Tag: Luke Holman

Late LSU baseball rally falls short as Tigers drop Game 2 to Missouri

LSU’s first conference series win will have to wait at least one more day.

LSU’s first conference series win will have to wait at least one more day.

After run-ruling Missouri on Friday, the LSU Tigers were not so fortunate Saturday as Missouri won Game 2 by an 8-7 margin despite a ninth-inning rally from LSU, which fell to 4-13 in SEC play.

Missouri scored first in the bottom of the first inning with a ground-rule double for an RBI and an error that led to another run to make it 2-0 Missouri early. In the top of the second inning, LSU got one of those runs back when [autotag]Michael Braswell III[/autotag] hit an RBI single to cut the lead to 2-1.

Missouri answered that run in the bottom of the second as they extended their lead to 3-1. Both teams settled in and the game got quiet until the bottom of the fifth inning. Missouri scored four runs to extend their lead to 7-1 and chased [autotag]Luke Holman[/autotag] from the mound.

Holman was pulled from the game after 4.2 innings of work. He gave up six runs on six hits, four strikeouts, and two walks. [autotag]Aiden Moffett[/autotag] entered the game for LSU and Missouri scored one of those four runs against him that inning.

LSU started trying to claw their way back in the top of the sixth inning with a solo homer from [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag]. Then [autotag]Hayden Travinski[/autotag] hit a two-run shot in the top of the eighth to cut the lead to 7-4.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Missouri scored another run to increase their lead to 8-4. In the top of the ninth, [autotag]Stephen Milam[/autotag] hit an RBI double to cut the lead to 8-5. [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] then hit a two-run homer to cut the lead to 8-7 with only one out.

That is as close as LSU would get to making a comeback as they lost Game 2 8-7. The rubber match of the series will be played on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT.

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Photos from LSU baseball’s Game 1 win over No. 6 Vanderbilt

LSU began the weekend with a much-needed top-10 win.

LSU came into the weekend desperately needing a series win, and coach Jay Johnson’s team got the start it needed on Thursday night.

The Tigers snapped a four-game losing streak with a 10-6 victory over the No. 6 Commodores. The bats got going early as LSU jumped out to a 9-0 lead in large part thanks to a six-spot in the third.

[autotag]Luke Holman[/autotag] was fantastic on the mound yet again. Though he allowed four earned runs, he also only gave up four hits while striking out 10 and issuing no walks.

LSU had some issues in relief, allowing six runs in the fourth and fifth innings as Vandy mounted a comeback, but it was too little, too late. Now, the Tigers have a chance to secure a massive series win on Friday night in Game 2.

In the meantime, here are the photos from Thursday’s win.

LSU baseball gets back in the win column against Vanderbilt in Game 1

LSU entered this week needing to bounce back in a big way. It did just that with a 10-6 win over No. 6 Vanderbilt on Thursday night.

LSU entered this week needing to bounce back in a big way. LSU did just that with a 10-6 win over No. 6 Vanderbilt on Thursday night.

The Tigers were dominated by Southern on Monday and were swept by Arkansas in their latest SEC series. No. 6 Vanderbilt strolled into Baton Rouge looking to add insult to injury.

LSU got on the board first in the bottom of the third inning as [autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag] hit a solo homer, [autotag]Paxton Kling[/autotag] scored on a fielder’s choice, [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] hit an RBI single, [autotag]Brady Neal[/autotag] hit a two-RBI single, and Neal scored on an RBI groundout to give LSU a 6-0 lead early in the game.

In the bottom of the fourth inning [autotag]Mac Bingham[/autotag] hit a solo homer and [autotag]Hayden Travinski[/autotag] hit a two-RBI double to give LSU a 9-0 lead.

In the top of the fifth inning, Vandy finally got on the board as they plated four runs against [autotag]Luke Holman[/autotag] to cut the lead to 9-4. In the top of the sixth inning, the Commodores scored two more runs to cut the lead to 9-6.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] singled to center and Bingham scored due to a throwing error to increase the lead to 10-6. [autotag]Griffin Herring[/autotag] remained in the game to pitch the top of the ninth inning, he retired the Commodores to secure the 10-6 victory.

