LSU baseball reaches base 23 times, completing sweep of Missouri

By Marty Sullivan and Ethan Stenger

March 16, 2025

LSU men’s baseball senior utility Luis Hernandez (23) looks towards LSU’s dugout during LSU’s 7-6 win against Missouri on Saturday, March 15, 2025 at Alex Box Stadium on Gourrier Avenue in Baton Rouge, La.

LSU’s offense continued to shine with 14 hits in a 10-5 victory over Missouri, completing a series sweep.

The LSU bats were undying, scoring in five of their eight innings. Eight batters got at least one hit, four had multiple and both Ethan Frey and Derek Curiel had three each.

“It’s probably the most important thing in an offense in college baseball, especially in the Southeastern Conference,” Frey said. “You can win a lot of different games in a lot of different ways.”

As a team, the Tigers reached base 23 times. Reliever Zac Cowan was instrumental on the other side of the ball in securing the victory.

Offense delivered immediately in the first, headlined by a two-run home run by Jake Brown.

Missouri earned their run in the second inning but had it handed to them in the third. Already at a high pitch count, Chase Shores hit a batter and walked two, this amounted to just one run that inning. They added a third run in the fourth before Shores was pulled for Connor Ware.

After just one run in the third, LSU tallied three more in the fourth to push the lead to 8-3. Four hits, a hit-by-pitch and a stolen base at the turn of the order eased the pressure on the bullpen. That would prove important.

Missouri gave LSU a run in the fifth when one hit, a walk and a hit batter set Michael Braswell III up to score on a wild pitch.

Ware and Mavrick Rizy combined for two hitless innings up to the seventh.

“With a defense like that behind you, you just got to fill it up and let them do their thing,” Rizy said.

Rizy was pulled after a walk in the seventh inning. DJ Primeaux came in, walked a batter and then allowed a two-run single. He was pulled for Cowan who came in with runners on second and third and the game in limbo. Cowan not only got out of the inning without allowing a run, he closed the last 2.1 innings.

LSU’s last run of the game came in the seventh when Chris Stanfield scored while Missouri caught Curiel in a pickle.

Missouri scored its last run in the ninth, but well-executed defense from Milam and Jones secured the win. LSU won 10-5.

Cowan was the saving grace when the lead became insecure. He finished the game with five strikeouts, allowing two hits, a walk and a run.

LSU hit .500 with 2 outs and was 5-for-12 with runners in scoring position.

Curiel delivered every single time he came up the plate, 3-for-3 with a walk, also helping to drive in Stanfield between the basepaths.

Frey was nearly perfect, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and a double.

“It was a good weekend. [I’m] proud of our team,” Johnson said. “[I] thought we executed really well, all phases.”

LSU will play New Orleans on Tuesday, March 19 at 6:30 p.m. They continue SEC play against Texas in Austin next weekend.

About the Contributors

Marty Sullivan, Deputy Sports Editor

Why did you join the Reveille? I joined the Reveille because I want to pursue sports journalism and I knew the Reveille was the perfect place to take my first steps with published work. What positions have you held at the Reveille? I started as a news reporter in the fall of 2023. Since then I have been a sports reporter, covering baseball and women’s basketball. What’s your favorite thing about working at the Reveille? The Reveille is unlike any other job I will have in journalism because it is student media. Growing my skills and advancing my career with other people doing the same is not only super helpful, it’s incredibly rewarding to be a part of. What’s your favorite story that you’ve worked on so far? I did a feature last semester about a woman who spent 25 years in prison before becoming a paralegal. Her story was so inspirational and she was so open to share, I felt so fortunate to cover it. What do you hope to do after graduation? I have a lot of different goals in journalism but I certainly want to continue writing. I think my priority is creative freedom and diversifying my experiences in the field.

Ethan Stenger, Sports Editor

Why did you join the Reveille? I worked at my student newspaper during my junior and senior years of high school, so it felt like a no-brainer. It was a smooth transition. What positions have you held at the Reveille? I was a sports reporter during my freshman year, covering soccer in the fall and the national champion gymnastics team in the spring. What’s your favorite thing about working at the Reveille? The experiences that the Reveille has offered me have honestly changed my life. When I got to cover the SEC and national championships for gymnastics and Alabama-LSU on a Saturday night in Death Valley, there were moments when I just took a step back and thought, “Wow, Ethan, you can do this. This dream isn’t so far-fetched.” What’s your favorite story that you’ve worked on so far? Last March, my mom walked into the living room while I watched a men’s college basketball game and said, “Wait, why do they play two halves instead of four quarters?” My dad had asked the same question days earlier, so I finally answered it. If you ask Google, my article is one of the first things that comes up. It’s pretty remarkable to think that people will be coming back to read my words for years to come. What do you hope to do after graduation? Inspire curiosity, spread compassion and change the world with art.