SEC play begins next weekend for LSU baseball. First, though, the Tigers must bounce back from getting swept by Texas. The comeback won’t be easy this weekend against California. Paul Mainieri’s team has some concerns on their pitching staff and on defense. LSU leads the SEC in walks issued, and near the bottom of the league is strikeouts recorded from their pitching staff. Here’s a look at the Cal Bears and how the Tigers stack up.
Friday night on the mound: For LSU, Zack Hess will get the ball in the opening game of the series. Hess has struggled this season; in three starts he’s 1 and 1 with a 5.68 ERA. Hess walked 8 hitters in two starts with 16 strikeouts recorded. Opponents are hitting .296 against him. California will counter with Junior Southpaw Arman Sabouri. Through two starts Sabouri is 1 and 1 with a 2.79 ERA with 2 walks and 12 strikeouts.
Saturday on the mound: Freshman Cole Henry will get the start. Henry is a talented, hard throwing freshman right hander with no record with four appearances and one midweek start early in the season. His ERA is 4.15 in 8 and 2/3rds innings on the mound with 4 walks and 10 strikeouts. California has not announced their starter for Saturday.
Sunday on the mound: Sophomore right hander Erik Walker will get the baseball in the series finale. Walker appeared in four games, with two starts with a 1-0 record and 5.40 ERA, giving up five runs in 10 innings. Freshman, Grant Holman will start for the Bears Sunday. Holman is 1-0 with a 3.29 ERA, and has issued 5 walks and 7 strikeouts in 13 and 2/3rd innings.
Defense: Both teams are struggling fielding the ball. LSU is typically a great defensive team. The Tigers fielding percentage is .972 committing 12 errors. That’s an average of one per game. Short Stop Josh Smith committed two errors, which is unusual for the sure handed captain of the infield. The Cal Bears are even worse on defense, committing 15 errors. That’s the second-most in the PAC-12. Cal has a team fielding percentage of .960.
LSU offense: Josh Smith continues to pace the Tigers line up hitting .452 as the lead-off hitter. Smith sat out the midweek win over Holy Cross with a sore hamstring, but is expected to return this weekend. Centerfielder Zach Watson really responded, after being moved to the two hole in the Tigers line up. Watson’s hitting .348 and reached base in every game. The overall batting average for the Tigers is right at .300, which is in large part due to poor production at the bottom of the line-up. Outside of the top four hitters for LSU the 5 through 9 batters are hitting below .300. That has to change. Paul Mainieri inserted senior Chris Reid in the line-up last week against Texas, replacing Hal Hughes at third base. Reid responded with a .313 average and 5 RBI. As a team the Tigers have struck out 83 times, and their on base percentage is .394. LSU has to improve both of those stats when SEC play begins.
California offense: Get ready to see one of the best baseball players in the country, when Cal’s Andrew Vaughn steps into Alex Box Stadium. The junior first baseman is the reigning Golden Spikes award winner (given to the best player in the country). He’s off to a terrific start, leading the PAC-12 in hitting with a .529 average and 7 home runs. Vaughn is third in the conference with 18 RBI. Wait! His .680 on-base percentage and 1.176 slugging percentage is second in the nation. Vaughn scored 23 homes runs last year and ended the season with a .402 batting average. As a team the Cal Bears are hitting .277 with 12 home runs and 68 runs. Cal likes to run on the base paths, stealing nine bases on thirteen attempts. Bags have been easy to swipe for LSU opponents, going 24 of 25 in stolen base attempts.
What I need to see from LSU: The Tigers have struggled on the mound, issuing 65 walks in 105.1 innings pitched. That has to change, and a shake up to the rotation will happen if it doesn’t. LSU is near the bottom of the SEC in strikeouts. The Tigers pitching staff also has to improve holding opposing runners on base. Opponents are 24 of 25 in stolen base attempts, and a large portion of that is on the pitching staff, not the catcher Brock Mathis. There are two ways you steal a base; off the pitcher or off the catcher. Mathis is taking the heat…undeservedly so. I need to see Zack Hess pitch like a Friday night starter! He needs to dominate with command and pitch well into the ball game. Hess needs to be a DUDE!
What I need to see from LSU - part II: Somebody has to emerge at the bottom of the line-up. Catcher Brock Mathis is starting to heat up, hitting a home run in the win over Holy Cross Wednesday. He also reached base in five straight games going back to the series with Texas. Paul Mainieiri has never been afraid to make changes, and you got a taste of that in the game with Holy Cross. Drew Bianco got the start at second base over Brandt Broussard. Although Bianco is hitting just .105 this season, the potential is much higher than Broussard, who’s hitting a tad better at .161. Designated hitter Saul Garza looks the part! At some point he’s going to have to prove the part. The JU-CO transfer is an absolute fastball mauler, but the book on him is just kill him with off-speed pitches when you get ahead in the count. Garza is an all or nothing hitter, leading the team in strikeouts. He is yet to hit a home run, after hitting 23 last season at the junior college level. Safe to say Saul Garza is struggling to adjust to higher caliber pitching. I think as early as this weekend freshman Giovanni DiGiacomo will take over the DH spot, leaving Garza to ride the pine. I need to see more production from the bottom of the lineup this weekend.
What I need to see from LSU - part III: Championship caliber teams feature three things: great hitting, great pitching and strong defense. LSU doesn’t demonstrate any of those characteristics right now. Also, the defensive play has been a huge disappointment, especially since LSU is usually one of the best defensive teams in the country. The Tigers are making routine plays look really difficult. Something as simple as a double play proves difficult. LSU has only turned two double plays this season. Some of that is on the pitching staff, but some of that is on the fielders. I need to see an error free weekend from the Tigers.
Baseball can be a cruel sport, but LSU is better than the numbers indicate.
