Column: Does LSU baseball still have what it takes to prosper in Omaha?

It isn’t a secret that LSU baseball has the key components needed to make a run through the College World Series. 

It has arguably the most reliable ace in the country in Paul Skenes, a top draft prospect who’s well on his way to pitching the most strikeouts in LSU history. That’s proven to be a key component in a considerable amount of title runs, including last year with Ole Miss and Dylan DeLucia. 

It has a batting lineup that sports eight players with batting averages over .300 and six with nine or more home runs, coming in as a top-15 team in both categories. 

Three of those guys sport batting averages above .399 and slugging percentages above .750 in Dylan Crews, Tommy White and Hayden Travinski. For comparison, about 30 players in the entire country have percentages that high in either category.

And while Travinski has started in just seven games, the main takeaway from that fact is that a new weapon within its already potent batting room is just starting to emerge. 

LSU is even better when it comes to runs per game, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, sitting atop the Power Five in each apart from the latter, where it trails only Maryland. It’s managed all these rankings despite playing in a conference that sports seven teams ranked No. 15 and above in RPI (11 teams ranked above No. 34) and made it all the way to May without dropping a series in said conference. 

With that being said, what do those numbers really mean to you, the viewer? What do those numbers mean to someone that’s witnessed every game in LSU’s last two series? 

I can’t imagine they mean much. 

With all the injuries it’s endured within its bullpen, six at the time of writing this, there were bound to be a few hiccups here and there as the season progressed towards June.  

I’d call the Auburn loss a hiccup, and a justified one at that. Since Auburn lost to Troy to fall to 23-17-1 on the season, the Tigers have won series against the No. 2 and No. 6 team in the country, along with most recently sweeping Ole Miss by a combined score of 37-11.  

Although there were clear concerns after getting run-ruled in the series finale, LSU came close to taking game two and ultimately lost to a team that’s seemingly gaining momentum at the right time. Along with continued concerns regarding pitching depth, that loss also showed that adjustments needed to be made to its starters, adjustments that were made and displayed promise against Mississippi State. 

The problem is, they didn’t result in a series win against the Bulldogs. And when it comes to late-season losses, this one was more than a hiccup.

While each starting pitcher had solid performances, it’s worth noting that the only game LSU managed to win this weekend came when it didn’t have to relieve its starter. And the only game it managed to win last weekend came when its lone reliever played just 1.2 innings with a three-run cushion. 

Against Mississippi State, LSU’s relievers gave up a combined 21 earned runs through 9.1 innings. In a game where it held a nine-run lead against the second worst team in the conference, it allowed the Bulldogs to even the score in just two innings.  

When an implosion of this nature happens one time in the regular season, it could be considered an off weekend or a great one from its opponent. When it happens twice, it’s a cause for concern. Not to mention these losses were certainly foreshadowed. 

LSU came two runs away from blowing an 8-1 lead in the final two innings against Alabama, with Paul Skenes giving up one earned run and Griffin Herring giving up five, four in the ninth. 

LSU entered the fifth inning in game two against Kentucky with a 6-2 lead before Floyd and Herring gave up a combined 10 runs and it lost 13-10. And its pitching depth played a key role in losses against Arkansas, South Carolina and Louisiana-Lafayette too.

While its positives are certainly incredible and will surely come into play if it makes it to the final rounds of the College World Series, it has to make it that far first.

Assuming it survives its regional and super regional, LSU is going to have to rely on pitchers other than Skenes to make it all the way while facing the best baseball teams this country has to offer. Last season, Ole Miss played six games in eight days to win it all, two of which featured its ace. And while it relied heavily on its starters, its relievers played vital roles in closing out games.

It takes just two bad pitching performances to crush your title chances and LSU just put on two back-to-back. The Tigers still have plenty of the components necessary to make a title run, but they are going to need to figure out what they’re going to about their pitching woes and soon.