. Just to believe and compete in yourself and that's what we did today. When things weren't going well none of us freaked out but we all felt great today. We stuck to the plan and good things happened."
The bottom of the order needs to start doing its part in helping the offense like it started to do Sunday with three RBI coming from Maurice Hampton, Drew Bianco and Collier Cranford.