Entering the 2025 season, LSU’s relief staff was expected to be anchored by team captain and junior right-hander Gavin Guidry. His absence due to injury has in part been made up for by others in the bullpen.
The preseason All-SEC reliever was a proven force out of the pen, tallying a 2.59 ERA with four saves in 2024. The season before that, he closed out the Tigers seventh College World Series Championship.
LSU has stormed to a 17-1 record and the D1 Baseball No.1 ranking. But Tigers non-conference success hasn’t been a breeze. In the Frisco Baseball Classic, LSU found themselves in a 5-0 deficit to Nebraska before battling back to beat the Huskers 11-6. In the same weekend, LSU had a three run 10th inning to secure a victory against Kansas State.
With Guidry unavailable to close out games, a role he has had for his entire career as a Tiger, freshman Casan Evans has stepped into the role seamlessly. Evans has been lights-out, securing three saves while striking out 16 batters across nine shutout innings.
William Schmidt has quietly become one of LSU’s most effective arms in both starting and relief roles. The freshman right-hander has appeared in four games, including two starts, compiling a 2-0 record with a 1.46 ERA.
He has struck out 15 batters over 12.1 innings while allowing just two earned runs. Schmidt’s ability to handle multiple roles has made him one of Johnson’s most valuable arms, especially with Guidry sidelined.
Zac Cowan, a junior right-hander, has provided versatility, making six appearances while posting a 1.23 ERA and striking out 19 batters over 14.2 innings.
Jacob Mayers, Chandler Dorsey, and Dalton Beck have also delivered key relief innings, combining for 18 scoreless appearances.
Despite losing a vital bullpen arm, it has almost been a good thing, showing themselves how good they can be, without one of the best experienced pitchers in the country to back them up.
LSU’s ability to rally from deficits has been a defining trait of its 17-1 start.
On March 1 against Nebraska, the Tigers trailed 5-0 in the to start the game but mounted a six-run sixth-inning comeback. The pitchers delivered five shutout innings, led by Anthony Eyanson, Cowan and Schmidt, allowing LSU to claw back and win in regulation. The Tigers ultimately secured an 11-6 victory in their second game of the Frisco Baseball Classic
On March 4 against North Dakota State, a worn out bullpen again played a pivotal role. Down 9-7 in the fifth, Chandler Dorsey sent the Bison back to their dugout after a three up, three down top half of the inning, giving the Tigers the time they needed to tie and eventually win the matchup after Steven Milam scored two in the eighth, locking down the 11-9 victory.
When Guidry returns, he will provide LSU with another dominant arm in what has turned out to be a very solid, mature pitching staff already this year and the sooner, the better, as the Tigers enter conference play this week against the 8-8 Missouri Tigers at home.
With SEC play approaching, LSU faces tougher competition. The upcoming series against Missouri will be the Tigers first taste of a loaded conference this season. 12 of the SEC’s 16 teams are ranked in the D1 Baseball Top 25 rankings. Of those 12, LSU will face seven of the current Top 25, and two of the current top 10.
The 2023 National Champion should hopefully be back on the mound soon, and when he does, this Tiger team will be one that no school in the country will be happy to play.
