When you’re ranked No.1 in the country and are favored to win the National Championship, there’s little satisfaction in a sweep over Western Michigan.
However, LSU did what good teams should do against teams they’re better than; The Tigers completed a dominant series sweep. They never trailed over the course of the weekend.
LSU was especially dominant in games one and three, winning 10-0 and 9-2 respectively. It won just 5-3 on Saturday, but throughout the series, the Tigers showed off an ability to win in different ways.
There wasn’t anything too flashy over the course of the weekend; it was the straightforward sweep that many expected. However, there were some things that did stand out.
Here are three takeaways from the weekend.
The freshman class is as advertised
LSU entered the season with one of its best freshman classes to date. Baseball America ranked LSU as having the best freshman class in the country, and that was on display this weekend. Five different freshmen started games this weekend, with the four position players starting all three games.
Paxton Kling, Brady Neal, Jared Jones and Ben Nippolt all featured in the starting lineup for each game. Neal and Jones were the two standouts; they combined for six RBIs over the course of the weekend.
Neal was the starting catcher and went 3 for 5, with four walks for the series. Jones was the starting designated hitter and was 3 for 7 for the series, with four RBIs and three walks.
Chase Shores was another player that stirred conversation; he started the series finale on the mound for LSU and pitched three and one third innings. He tallied two strikeouts and allowed just one earned run. His fastball consistently hit the upper 90s, and 62% of his pitches were strikes.
Coming into the series, one of the major talking points was how the talented class would translate on the field. When speaking to that after the game, head coach Jay Johnson wasn’t surprised by how well the young players handled the adjustment.
“They’re some of the most talented guys in the program. And I think the older players that have been here three, four or five years would tell you that,” Johnson said. “Really excited about that class and they’ve just got to put their head down and keep working because if they improve as much as they have since they got here, then some good days are ahead for them and for us.”
The pitching depth will go a long way
Starting pitching was arguably one of LSU’s biggest weaknesses last season. The Tigers had no true ace on Friday nights and didn’t have much in the rotation.
Both of those issues seem to be addressed after this weekend.
Paul Skenes’ performance on Friday definitively answered the concern of LSU having its ace this season. The Air Force transfer pitched six shutout innings and struck out 12 batters to start his LSU career.
In game two, veteran left-hander Riley Cooper pitched five and one third shutout innings, striking out seven. LSU’s starting pitchers allowed just one earned run all weekend; the lone run came on Sunday against the freshman Chase Shores.
The staff as a whole was impressive too. LSU gave up just five runs over the whole series and tallied 35 strikeouts as a staff.
One name out of the bullpen that impressed was Ty Floyd. The junior right-hander pitched three perfect innings in game three, striking out four batters. His command was impressive, and 76% of his 46 pitches were strikes.
Christian Little, Micah Buckman, Bryce Collins, Nate Ackenhausen, Sam Dutton and Blake Money were the other pitchers who saw action out of the bullpen. Collins, Ackenhausen and Money were the only pitchers out of the bullpen to allow an earned run.
Tommy White injury hurts, but infield depth is much improved
Depth in the infield was another issue LSU faced last season; LSU ranked last in the SEC in fielding percentage. This made defense a point of emphasis coming into this season. The improvement was already on display this weekend; LSU didn’t commit a single error in three games.
The infielders were also vital for LSU at the plate; Gavin Dugas and Jordan Thompson were especially impressive. Nippolt also seems to be a mainstay in the infield, as he rotated over to third base after White’s injury in Friday’s game.
Dugas was the star of the weekend, though.
The senior went 6 for 8 in the series and had a home run in each of his two starts. He played at second base in both starts, moving into the infield after spending most of his LSU career in the outfield.
Thompson was another player who sparked conversation entering the season. Despite impressing at the plate last year, he struggled at times in the field; this didn’t help LSU’s poor fielding percentage.
Thompson didn’t have a single error in the opening series, and he showed an impressive day at the plate in game three; he went 2 for 3 with a home run and three RBIs.
