With a lineup that features a wealth of line-drive hitters, No. 4 LSU has been aggressive out of necessity this season when it has a runner on first base.
Couple that with the 33 double plays the Tigers have grounded into this season – the second most in the Southeastern Conference – and one can see why they have been creative with their aggression.
Rather than continue to beat its head against the wall with momentum-killing double plays, LSU has taken advantage of strengths and minimized its weaknesses with the hit-and-run.
MAKE A HOLE
The premise is simple.
“The whole purpose of a hit-and-run is to make a hole in the infield and make contact on the ground to the right side,” said LSU senior third baseman Tyler Hanover. “That’s a free base hit for you. We’re just trying to put things in motion.”
The hit-and-run is a risky play. The runner can be caught stealing, or the batter can hit the ball to a defender for an easy double play. But it can be lethal with batters who know the art of directional hitting.
NO BIG BOPPERWithout a traditional power hitter in the lineup, the Tigers have used the hit-and-run as a tool to manufacture runs this season. The LSU offense currently ranks No. 2 in the SEC with 306 runs.
“When you don’t have the guys who can hit the home run … you’ve got to have guys who can do the job on the hit-and-run,” said junior outfielder Raph Rhymes. “It can totally change the game. If you get a guy on first, you can hit and run, now you’ve got [runners on] first and third with nobody out.”
“CREATE HAVOC” LSU ranks third to last in the SEC with a 62 percent success rate on stolen bases this season.
“We don’t have the fastest team in the world,” Hanover said. “So any time we can get a runner on second base with two outs, whether it’s a … stolen bag or a hit-and-run, we’re trying to get that guy in motion and create some havoc.” OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS
The hit-and-run isn’t always the call. Sometimes the decision on whether or not to swing is all up to the hitter.
“Sometimes [the runner] will get the steal from coach, and coach will let me swing away,” Rhymes said. “If he gets a good enough jump, I’ll take [the pitch], but if I feel like he doesn’t get the best jump and I get a pitch I can handle, I’ll treat it like a hit-and-run.”
 
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