Well, that was unexpected.<\/p>\n
LSU baseball<\/a> went 3-1 over a stretch of four games in four days against Dartmouth<\/a> and Northeastern<\/a> over the weekend and into Monday, but that record alone only tells a part of the story.<\/p>\n The Tigers were unimpressive in their wins \u2014 5-2 over Dartmouth on Friday, 3-1 over Northeastern on Saturday, and 3-0 over Dartmouth again on Sunday \u2014 and trailed by as many as 11 runs in their 13-10 loss on Monday to the Huskies.<\/p>\n Here are five takeaways from a lackluster weekend for LSU at Alex Box Stadium.<\/p>\n Why has the offense struggled?<\/p>\n After an explosive weekend in Jacksonville, LSU\u2019s bats suddenly went ice cold over the last four games.<\/p>\n The Tigers had five hits or fewer on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They also had just four hits through six innings on Monday, the last inning where most of the starters were still in the game. LSU didn\u2019t have an extra base hit on Saturday and failed to hit the ball hard consistently throughout its last four contests.<\/p>\n The main issue has been the sudden struggles of LSU\u2019s best hitters. Sophomore Derek Curiel went 3 for 15 over the last four games. Grand Canyon transfer Zach Yorke went 1 for 12, junior Steven Milam went 2 for 13 and sophomore Cade Arrambide went 1 for 9. Junior Jake Brown was a little better, getting at least one hit in each of the first three games, including a home run, but even he went hitless on Monday.<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t think he’s at his best right now,\u201d LSU coach Jay Johnson said on Sunday. \u201cAnd I’m talking about a guy that’s probably an All-American if the season ended today.\u201d<\/p>\n Except for Sunday, taking walks and getting men on base wasn\u2019t a major problem for the Tigers, as they had at least seven walks in three of their last four games. They also didn\u2019t swing and miss that much over that stretch of play. Sunday was the only contest in which LSU struck out more than six times.<\/p>\n The greater issue, instead, was LSU\u2019s lack of power and inability hit anything hard consistently. The Tigers had far too many lazy fly balls, pop-ups and weak ground balls that were hit off the end of the bat.<\/p>\n \u201cWe showed up before Saturday’s game, and we had a practice, and a lot of that was centered towards getting on top of the fastball,\u201d Brown said on Sunday. \u201cWe had a lot of flyball outs the last couple of days, so we’re just trying to improve there. At the end of the day, it just goes down to competing and trusting the next guy.\u201d<\/p>\n Starting pitching was a bright spot<\/p>\n LSU\u2019s starting arms have slowly improved as this season has worn on.<\/p>\n After giving up four earned runs in less than four innings on opening day, Friday starter and sophomore right-hander Casan Evans has allowed the same number of earned runs in 10\u2153 innings, his last two starts. Kansas right-handed transfer Cooper Moore had his best outing yet on Saturday, surrendering just one earned run and three hits, lowering his ERA to 2.33.<\/p>\n But the most impressive outing of the weekend came from sophomore right-hander William Schmidt. He threw a career-high 7\u2153 innings on Sunday, allowing no runs, striking out nine batters and not walking anybody. His ERA now stands at a sterling 1.65.<\/p>\n \u201cPlaying with first round picks, and second and third round picks (last year), and just seeing how they went about their business, and how they got the job done out there (helped me),\u201d Schmidt said. \u201cI know what it takes to win, and I know what it takes to be a good pitcher here.\u201d<\/p>\n The crucial component to all three starts was the length of the outings. Evans, Moore and Schmidt threw a combined 20\u2153 innings, providing relief for the bullpen and an offense that struggled throughout the weekend.<\/p>\n \u201cSome days they have to pick us up, and sometimes it’s our turn to pick them up,\u201d Moore said following Saturday\u2019s game. \u201cAnd today was the day that we picked them up, and it feels good to be able to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n Zac Cowan\u2019s problem<\/p>\n Coming into 2026, Cowan was expected to be a major piece to the puzzle for LSU\u2019s pitching staff.<\/p>\n How could he not be? Last year, the senior right-hander was among LSU\u2019s four most valuable pitchers in its path to a national championship. He started against Arkansas in the win that sent the Tigers to the College World Series final and was one of the best relief pitchers in the Southeastern Conference.