Game 2 of the series will be Friday night at 7 p.m. CT.

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What is wrong with LSU baseball?

The 2024 season has not gotten off to the best start for the Tigers.

The 2024 season has not gotten off to the best start for the LSU baseball team. After three conference series, the Tigers are 20-9 overall and 2-7 in conference play and have lost all three series. The Tigers dropped series to Mississippi State and Florida 2-1 and then got swept by Arkansas last weekend.

So, what is going on with this team? For one, let’s rewind to the 2023 season. [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] and the LSU Tigers had the two best players in college baseball on their team, [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] and [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag]. The No. 1 and No. 2 overall draft picks in the 2023 MLB draft.

Along with that, the team had [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag], [autotag]Gavin Dugas[/autotag], [autotag]Jordan Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]Brayden Jobert[/autotag], [autotag]Cade Beloso[/autotag] and [autotag]Ty Floyd[/autotag]. That equates to two out of three starting pitchers, first and second base, shortstop, designated hitter, and two of the three outfield spots. One outfield spot ([autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag]), one starting pitcher ([autotag]Thatcher Hurd[/autotag]), and two catchers ([autotag]Hayden Travinski[/autotag] and [autotag]Alex Milazzo[/autotag]) were all that remained from last year’s starting lineup.

Replacing six hitters in your starting lineup and two of your starting pitchers is not an easy task. Johnson had to hit the recruiting trail hard for high school kids and players in the transfer portal. He did a great job of rebuilding the team, but some players you just can’t replace. There is no replacement for those guys.

With that out of the way, let’s take a look at some stats so far. LSU is in the middle of the road for most hitting statistics in the conference. The Tigers are seventh in the conference in batting average, on-base percentage, and hits, eighth in slugging percentage, doubles, and triples. The biggest issue for LSU on the offensive side is that we are ranked 11th out of 14 in RBI and runs scored. LSU is not hitting the long ball as well either as the Tigers rank ninth in that stat.

Three more interesting offensive stats, LSU ranks first in the conference in double plays and caught stealing. First in those areas is not a good thing. That means you have hit the most double plays and been caught stealing the most. [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] leads the conference in double plays. He has hit into eight of them. That’s three more than the next closest player.

Now, let’s look at the Tigers’ performance on the mound. [autotag]Luke Holman[/autotag] is the silver lining of this pitching staff. Without him, you would not want to see any of these numbers. Holman has the second-lowest ERA (1.38), second-highest strikeouts (61), and fourth-lowest opponent batting average (.173). Why am I singling him out? Because if you take him out of the equation, LSU does not have another pitcher in the top 15 of the conference.

LSU has the MOST walks in the SEC (131) and the second most wild pitches in the SEC (28). [autotag]Thatcher Hurd[/autotag] is tied for the most losses in the conference with four and three LSU pitchers are tied for sixth in the conference in wild pitches with four. ([autotag]Kade Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Gage Jump[/autotag] and Hurd)

LSU is sixth in the conference in fielding percentage but [autotag]Michael Braswell III[/autotag] is tied for first for the most errors in the conference with seven. Those numbers will not get the job done, especially in conference play.

LSU will play Southern at home on Monday before hosting Vanderbilt this weekend.

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LSU baseball drops series to Arkansas after extra-innings loss in Game 2

The Tigers didn’t get the job done in exras as Arkansas walked it off to win 4-3.

LSU entered game two against the Arkansas Razorbacks looking to even the series at one apiece. They didn’t get the job done as Arkansas walked it off in extra innings to win 4-3.

LSU scored the first runs of the game in the top of the third inning when [autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag] hit a two-RBI single to give LSU a 2-0 lead.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Razorbacks scored three runs on [autotag]Luke Holman[/autotag] to take their first lead at 3-2. Holman got the start on the Tigers’ mound but was pulled from the game after 4.1 innings. He gave up three runs on five hits, five strikeouts, and five walks. Griffin Herring entered the game to get the Tigers out of a jam in the fifth inning.

