New Jersey native Brett Laxton had the best season for an LSU pitcher as a freshman. In 1993, Laxton went 12-1 with a 1.98 ERA and completed a remarkable season by striking out a College World Series record 16 hitters in a three-hit complete game shutout as the Tigers won their second national championship by beating Wichita State 8-0.
In 2015, Alex Lange earned 2015 National Freshman Pitcher of the Year honors by going 12-0 with a 1.97 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 114 innings.
LSU freshman right-handed pitcher Casan Evans' numbers are not as spectacular as Laxton's or Lange’s, but his season is just as impressive.
Evans earned his fifth win of the season Tuesday as he put up several zeros in 4.1 innings out of the bullpen in a 9-5 win over UCLA.
Coach Jay Johnson told Evans he would enter the game once it was determined that starter Anthony Eyanson could not return due to the length of the weather delay on Monday night.
Evans accepted the assignment and was ready when the game resumed Tuesday morning at 10 AM.
“The mindset stays the same no matter when I come in the game. If I start or close, I just go out there and do my best to help the team win,” Evans said.
Evans has helped LSU win many games this year and he’s been great in the postseason.
He allowed one run over six innings and struck out 12, nine in a row at one point, in LSU’s come-from-behind win to beat Little Rock in the Baton Rouge Regional Championship game.
He earned his seventh save of the season in LSU’s 4-1 win over Arkansas in the opening round of the College World Series.
On Tuesday, he allowed two runs over 4.1 innings and struck out five.
What is even more impressive about Evans’ season, he doesn’t know exactly when he will pitch. When Lange and Laxton won Freshman of the Year honors, they were nearly full-time starters; they knew days ahead of time when they would pitch.
Evans usually only has a few minutes to get ready, as 16 of his 19 appearances have been out of the bullpen.
There was not much buzz about Evans coming into his freshman season, because much of the focus was on William Schmidt, the hard-throwing right-hander from Baton Rouge.
While Schmidt struggled, Evans has flourished and Johnson is not surprised.
“His dad is his high school coach, mom is a superstar, brother is great, he’s got ability, and very rarely do you get that combination of talent, makeup, character, and maturity that’s ready for what we have to do, and he has it,” Johnson said.
Johnson said Evans was a can’t-miss player coming out of Houston. In fact, Johnson cancelled a trip to see one of his best friends get married, because Evans was making a second visit to LSU as a high school recruit.
Johnson will count on Evans to bring him his second national championship in four years at LSU, and don’t be surprised if he’s on the mound when the Tigers record the final out.
Related
