It all started last April Fools, 323 days ago: Southern went into Alex Box Stadium and stunned LSU with a 12-7 upset.
The Jaguars capitalized on early opportunities, jumping to a 3-0 lead in the second inning. Southern’s pitching staff effectively contained the Tiger offense, limiting them to four hits.
It was a rare blemish for LSU, marking the fourth time in matchup history that the Jaguars won the crosstown catfight.
Fast-forward to Tuesday’s matchup; it was a whole new ball game.
The Tiger’s offense ignited the fire early on in the game, immediately scoring two runs into the bottom of the first. Transfer left-handed pitcher Conner Ware made a notable impact on the mound as his first career appearance in Baton Rouge with strategic poise and control of the ball. His performance undoubtedly limited the Southern’s offensive opportunity. Ware’s first three innings were scoreless, preventing the Jaguars from continuing to build momentum, a common pattern for the Tigers this season with such a strong pitching staff.
“Efficiency is what you’re looking for when pitching, especially when starting pitching, so just being as efficient as I can,” said Ware.
Another part of the backbone of this game was junior outfielder Ethan Frey, who launched his first career home run at the bottom of the fourth with a two-run shot down the left field, but his offensive contributions didn’t stop there. He went 3-for-4 at the plate, clutching three RBIs.
There is a stark contrast between these past two matchups: the most notable is the LSU team out on the field.
Over the summer, Tigers head coach Jay Johnson hit the transfer portal hard and came out with the No. 1 rated new-coming class, according to Baseball America.
Last year, LSU struggled to find the chemistry and offensive rhythm and faltered defensively, which allowed Southern to pick up on it and seize every opportunity quickly. Tuesday’s rematch showed the Tigers a balanced attack and air-tight chemistry within the team, not allowing anything to slip by them.
But it doesn’t seem a concern to Johnson or his team.
“I mean 365 days and the lives of my players might as well be 100 years,” said Johnson. “So it really didn’t have anything to do with it.”
As the season progresses, LSU aims to build on this victory of today and the streak they are on right now. The experience of their returning players and the cohesive unit of the new players to build on for the rest of the season, especially going into SEC play.
This season is looking different compared to last season, which will be an interesting development and is showing that they will be a force this spring; this 13-1 win against Southern with standout performances from new-comers and returning veterans sets up the anticipation for a long and prosperous rest of the season from LSU.
The Tigers will look to continue their momentum this Friday when they host Omaha in the first of a three-game series this weekend.
