Three Takeaways From No. 1 LSU's Series Win Over Arkansas
No. 1 LSU is fresh off of a series win over Arkansas in Baton Rouge over the weekend. After dropping Friday night’s showdown in extras, the Tigers responded on Saturday to earn another crucial SEC series win.
From Dylan Crews doing what he does best at the plate to reliever Garrett Edwards handling business on the bump, LSU took down the Razorbacks by outscoring them 26-7 over the last two games.
Here are the takeaways from the series:
Dylan Crews’ Dominance
Crews has been flat out astounding this season for the Tigers. The junior centerfielder is batting .531 through 24 games played with nine home runs, 10 doubles, 32 RBIs and 26 walks with just 12 strikeouts.
What more could you ask for? Well, his on-base percentage is a whopping .658 as well as he’s in the midst of a 22-game hit streak. In four games last week, Crews went 10-for-16 while blasting three home runs against Arkansas with four homers total on the week.
The potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft has earned high praise from both his teammates and coaches this season with Head Coach Jay Johnson labeling him as “the best baseball player he has ever seen” after the Arkansas series.
Bullpen Inconsistency
Paul Skenes threw another gem on Friday, giving up two hits and one run during his time on the bump against the Razorbacks, but his success was quickly overshadowed by the Tigers’ bullpen struggling late.
Heading into the tenth inning locked at 1-1, it was a monster inning by Arkansas that ballooned their lead, putting up eight runs in the top of the inning to take a commanding 9-1 lead. After taking Game 1 on the weekend, the Tigers handled business by taking the final two games where the bullpen shined bright.
It’s been reliever Garrett Edwards who has been the biggest storyline this season. He’s coming alive when LSU needs him most and Coach Johnson hasn’t ruled him out from potentially starting at some point this season. On Sunday, he tossed 4.0 scoreless innings and allowed two hits on 69 pitches. He also picked up six strikeouts.
All in all, consistency throughout SEC play will be a major component to this program’s success as the level of competition skyrockets.
The Response
Friday’s loss to Arkansas left a bad taste in the Tigers’ mouths and you could see that from the jump during Saturday’s doubleheader. After crumbling in extras to a Razorbacks squad they had the chance to take down on numerous occasions, it was LSU’s response that shined bright.
At the plate, it was Crews, Tommy White, Tre Morgan and Gavin Dugas who carried the load. From a Morgan blast to a White grand slam going opposite field, this squad was clicking on all cylinders on Saturday to earn the series win.
It’s what great program’s do. With elite coaching and the leaders on this team to back it up, LSU shook back in a big way on Saturday to win both games and take the series win.