The LSU Tigers demonstrated dominance over the weekend, securing a series sweep against the North Alabama Lions at Alex Box Stadium. The Tigers showcased exceptional performances in pitching, batting and lineup consistency, culminating in victories of 13-2 on Friday, 6-2 on Saturday, and 11-5 on Sunday.
Starters dominate
The pitching staff was instrumental in the series sweep, delivering silencing starts over three days. On Friday, left-handed pitcher Kade Anderson pitched his first full six innings, delivering 11 strikeouts and just one run on 92 pitches.
On Saturday, a remarkable performance by sophomore right-hander Anthony Eyanson produced 15 strikeouts over six innings, yielding just two runs on two hits. Eyanson’s dominance on the mound marked the most strikeouts by an LSU pitcher since Ty Floyd’s 17 in the 2023 College World Series Finals.
In the series finale on Sunday, freshman right-hander Chase Shores struggled more than the other two starters but still secured a victory. He threw five innings, allowed two runs on nine hits with four strikeouts.
With a deep, explosive and opportune offense, along with several reliable relievers, the potential of this team is heavily dependent on the ceiling of its starting rotation. Starts like that of Anderson and Eyanson are exactly the kind of play that can win the Tigers big series’ with SEC play inbound.
Offense adds more pop
The Tigers’ offense was equally impressive, displaying significant power and consistency at the plate.
In Friday’s opener, LSU hitters launched six home runs, contributing to their 13-run tally. Lighting up the third inning to break open the score, senior Josh Pearson homered to right field, then continued his power on Sunday, hitting a grand slam with two outs on the board.
To add to Josh Pearson’s homers, his brother freshman John Pearson hit his first home run of the season in the sixth inning on Friday. They are the first set of brothers on the LSU baseball team since 2005.
“It was awesome,” Josh Pearson said. “I mean, it’s kind of the moments we’ve dreamed up since we were little kids talking in our backyard, playing with the ball, talking about wanting to play at LSU one day and wanting to hit home runs there.”
The name most known for power, Jared Jones, led the offense with two home runs and five hits.
LSU has reached double digits in 11 of their 17 games this season, including six of their last seven. Against North Alabama, seven players had a multi-hit game, Milam and Jones did it multiple times.
All weekend the team’s batting average was over .350 with runners on. On Saturday and Sunday, that was a better average than their overall hitting.
The Tigers’ ability to combine power with situational hitting makes their offense a formidable force moving forward.
The art of the batting order
LSU has already established a few certainties in its lineup. Old and new nuances to the order have paid dividends through RBIs and home runs.
Freshman Derek Curiel frequently leads off, as a consistent visitor to the bases, setting up the two-hitter. Curiel has the best average on the team among batters with at least 10 at bats, only behind the man that follows him up.
Jones, a preseason first-team All-SEC selection, has been a formidable presence to follow up behind Curiel as a batter with both pop and patient at bats, often drawing a walk. Jones has the most home runs, doubles, RBIs and holds the best average on the team.
Daniel Dickinson too has brought both consistency and power. He trails only Jones in home runs and is one of three hitters on the team with an on-base percentage over .500, among batters with at least 10 at bats. The other two are Jones and Curiel.
Christ Stanfield sat in the front half of the order earlier in the season along with these three hitters. Recently, he has seen more action at ninth.
“One of the most important players on our team is Chris Stanfield,” head coach Jay Johnson said. “I saw two things, he is an electric player and has God-given talent that you cannot teach. He has speed and just a good competitive nature.”
In his 2024 season at Auburn, Stanfield hit .276 with 51 hits, four home runs, 25 RBIs and nine stolen bases. As this season is underway, he is continuing to show those kinds of high-player skills.
This kind of reliability in the heart of the lineup is exactly how big innings are set up. Even when a pitcher finds a way through the front of the order, there’s still players like Milam and Pearson.
LSU begins SEC play against Missouri at home on Friday at 6:30 p.m.