In the top of the sixth inning, Ashton Larson hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded to tie the game up at 3-3. Unfortunately, a double play happened right after that to prevent LSU from scoring any more runs.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Hogs had runners on the corner with only one out. [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] made a play reminiscent of what Tre Morgan did against Wake Forest in Omaha. He charged a bunt attempt and threw the runner out at home to keep the game tied at 3-3.

The game remained tied as we headed to the bottom of the ninth inning. Herring remained on the mound for LSU. The first batter of the inning led off with a double. The Hogs had the winning run in scoring position with nobody out but Herring retired three in a row to send us to extra innings.

[autotag]Thatcher Hurd[/autotag] entered the game in the bottom of the 10th inning for the Tigers. After Hurd struck out the first hitter of the inning, the second hitter reached on an error by [autotag]Michael Braswell III[/autotag]. The third hitter of the inning hit a walk-off RBI double to win the game for Arkansas 4-3.

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LSU baseball makes changes to the pitching rotation before matchup with Arkansas

Jay Johnson is changing things up on the mound ahead of a matchup against the top team in the nation.

This weekend, the LSU Tigers take a trip to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to take on the No. 1 team in the nation, the Arkansas Razorbacks.

LSU has lost back-to-back series to start the conference slate. The Tigers dropped two out of three games to Mississippi State and Florida. This weekend, the schedule is a little different. There will be no game on Sunday due to Easter. The series will be played on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

With these circumstances, [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] has decided to make some changes to the starting pitching rotation. For the last two weekends, the Tigers have gone with [autotag]Luke Holman[/autotag] on Friday, [autotag]Gage Jump[/autotag] on Saturday, and [autotag]Thatcher Hurd[/autotag] on Sunday. That won’t be the lineup this weekend.

Holman and Jump will both pitch on their normally scheduled days (Friday and Saturday) so they will be on full rest. As for Thursday, we do not know who is going to start for LSU. Hurd threw 90 pitches in Sunday’s loss to Florida so it will not be him.

The Tigers have a few options to go with but we will not know who it is until Johnson announces it before the first pitch.

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Stellar pitching leads LSU baseball to a win in Game 1 over Florida

LSU took Game 1 against Florida with a 6-1 victory.

LSU took Game 1 against Florida with a 6-1 victory.

[autotag]Luke Holman[/autotag] got the start on the mound for the Tigers and unlike last week, he was phenomenal. He finished the night with six innings pitched. He allowed one run on one hit, 13 strikeouts, and three walks.

The Tigers got the scoring started in the bottom of the first inning as LSU took a two-run lead thanks to a [autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag] RBI single and an [autotag]Ethan Frey[/autotag] RBI single.

The game went quiet until the top of the fourth inning when the Gators got on the board with a solo homer. That was Florida’s only hit and only run against Holman all night.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, LSU got some insurance runs as [autotag]Michael Braswell III[/autotag] walked with the bases loaded, [autotag]Paxton Kling[/autotag] hit a sacrifice fly, and [autotag]Mac Bingham[/autotag] hit an RBI single to give the Tigers a 5-1 lead.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Bingham hit an RBI double to extend the lead to 6-1 as we headed into the ninth inning.

In the top of the ninth inning, Griffin Herring remained on the mound and got the Tigers through the inning unscathed. Herring entered to pitch after Holman and he finished the game after pitching three full innings and allowing zero runs on three hits and three strikeouts.

Game 2 of the series will be Saturday at 6 p.m. CT.

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Starting pitching struggles for LSU baseball in series loss to Mississippi State

It was the first SEC series loss since last May, which also came against the Bulldogs.

As good as the LSU pitching was last weekend against Xavier, it was the polar opposite this weekend against Mississippi State. [autotag]Luke Holman[/autotag], [autotag]Gage Jump[/autotag] and [autotag]Thatcher Hurd[/autotag] combined to give up 16 runs, 21 hits, nine strikeouts and seven walks in 13.1 innings. Only 13 of those runs were earned, making the weekend ERA of the starters 8.93.

[autotag]Luke Holman[/autotag] finished Game 1 after pitching 4.2 innings and giving up 10 hits and five runs (two earned runs) as he struck out three hitters and walked one in the Friday night loss.