<\/p>\n But this season couldn\u2019t have started more poorly for Cowan. After four appearances, he has a 13.50 ERA with 12 hits surrendered in just four innings of work. His fastball has gotten consistently tagged, and opponents haven\u2019t been fooled by his changeup much, his bread and butter pitch.<\/p>\n When asked about Cowan\u2019s struggles on Monday, after he allowed four earned runs in 1\u2154 innings, Johnson\u2019s summation was simple.<\/p>\n \u201cI just think he’s missing over the middle of the plate, and he’s gotten hit,\u201d Johnson said on Monday. \u201cThat’s about all I could come up with.\u201d<\/p>\n LSU\u2019s left-handed pitching is in a strange place<\/p>\n LSU entered this season with five healthy left-handed pitchers. But, somehow, through 13 games, the Tigers have had trouble finding a reliable option among them.<\/p>\n Sophomore Cooper Williams has struggled to find the command that made him so dominant during the preseason. He surrendered an earned run and three hits in his short start on Monday, and his ERA is now up to 6.75 after just four appearances.<\/p>\n Oregon transfer Santiago Garcia has thrown the ball better since allowing three earned runs in his first appearance, but he didn\u2019t throw over the weekend or on Monday. The same can be said for North Dakota State transfer Danny Lachenmayer, who has only pitched in two games.<\/p>\n Junior college transfer Ethan Plog appeared to be Johnson\u2019s top lefty out of the bullpen before this weekend, but he also didn\u2019t pitch against Dartmouth or Northeastern. Redshirt junior DJ Primeaux did pitch on Monday, but it was only his second outing, and his control has regressed this season. He\u2019s walked two batters and has hit two others in just 1\u2153 innings of work.<\/p>\n One of these arms will surely emerge by the time LSU is in the thick of conference play, but the Tigers\u2019 lack of quality options from the left side thus far has been a surprise.<\/p>\n Is it time for LSU fans to panic?<\/p>\n No. At least not yet. That\u2019s because the Tigers under Johnson have consistently found a way to bounce back from rough stretches of play or major adversity.<\/p>\n The national championship team in 2023 lost a home series to Mississippi State, blowing a nine-run lead in the series finale. The Bulldogs that year failed to qualify for the SEC Tournament. In 2024, LSU had a 3-12 record to begin conference play before turning things around. That team nearly won the SEC tourney and earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers were down 5-1 to Little Rock in the Baton Rouge Regional Final last year, but still came back to win the game and eventually win another national title.<\/p>\n However, that history doesn\u2019t mean that LSU\u2019s last five contests \u2014 including last Tuesday\u2019s 7-6 loss to McNeese State \u2014 should be waved away and treated as no big deal.<\/p>\n It\u2019s fair to say that the offense\u2019s recent struggles are at least somewhat concerning. It\u2019s also reasonable to point out that the bullpen has lacked reliable options outside of right-handers Gavin Guidry and Deven Sheerin. And it\u2019s hard to ignore the errors on defense, especially the mistakes that the infielders have consistently made.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we made 4 errors on defense tonight. I mean, you\u2019re not going to win too many Division I baseball games doing that,\u201d Johnson said after Monday\u2019s game. \u201cSo we need to play cleaner defense.\u201d<\/p>\n The Tigers\u2019 inconsistent play through 13 games could be waved away as small-sample theater. But, in reality, they will struggle in SEC play if they continue to play at this level.<\/p>\n LSU\u2019s talent suggests that better days are ahead, but it still has to prove that the last five games were the exception and not the rule.<\/p>\n \u201cWe obviously have the talent to perform way better than we have this week. We saw that when we were in Jacksonville. We saw that (on) opening weekend,\u201d Brown said. \u201cIt’s just (about) putting the pieces together, staying in the right frame of mind and being present. I feel like there’s some work to be done there, but nothing that we’re not capable of.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Well, that was unexpected. 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