Three Observations From LSU Baseball's Opening Weekend Sweep

Jay Johnson and the LSU Tigers took the field in Alex Box Stadium on Friday for Opening Day with the program facing Purdue Fort Wayne in a three-game series.

All eyes were on the purple and gold this weekend with Johnson's crew showing out in front of over 11,000 fans to begin the 2025 season.

It was a three-day stretch that saw the Tigers' pitching staff shine, youngsters make an impact and consistent hitting at the plate steal the show.

LSU ultimately swept the Mastodons 3-0 behind a trio of lopsided victories in Alex Box Stadium.

Three Observations From LSU's 3-0 Start:

LSU's Pitching Staff Shines in Alex Box

The Tigers rolled out Kade Anderson as the Friday night starter, Anthony Eyanson on Saturday and Chase Shores on Sunday for Johnson's Opening Weekend rotation.

Anderson (1-0) limited the Mastodons to just four singles over five innings, recording one walk and eight strikeouts with 83 total pitches.

“Kade performed exactly as you would want your Friday night starter to pitch,” said fourth-year LSU coach Jay Johnson, who coached his 200th game with the Tigers. “He threw strikes and executed his pitches, and we were able to keep his pitch load at a manageable level.”

Eyanson (1-0) pitched 5.0 innings and limited the Mastodons to one run on four hits with no walks and six strikeouts, firing 81 pitches.

“When I think about Anthony, I think about poise and I think about pitch ability,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “There are a lot of things to like about him, he’s running the fastball up to 95 with good movement, and he could pitch blindfolded and throw his breaking pitches for strikes.”

Shores (1-0), who suffered a season-ending elbow injury in March 2023 and redshirted last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, threw 67 pitches in 5.0 innings on Sunday, limiting the Mastodons to one run on three hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.

“You’re not supposed to have favorites as a coach, but Chase is up there at the top,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “He’s a great person and a high-talent, high-ceiling arm that chose LSU as the place he wanted to be. When he got hurt in 2023, that was a thunderbolt, and he’s been through a lot. Just seeing how he’s gone about his work has been impressive.

“I’m really happy for Chase and obviously ecstatic to have him back has a huge contributor to our team.”

The starters shined for the program over the weekend, but the bullpen stole the show as well with the pitching staff as a whole totaling 45 strikeouts on the weekend. It's the most in a series for the LSU program since 1992.

The Bullpen Numbers:
Friday: 4 IP, 0 Hits, 9 strikeouts
Saturday: 4 IP, 1 H, 8 strikeouts
Sunday: 4 IP, 1 H, 7 strikeouts

Total: 12 IP, 2 H, 0 ER/R, 1 walk, 24 strikeouts

Coveted True Freshmen Take Center Stage

LSU rolled out four freshmen on the mound this weekend with the quartet of first-year Tigers living up to the hype and then some.

In 6⅔ innings on the weekend, right-hander William Schmidt, left-hander Cooper Williams, right-hander Casan Evans and right-hander Mavrick Rizy combined to strikeout 13 batters while allowing only one hit.

The youngsters found the strike zone and continued working Purdue Fort Wayne while giving up zero walks on the weekend.

"We only got four (freshman) because we thought they were elite and could perform right away," Johnson said. "And there's no question about that."

Aside from the impactful freshmen on the mound, LSU saw first-year outfielder Derek Curiel go yard and catcher Cade Arrambide earn a start at catcher on Saturday.

All in all, the freshmen class showed out during Opening Weekend.

Bats Come Alive in Game 2, Consistent Hitting on Display

LSU saw Daniel Dickinson, Jared Jones and Derek Curiel go yard in Game 2 of the weekend series with both Dickinson and Curiel launching their first homers in an LSU uniform.

Aside from multiple Tigers showing power at the plate, it was the discipline of the batters that had coach Jay Johnson pleased.

“On the offensive side of it for us, it obviously all starts with plate discipline,” Johnson said. “The guys have done a pretty good job of utilizing their talents; we want to have speed, we want to have power, we want to have solid hitting skills throughout the lineup.”

LSU outscored Purdue Fort Wayne 32-2 on the weekend with the pitching staff showcasing elite arms, youngsters shining and consistent hitting at the plate paving the way.

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