[autotag]Gage Jump[/autotag] finished Game 2 after only 3.2 innings and gave up four runs on four hits, three strikeouts and three walks. Even though LSU got out to a 9-1 lead, Mississippi State scored eight runs unanswered until [autotag]Nate Ackenhausen[/autotag] shut the door on them.

[autotag]Thatcher Hurd[/autotag] finished game three after five full innings. He gave up seven runs on seven hits, three strikeouts and three walks. He had a bad first inning where he gave up three runs and then a bad fifth inning where he gave up four runs. Two doubles, a three-run bomb and a solo shot chased him from the game.

It was the first SEC series loss since last May against guess who? Mississippi State.

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Instant Analysis: Mississippi State shows LSU the error of its ways in series-opening loss on Friday

Luke Holman entered the first game of this series with a 2-0 record and a 0.00 ERA. After Friday, that is no longer the case.

Conference play did not start the way LSU wanted it to as the Tigers lost Game 1 to Mississippi State 10-4.

[autotag]Luke Holman[/autotag] entered the first game of this series with a 2-0 record and a 0.00 ERA. After tonight, that is no longer the case. State scored first in the bottom of the second inning to take a 1-0 lead early.

LSU then took the lead in the top of the third inning when [autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag] hit a solo homer and [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] hit a two-run shot to right to give the Tigers a 3-1 lead.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, the wheels fell off for the Tigers. The Bulldogs scored three runs, two of which were unearned, to give themselves a 4-3 lead and chase Holman from the mound. Holman’s final line was 4.2 innings pitched and he gave up 10 hits, five runs (two earned), three strikeouts, and one walk.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, State scored again on an RBI single. In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Bulldogs hit a three-run homer against [autotag]Justin Loer[/autotag] to extend their lead to 9-3 and an RBI single extended the lead to 10-3.

In the top of the ninth inning, [autotag]Michael Braswell III[/autotag] scored on an RBI groundout to cut the lead to 10-4. That was all LSU could manage and that was the final score. Game 2 will be Saturday at 4 p.m. CT.

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Starters and shutouts for LSU baseball against Xavier last weekend

Last weekend against Xavier, the starters put up great numbers.

Entering the 2024 season, LSU had a couple of question marks regarding who would be in their starting rotation. We knew that [autotag]Thatcher Hurd[/autotag] would be one of the starters based off of his performance in the College World Series.

LSU lost their other two starters, [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] and [autotag]Ty Floyd[/autotag], to the MLB Draft. Skenes was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates and Floyd was the 38th pick in the draft by the Cincinnati Reds.

With two spots to fill, where would head coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] turn? Johnson has recruited very well as he has landed a lot of talented players out of high school and out of the transfer portal.

The two best pitchers in the transfer portal committed to LSU. [autotag]Luke Holman[/autotag] and [autotag]Gage Jump[/autotag]. Holman was the ace for the Alabama Crimson Tide last season and due to his experience in the SEC, he seemed to fit the mold for another starting pitcher spot.

Jump was coming off of a season where he was unable to pitch due to an injury, but as a freshman at UCLA, he was fantastic. The initial plan for the rotation appeared to be Hurd, Holman, and [autotag]Javen Coleman[/autotag]. That’s how things began as Johnson began to ramp up the pitch count for Jump.

Fast forward to now, the Tigers are starting conference play this weekend and the lineup has changed slightly. Hurd did not get off to the greatest start this year so he has slid from the ace to the Sunday starter. Jump has gotten more healthy and he has become the Saturday starter. Holman has proved that he has the ability to be an ace in this rotation.

Last weekend against Xavier, the starters put up great numbers. In total, between the three starters, they finished the weekend 2-0 with zero earned runs allowed over 16 innings pitched. They only allowed seven total hits as they struck out 29 hitters and only walked four.

The worst part of the weekend is that Hurd was given a no-decision as Xavier beat LSU 2-1 on Sunday to end the Tigers’ winning streak. In spite of that, I believe that this pitching staff has the talent to take LSU to Omaha once again.

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