The LSU Baseball Report: Jay Johnson's Tigers See Adversity Strike Before SEC Play

Jay Johnson and the defending National Champion LSU Tigers will look to hit the reset button after suffering losses in three of the program's last four matchups from last week.

In what became a four-game stretch to forget, Johnson and Co. saw their offense struggle in all phases with the Tigers ultimately dropping a weekend series to the Sacramento State Hornets.

“Sacramento State pitched and defended very, very well over the past two days,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “Their pitchers were around the plate, they mixed well, and their defense picked them up. Credit to them, but we need to play better.”

LSU dropped matchups to the Northeastern Huskies on Monday followed by a trio of losses to the UL-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns and Sacramento State Hornets.

Now, it's about hitting the reset button and gearing up for SEC play beginning this weekend.

“We have to focus on the play and focus on helping the players as best we can,” Johnson said. “There are some guys that need our help, and we have to do the best job coaching that we possibly can.”

The LSU Baseball Report: Weekly Update

Overall Record: 12-5

Last Week’s Results (1-3)
March 4 (Wed.) – at UL Lafayette (L, 2-7)
March 6 (Fri.) – SACRAMENTO STATE (W, 15-4 – 7 innings)
March 7 (Sat.) – SACRAMENTO STATE (L, 4-5)
March 8 (Sun.) – SACRAMENTO STATE (L, 1-6)

This Week’s Schedule
March 10 (Tue.) – CREIGHTON, 6:30 p.m. CT (SEC Network +)
March 13 (Fri.) – at Vanderbilt, 6 p.m. CT (SEC Network +)
March 14 (Sat.) – at Vanderbilt, 7 p.m. CT (SEC Network)
March 15 (Sun.) – at Vanderbilt, 3 p.m. CT (ESPN2)

Tigers Update

• LSU junior rightfielder Jake Brown tied the LSU single-game record with three homers Friday night to lead the Tigers to a 15-4 win over Sacramento State in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field … Brown was 4-for-5 at the plate Friday night with three homers, a single, six RBI and four runs … he tied the LSU single-game homers record, which has been set on 13 previous occasions, most recently by Jared Jones on April 9, 2024, versus McNeese in Baton Rouge … Brown is batting a team-high .408 this season with five doubles, eight homers, 26 RBI, 19 runs and four stolen bases … he hit .467 (7-for-15) in the Tigers’ four games last week with three homers, six RBI, five runs and one stolen base.

• Sophomore right-hander Casan Evans recorded a dominant outing Friday night versus Sacramento State to log his first win of the season … Evans fired 5.0 perfect innings to begin the outing, and he worked a total of 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on three hits with no walks and nine strikeouts … Evans is 1-0 on the year with a 4.66 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 19.1 innings.

• Sophomore centerfielder Derek Curiel batted .467 (7-for-15) in LSU’s four games last week in two doubles, one homer, three RBI and three runs scored … Curiel is hitting .333 (22-for-66) this season with five doubles, one homer, 14 RBI, 17 runs and two stolen bases.

• Sophomore left-hander Ethan Plog delivered two outstanding relief performances last week at UL Lafayette on Wednesday and versus Sacramento State on Saturday … Plog worked a combined 4.1 scoreless innings in two appearances with two hits, one walk and four strikeouts … Plog lowered his season ERA to 1.50, as he is 1-0 on the year with three walks and eight strikeouts in 6.0 innings (five appearances).

• Sophomore right-hander William Schmidt pitched effectively Sunday versus Sacramento State, limiting the Hornets to three earned runs on four hits in 5.2 innings with no walks and eight strikeouts … Schmidt is 3-1 this season with a 2.45 ERA in four starts, limiting opponents to a .177 cumulative batting average … he has recorded only four walks in 22.0 innings while logging 33 strikeouts.

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