Tag: LSU Baseball Injuries

LSU coach Jay Johnson updates Tommy White, team injury status entering regionals

White missed the SEC tournament loss to Texas A&M, but he’s expected to play Friday night.

Despite a frustrating close to the regular season, LSU remains poised to make a potential deep run in the NCAA tournament as the No. 5 seed.

When the Tigers open up the Baton Rouge Regional on Friday afternoon against Tulane, there will be one player fans will hope to see return to the lineup: first baseman [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag].

The NC State transfer and national RBI leader missed LSU’s elimination game loss against Texas A&M in the NCAA tournament, though coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] said he was “banged up” and it was mostly for rest purposes.

Based on Johnson’s comments in an interview with the SEC Network, it seems White is expected to play against the Green Wave.

“I anticipate (White) being able to play on Friday,” Johnson said. “He was a little banged up, but he needed that rest and we gave it to him. It was hard to do… I think it was the right thing for Tommy and ultimately the right thing to do for our team.”

Johnson said that the rest of the team is looking good from a health perspective and that the week the Tigers had off could prove beneficial as the team enters regional play.

“For the rest of the position players, I think we’re in a good spot,” Johnson said. “I think a couple days off was not the worst thing in the world. You look at [autotag]Jordan Thompson[/autotag], he’s played in every game since I’ve been the coach here. You look at [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag], he’s played in every game since I’ve been the coach here.

“Those guys play two of the most demanding positions on the field. So, for them to get a rest and to get their legs underneath them, for them to get mental rest the last few days, I think was positive. We feel like we have a good plan in preparing for the week and doing the things we need to do to get ready. I feel like we’re in a pretty good spot.”

After dropping two of the final three regular-season series and exiting the SEC tournament shy of the semifinal round with a 2-2 record, LSU will hope it can get hot at the right time and make a run to Omaha for the first time since 2017.

The Tigers open up the Baton Rouge Regional against Tulane at Alex Box Stadium at 2 p.m. CT Friday.

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BREAKING: LSU RHP Chase Shores to miss remainder of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery

Shores’ true freshman campaign has come to an end after he tore his UCL.

The Tigers baseball team will be without one of its top bullpen arms for the rest of the way as true freshman right-handed pitcher [autotag]Chase Shores[/autotag] announced on Tuesday that his season is over after tearing his UCL.

“It is with a heavy heart that I announce my 2023 season has come to an end due to a UCL tear,” the Midland, Texas, native wrote in a Twitter post. “I will miss my time competing at Alex Box, but I won’t let this injury stop me from being the best teammate & supporter for my boys as we close out the season. I will be back better than ever. Geaux Tigers!”

Shores underwent Tommy John surgery last week to repair the torn ligament, according to The Advocate’s Leah Vann.

The top-ranked right-handed pitcher in the state of Texas for the 2023 signing class, Shores made seven appearances with four starts as a true freshman. In 18.1 innings pitched, he had an ERA of just 1.96. He threw 15 strikeouts while allowing nine walks.

He hasn’t appeared in a game since March 31 against Tennessee, and coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] hasn’t provided many updates on his condition. Now, it’s clear why that was the case.

Shores is one of the most promising arms on the team, and the 6-foot-8 player was expected to play a major role in the bullpen down the stretch. It’s a tough break for an LSU team that has dealt with quite a few injuries to the pitching staff this season.

[autotag]Nate Ackenhausen[/autotag] returned to the field last weekend, luckily, and [autotag]Garrett Edwards[/autotag] — arguably the most reliable arm in the bullpen — seems to be getting closer to making his return.

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Jay Johnson updates LSU pitching injuries: Garrett Edwards, Chase Shores officially OUT vs. Kentucky

The Tigers’ bullpen will be shorthanded once again this weekend.

It appears LSU’s pitching staff will be stretched pretty thin once again this weekend when the Tigers host Kentucky at Alex Box Stadium.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] offered no update on the status of [autotag]Garrett Edwards[/autotag] or [autotag]Chase Shores[/autotag] but confirmed neither will be available this weekend against the Wildcats.

Johnson couldn’t provide an update on [autotag]Nate Ackenhausen[/autotag], who was set to be evaluated later on Wednesday.

The Tigers split their weekend series on the road against South Carolina after Game 3 was canceled due to weather. LSU beat Tulane on the road Tuesday night and will now welcome a UK team that is coming off a series loss to Georgia.

LSU will hope to overcome a shorthanded bullpen this weekend and remain unbeaten in SEC series this season.

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LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson updates status of injured pitchers

Johnson provided encouraging (if vague) updates on LSU’s injured pitchers.

