In a season full of streaks, the LSU baseball team will take its two-game losing streak into a weekend series against Lipscomb University.
The Tigers (7-4) enter today’s matchup against the Bison (9-4) in Alex Box Stadium after losing Tuesday to Tulane University, 8-3.
LSU’s early season offensive struggles continued in Tuesday’s game after getting just five hits and compiling a .234 game batting average.
The five hits they mustered up marked the fourth time in the first 11 games of this season the Tigers have been held to five hits or less in a game. LSU assistant coach Blair Barbier said this will be corrected with time.
“It’s still early in the season,” Barbier said. “It takes time for a hitter to get into a rhythm, into the flow of hitting every day and being good on a day-in and day-out basis.”
The Tigers have not hit better than .241 in a game this season, but Barbier said the offense will “come around” with increased playing time.
“Every year it takes time to get going, but the amount of pressure put on this team before the season started just magnifies the situation,” Barbier said.
Although LSU’s season batting average is .234, players such as freshman left fielder Blake Dean batting .417 (15-36), freshman center fielder Jared Mitchell batting .304 (14-46) and senior second baseman Chris Jackson batting .357 (5-14) have kept the Tigers afloat this season.
Jackson, who missed the past two weeks after suffering from a bleeding stomach ulcer, went two for four with a double and an RBI in the losing effort.
Barbier said he was impressed with Jackson’s performance and admitted he was shocked he came out so strong after his time on the bench.
“That shows you just what kind of athlete he is,” Barbier said. “Some people really struggle with [having to sit out so long], even though it takes most people time to get back into a rhythm. Some people can just roll out of bed and hit, and that’s the player Chris Jackson is.”
After seeing Jackson in his first game back, senior right fielder Steven Waguespack said it was good to see the team’s second baseman back in action. He said he wants the team’s offensive production to pick up this weekend.
“Hopefully we can get back on the winning road,” Waguespack said. “Hopefully we can come out, play like we’re capable of and with [Southeastern Conference] play right around the corner, we can play well enough to get a rhythm going and roll into conference play.”
The Tigers are not the only team with offensive struggles this season. The Bison hit .273 with just one home run this season.
Lipscomb baseball coach Jeff Forehand said this weekend’s series is a good test for his ball club and said playing LSU is an honor for the program.
“[LSU] set some bench marks pretty high in college baseball during the ’90’s,” Forehand said. “For us having a chance to come in and play probably one of the most successful college baseball programs over the past 15 years at least – is one that we look forward to.”
With both offenses struggling this season, Barbier said he and other coaches on the staff will work with the players and try to correct any bad habits this weekend.
“All we’re trying to do is control what we can control,” Barbier said. “We’re trying to get our offense on track, our pitchers to learn our system, and we’re just really trying to fine tune everything and work out the kinks before conference play.”
—–Contact Jay St. Pierre at [email protected]