This weekend gave the LSU Baseball team the biggest test of the season as the Tigers faced off against the Texas Longhorns in a three-game set. After winning the Friday Night matchup with Kade Anderson on the mound, the vibes were high but, LSU ended up losing the final two games of the series which came as a disappointment.
While the Tigers fall to 4-2 in SEC play, the series as a whole won't derail LSU but, it will be a series everyone remembers for better or worse. Leaving the weekend, three things standout as massive takeaways whether they're in the long term or short term.
LSU badly needs pitchers to step up quickly
On Friday Night, LSU was able to win the first game as Kade Anderson went six innings before Zac Cowan pitched the final three innings. After Anderson and Zac Cowan were burned, it became clear that LSU's staff doesn't have the trusted arms you'd like to have at this point in the season. Anthony Eyanson and Chase Shores pitched just 8.1 innings while LSU used 7 relievers on Saturday and two relievers on Sunday.
Kade Anderson is a clear Friday starter while Zac Cowan and Casan Evans are the most trusted arms in the Tigers bullpen. After those three pitchers, LSU needs a pitcher to take the next step as soon as possible. The hope is that Gavin Guidry will return sooner rather than later which should give LSU an elite bullpen arm. After that, LSU will need either a starter or one of the relievers to step up and become one of the trusted arms for Jay Johnson.
Derek Curiel is the real deal
While there will be a ton of negative to take away from this weekend, LSU's true freshman Left Fielder has shown he's one of the elite players in the Country. Curiel had one misplayed ball in left field but, at the plate, he was one of the stars of the weekend. Derke Curiel went 6-12 with 3 walks, 2 RBIs, a double, and a Home Run. His go ahead opposite field home run in Game Two had a chance to be one of the biggest moments of the season if the bullpen was able to keep the Tigers lead.
BACK AND FORTH WE GO ‼️
— 11Point7 College Baseball (@11point7) March 23, 2025
DEREK CURIEL. TRUE FRESHMAN. TIGERS LEAD. STUDE̶N̶T̶ ATHLETE pic.twitter.com/iAgcQIdXcL
While Texas has a great staff, LSU struck out too many times
After last season where LSU was far too reliant on hitting home runs, Jay Johnson built this team with the hope that LSU would be more balanced. This weekend, LSU missed the ability to hit the long ball as they left 25 runners on base. Part of the reason LSU wasn't able to push more runners across was the fact that the Tigers struck out 30 times. As LSU gets further into SEC play, the Tigers will only face better pitching and this team can't afford to strike out 30 times in a weekend if the pitching is going to struggle.