The rain kept a series winner from being decided in this weekend’s bout between LSU and South Carolina, but the decision to cancel Game 3 might have worked to the Tigers’ advantage.

The pitching staff is ravaged by injuries. [autotag]Chase Shores[/autotag] and [autotag]Nate Ackenhausen[/autotag] were unavailable coming into the weekend, and LSU lost reliever [autotag]Garrett Edwards[/autotag] during Game 2.

Coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] told The Advocate’s Leah Vann that the team is “getting closer” to having an answer on Shores’ availability after suffering an undisclosed arm injury. Ackenhausen, meanwhile, missed two weeks earlier in SEC play with a hamstring injury and was out once again this weekend.

Johnson said he hopes Ackenhausen will be available next weekend against Kentucky.

Regarding Edwards, Johnson said he was optimistic but conceded that it’s not clear exactly how serious the injury was.

“The preliminary evaluation was as positive as it could be,” Johnson said. “We’re hoping that it’s not as serious as it looked. It’s kind of odd, the pitch was a changeup, you don’t see a significant injury when a guy is throwing a changeup. I’m hopeful, but I’m not a doctor, we’ll get him further evaluated when we get home.”

LSU has the talent to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament and get to the College World Series in Omaha. However, there are question marks with the pitching staff, and the Tigers desperately need to get their bullpen healthy.

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LSU relief pitcher Garrett Edwards exits Game 2 vs. South Carolina with arm injury

LSU’s pitching depth is being tested severely.

LSU’s pitching staff has already been heavily strained by injuries this season, and the situation went from bad to worse in Friday’s Game 2 against South Carolina when relief pitcher [autotag]Garrett Edwards[/autotag] left the game in the bottom of the fifth inning.

After losing the opener on Thursday night, Edwards allowed a run and loaded the bases in the fifth. After walking a run home with a full-count ball, Edwards was clearly in pain and had to be pulled.

Despite allowing three earned runs in one inning on Friday, Edwards has been arguably the Tigers’ most reliable arm out of the bullpen this season. Prior to his appearance against the Gamecocks, he had a 4-0 record and 0.81 ERA in 22.1 innings pitched while also recording a save.

It’s the latest in a long line of tough injuries to the pitching staff. Projected weekend starter [autotag]Grant Taylor[/autotag] was injured during the preseason, as were 2022 signees [autotag]Kaleb Appleby[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaden Noot[/autotag]. Freshman Chase Shores suffered an injury in the Tennessee series, and his status is unclear.

Coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] likely will not address Edwards’ status after Game 2 because it’s the first game in a doubleheader, but we’ll keep you posted with any updates.

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Star LSU pitcher out for the year

Grant Taylor will miss the entire 2023 season after suffering a UCL injury.

[autotag]Grant Taylor[/autotag] was a rockstar out of the bullpen for LSU last season. He was a guy that had a few anomalies that ballooned his ERA, but other than that he was one of the most reliable guys out of the bullpen all year.

LSU’s pitching staff is loaded this year, but that stiff just took a hit by losing Taylor, who will miss the entire 2023 season with a UCL injury.

Taylor had a 4-1 record last season with a 5.81 ERA. As I said earlier, there were a few anomalies last year that torched his season ERA. A 54.00 ERA against Ole Miss and a 9.00 ERA against Grambling and McNeese hurt him a lot.

When the game was on the line though, Taylor and [autotag]Eric Reyzelman[/autotag] always seemed to pull the Tigers through. With Taylor out for the year, that may relegate [autotag]Blake Money[/autotag] to bullpen duty for most of, if not the full 2023 season.

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True freshman Jaden Noot among 3 LSU pitchers out for the year

It’ll be a while before the highly touted Noot takes the mound.

LSU baseball assembled a wealth of talent this offseason.

One of those pieces was pitcher [autotag]Jaden Noot[/autotag], a top-100 prospect who was drafted by the Brewers. Noot turned down professional ball, opting to head to LSU.

It’ll be a while before Noot is seen in purple and gold, however. Noot, along with [autotag]Kaleb Applebey[/autotag] and [autotag]Jason Bollman[/autotag] will miss the 2023 season.

LSU’s staff remains in a good spot, but fans were excited to see Noot. He’s the type of talent that doesn’t always make it to campus. It’s unclear when Noot’s injury occurred and it could be part of the reason he chose to go to school.

Applebey was also a talented prospect out of high school and he’ll be a name to watch if he returns in 2024. Bollman is set to miss his second year in a row after transferring in last season.

LSU, the consensus No. 1 team, will begin its season on Feb. 17.

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