Perched atop almost every offensive category in the Southeastern Conference, the No. 3 LSU baseball team hasn’t found a pitcher it hasn’t liked.
The Tigers ran over a left-handed Kentucky rotation last weekend while pounding out 30 hits in the following two games against a hapless Southern pitching staff.
But, with a looming weekend series against No. 10 Arkansas (24-10, 8-4 SEC) at Baum Stadium, LSU (32-2, 11-1 SEC) coach Paul Mainieri isn’t counting on those type of gaudy numbers against the SEC’s top pitching staff.
“They’ve got a plethora of arms that would be an envy to any coach,” Mainieri said. “Something’s got to give.”
Anchored by junior starters Barrett Astin and Ryne Stanek, the Razorback pitching staff boasts the conference’s best earned run average while opponents hit only .196 against it, also leading the SEC.
Stanek is projected by many to be the first pitcher selected in the MLB Draft, following in the same path as former Tiger Kevin Gausman. He’ll match up with LSU righty Ryan Eades on Saturday, in a battle of starters with ERA’s under 2.00.
While Mainieri praised Arkansas’ pitching staff, he was quick to credit his own staff, characterizing the matchup between it and the Razorback lineup as an overlooked facet of the top-10 series.
“The one thing people lose sight of is that we have a pretty good pitching staff ourselves,” Mainieri said. “I’m excited to see how their hitters will do against our pitchers as much as I’m excited to see how our hitters will do against their pitchers.”
Carrying a 22-game hitting streak to pace the red-hot Tiger offense, freshman shortstop Alex Bregman agreed with Mainieri, giving his comrades on the hill a vote of confidence.
“I’m pretty sure our pitching staff’s pretty good too,” Bregman said. “They’ll go in there with a chip on their shoulders and go toe-to-toe with them. Our pitching staff will prove themselves this weekend.”
Bregman, who said he notched a base hit off Stanek when he pitched for the collegiate national team, said scoring early against the Razorback staff is essential — a task familiar for the Tigers.
In its last three games, LSU has tallied 13 runs in the first inning, twice to reclaim the lead and put opponents away.
Senior first baseman Mason Katz, who carries a 14-game hitting streak of his own, likened the Baum Stadium atmosphere to that of Alex Box Stadium, with throngs of loyal fans ready to call the hogs.
“They have all the people out there in left field out there having a big party,” Katz said. “It’s an interesting and fun atmosphere.”
And when Katz was asked about any sense of complacency pervading the Tiger dugout as the team raced to its best start in school history, there was no hesitation.
“Never,” Katz said.
