The LSU baseball team stormed out of the gates looking like a team ready to avenge last season’s home loss to UNO en route to a 13-0 romp Tuesday night.
The Privateers upset LSU at Alex Box Stadium 7-4 last year, but in his LSU debut, junior pitcher Tyler Jones ensured the Tigers wouldn’t be embarrassed this year.
Jones had to watch his team and its stable of young pitchers dominate Wake Forest from the stands last weekend.
The transfer student from Milwaukee was suspended for the season opening series by LSU coach Paul Mainieri for disciplinary reasons and missed his scheduled Sunday start.
“I broke team rules, and you’ve got to take your lumps,” Jones said. “I felt like I had to go out there and prove myself, but I knew I was capable of that.”
If Jones was under any pressure to perform, he didn’t show it.
The Privateers couldn’t muster any offense against the Tiger hurler, not looking anything like the team that came into Alex Box last season and beat LSU.
“My fastball was working, getting ahead of them early, getting them back on their heels, and then I could mix my slider,” Jones said. “I think I only threw one curveball and might have thrown a changeup.”
Jones notched five scoreless innings in his debut, tallying six strikeouts while only allowing three hits.
Jones didn’t need it, but the Tigers provided him with a huge cushion from the start of the game.
LSU erupted in a six-run first inning that included a two-run double from junior outfielder Mikie Mahtook — his eighth RBI of the short season.
The double — a line drive down the third base line — was Mahtook’s first hit this year that didn’t leave the park.
But Mahtook wasn’t the only offensive star. Sophomore outfielder Raph Rhymes continued his torrid start to his first LSU season with a three-RBI performance.
Rhymes bumped his average up to .438 on the season with a 2-for-4 effort and collected his first stolen base of the season.
“I didn’t think there was any way that [Rhymes would] put up the types of numbers he did at LSU-Eunice, but he’s an RBI machine,” Mainieri said. “He’s a good hitter. He’s got a very compact swing, a line-drive type of swing with occasional power.”
The Tigers built a 12-0 lead by the end of the fifth inning and rested their starters from there.
The LSU pitching staff — a youthful enigma at the beginning of the season — has combined to post a 1.50 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 36 innings so far this season.
LSU dominated in all aspects, but the early-season performances of the pitching staff have been especially head-turning.
Mainieri also announced freshman pitcher Kevin Gausman will pitch Friday against Holy Cross, while fellow freshman Kurt McCune will pitch Saturday, and senior Ben Alsup will throw Sunday.
“I feel really good about this pitching staff, with the starters and middle relief and of course Matty [Ott] at the end of the game,” Mainieri said. “I think we’re going to be a very formidable pitching staff.”
 
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Contact Luke Johnson at [email protected]