The No. 1 LSU baseball team is rolling.
The Tigers stand alone atop the Southeastern Conference’s West Division after a series win against then-No. 2 Texas A&M this past weekend. LSU is currently ranked No. 1 in all polls and is projected as a national seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
With all the success the Tigers experienced this season, their offense led the way.
The Tigers are ranked No. 1 in the SEC in virtually every statistical offensive category, including batting average, slugging percentage, doubles and triples.
But among all the flashy categories the Tigers top, likely their most impressive feat is their lack of strikeouts at the plate.
LSU has the least amount of strikeouts in the league — and it isn’t close.
The Tigers have struck out only 222 times this season, which is 30 less than second place Mississippi State. The Tigers have a total of 1,654 at-bats this season, averaging a strikeout only 13.4 percent of the time.
“Last year, we didn’t strike out much, either. We were best in the league in terms of being the hardest to strike out. It’s a tribute to the kind of hitters we have,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “We have guys with pretty good hand-eye coordination [who] make contact. The other thing too, is we’re more aggressive earlier in the count. It’s hard to strike out when you don’t get two strikes on you. If you’re hitting the ball with one strike or no strikes on you, you don’t strike out.”
Junior shortstop Alex Bregman and sophomore left fielder Jake Fraley are tied for the fewest strikeouts with only 12 this season.
Senior second baseman Jared Foster said the team’s aggressive mentality at the plate has helped ensure the team can put the ball in play as much as possible.
“We’re sticking with our approach,” Foster said. “Maybe you’re down 0-2, but it doesn’t mean you’re out of the at-bat. You’re still up there. You still have things to do, and you still have a chance to hit the ball. You got to go out there and battle and not take a pitch off and see the ball well.”
The approach was best executed in a crunch-time at-bat in the seventh inning of the Tigers’ 9-6 win against Texas A&M on April 24.
With men on first and second and one out, Bregman fought off nine pitches before roping a two-run double down the left-field line to punctuate the rally and give the Tigers a 6-5 lead.
“I was so excited,” said Bregman, who finished 2-for-4 on the night with two RBIs. “It was a blast. This atmosphere is crazy, and we fed off of it. It’s just an honor to play for LSU. Being able to come through in a moment like that is second-to-none.”
Bregman wasn’t the only Tiger excited about his performance that Friday night. Mainieri said he could watch baseball for 100 years and never see an at-bat like Bregman had.
“Bregman’s at-bat was so important as a leadership to our team too,” Mainieri said. “When a guy that’s the face of your team and the big prospect, when he gets in there and battles like he did and comes through, it just gives a lift to the whole team that, ‘Hey, I can do it too.’ He just gives a lot of confidence to the rest of the team when he grasps the moment like he did.”
With the Tigers putting the ball in play constantly, it puts immense pressure on their opponents to make as many plays as possible. Opponents have a .955 fielding percentage against the Tigers and have committed 80 errors against them.
LSU plans to continue its ways through the conclusion of their season, whenever that may be.
“Sometimes, it works, and sometimes, it doesn’t. But you have to believe in something, and that’s what I believe in,” Mainieri said. “I believe in putting the pressure on the other team instead of just sitting back waiting for another hit. More often than not it works.”
You can reach Jack Chascin on Twitter @Chascin_TDR.