LSU fell behind Alabama 7-3 in the top of the fifth inning Sunday.
For the Tigers pitching-wise, it was time for concern.
The Tigers’ offense, on the other hand, was just clearing its throat.
LSU pounded out 10 runs over the next four innings to take a 13-9 lead en route to the 13-11 victory and its second straight Southeastern Conference sweep. LSU (32-8, 15-5 SEC) has now won seven straight conference games to sit atop the SEC West by 1½ games over Arkansas and a half-game behind Vanderbilt (LSU lost a game to weather at South Carolina) overall.
Offensively, here’s where LSU ranks in the SEC and nationally in the following categories:
• On base percentage: .447, 1st, 2nd
• Runs per game: 9.9, 1st, 3rd
• Total runs: 397, 1st, 4th
• Batting average: .320, 1st, 10th
• Home runs per game: 1.90, 1st, 10th
Individually, center fielder Dylan Crews leads the nation with a .485 batting average and a .636 on-base percentage. That means Crews, who went 2-for-3 with a home run and two walks Sunday is getting on base nearly two of every three times he steps in the batter’s box. He went 6-for-11 against Bama with two home runs and eight RBIs to again earn SEC player of the week honors.
If Crews is the best position player in the country, amazingly the Tigers have his equal on the mound in Friday night starting pitcher Paul Skenes. The flamethrowing right-hander leads the nation with an astonishing 17.44 strikeouts per nine innings, is third in hits allowed per nine innings (4.85) and 13th in earned run average (1.97).
Talents like these, and a lot of other players like Tommy White, Tre Morgan, Jordan Thompson and Jared Jones already have the Tigers a virtual lock to be a top-eight NCAA tournament seed.
Of course, much more is expected of this LSU team. The Tigers have been a consensus No. 1 nationally since the preseason polls. According to a check Monday by our Spencer Urquhart, LSU is an even heavier favorite to win the College World Series at +400 than they were three weeks ago after that two-game split at No. 3 South Carolina.
But there are reasons to worry. It’s impossible to have — pardon the baseball pun — all the bases covered in this game. And even top of the chart players like Crews and Skenes can only do so much. Crews can only average five at bats a game. And Skenes can help coach Jay Johnson and pitching coach Wes Johnson conserve the bullpen for the rest of an SEC series, but he still can only pitch once a week.
Injuries and ineffectiveness have taken a toll on this LSU pitching staff, though the Tigers still rank sixth in the SEC with a respectable 4.49 ERA.
Big-time recruits Jaden Noot and Kaleb Applebey got hurt in the fall and Grant Taylor had Tommy John surgery at the start of the season. Talented freshman Chase Shores underwent Tommy John surgery last month, and Garrett Edwards is also out for the season.
The result have been some wild scores of late. LSU held off Alabama on Friday 8-6, rallied to beat Bama 12-8 on Saturday and slugged its way to sweeping away the Crimson Tide on Sunday. Scoring 33 runs was great for the Tigers, but the bullpen struggled.
Johnson gave more credit to Alabama’s bats than issues with his arms.
“I’m proud of the pitching staff,” Johnson said after the game. “That’s an Omaha-caliber offense. Their first six (batters) I’d put up against anybody. I think you have to tip your hat to them.”
There is good news in LSU’s bullpen. The Tigers have four quality left-handers with the recent return of the long-injured Javen Coleman, plus Nate Ackenhausen, Griffin Herring and Riley Cooper, who closed out Sunday’s game despite giving up a two-run homer in the ninth.
“They’re all good,” Johnson said. “It’s not just four left-handers, it’s four good pitchers.
“Riley (who came with Johnson from Arizona after the 2021 season) has probably been part of more wins the past 2½ years than any pitcher in the country. Jayden is super-talented. Griffin is a future star. And I love Nate. We win every game Nate pitches. It isn’t a coincidence.”
Even all those arms likely aren’t going to be enough to get LSU to the title. But one more arm could be the difference. Thatcher Hurd, the transfer from UCLA, is a prime candidate. He’s has more starts (eight) than any LSU pitcher other than Skenes and Ty Floyd, but he’s only 2-1 with a 6.12 ERA. If Hurd can be the dominant pitcher the Tigers hoped he would be paired with that offense, the Tigers may end up being able to pair their lofty rankings and odds with a polished wood and glass trophy in June.
Advocate sportswriter Leah Vann contributed to this report.
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