Five takeaways from LSU baseball's Baton Rouge Regional championship

USA Today

2 days ago

Five takeaways from LSU baseball's Baton Rouge Regional championship
LSU baseball advanced to a super regional after completing a game-seven comeback to beat Little Rock on Monday night.
Ethan Frey gave LSU a 1-0 lead with a first-inning home run, but Little Rock erased that lead in the third with a five-run inning.
That's when Jay Johnson turned to Casan Evans out of the pen, who was dynamite. Evans stabilized LSU, striking out 12 over six innings, allowing just one earned run. Evans, just a true freshman, threw 109 pitches, a career high.
With Evans cruising on the mound, the offense went to work. LSU scored three runs in the fourth before tying the game in the sixth. The Tigers added five more runs over the final three innings to win 10-6.
Ethan Frey and Luis Hernandez were the heroes at the plate, combining for three homers and seven RBI. Now, LSU turns its attention to West Virginia as the Tigers sit two wins away from a trip to the College World Series. Here are five takeaways from LSU's Baton Rouge Regional title.
Eyanson and Anderson is the best pitching duo in America
You'll have a hard time finding a better one-two pitching punch than LSU's Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson.
On Friday, Eyanson pitched 7.2 shutout innings vs. Little Rock to kick the regional off with a win. He struck out seven and walked one. On Saturday, Anderson was equally impressive. Anderson struck out 11 over seven shutout innings.
And on Monday, when LSU needed the final outs to win the regional, Johnson tabbed Eyanson out of the pen. Eyanson finished the game with 1.2 shutout innings.
LSU's duo of aces has risen to the occasion time and time again this year. Even when the lineup has struggled, Anderson and Eyanson have done enough to get LSU wins.
On the year, Eyanson owns a 2.50 ERA in 93.2 innings. That's one of the best marks in the country. Anderson has 156 strikeouts in 96 innings and is on his way to being a top-five pick in the upcoming MLB Draft.
Ethan Frey delivers in the clutch
Ethan Frey is arguably LSU's most valuable hitter. His .359 batting average and 1.151 OPS both are team highs. For much of the year, attention at the top of the lineup centered around Derek Curiel, Jared Jones, and Daniel Dickinson, but it was Frey who came up clutch in the regional.
On Monday, Frey's first-inning home run put LSU on the board. Then, with LSU down four runs with the bases loaded in the fourth inning, Frey cleared the bases with a double and cut the deficit to one. Frey finished LSU's regional clinching win with four hits, reaching base six times.
Johnson bumped Frey into the No. 2 hole, and it paid off.
Frey came up big on Saturday, too, notching two hits and scoring three times in the win vs. Dallas Baptist. If Frey continues to slug like this, there shouldn't be many concerns about the LSU offense.
Casan Evans is a budding star
Casan Evans entered 2025 ranked No. 26 on Perfect Game's Top 75 College Freshmen list. Expectations were high, but Evans managed to exceed them.
LSU opted to roll with Zac Cowan as the starter on Monday, but Cowan faltered early and Evans entered in the second inning. From there, all Evans did was dominate.
At one point, Evans struck out nine straight Little Rock hitter. It was a sight for sore eyes after LSU struggled to throw strikes on Sunday and early on Monday.
After the game, LSU pitching coach Nate Yeskie said being around Kade Anderson has been big for Evans.
"I think that a guy like Anderson has really rubbed off on Evans because Evans. He loiters down in that other end of the dugout during games to try to get every advantage that he possibly can. And I think that you see that investment and just understanding the game better pays dividends in nights like tonight," Yeskie said.
Evans worked out of the pen for most of 2025 before earning starts late in the year. As a starter, Evans' results were mixed, but he's the third-best pitcher on LSU's staff right now, especially with Cowan struggling.
Questions about the rest of the pitching staff
Outside of Eyanson, Anderson, and Evans, there are major questions about the LSU pitching staff. Zac Cowan was the SEC's best reliever for most of the year. But in Cowan's last 6.2 innings, his ERA is 14.85.
LSU needs Cowan to turn it around. You can't count on Eyanson and Anderson to deliver seven shutout innings every time out. And even if they do, the regional proved you need more than just a couple of arms.
It's easy to remember the stars on LSU's 2023 title squad, but LSU also had relievers step up in the postseason. Think back to Nate Ackenhausen pitching six shutout innings vs. Tennessee. LSU needs that type of emergence this June.
LSU felt good about starting Jaden Noot on Sunday after Noot pitched four innings of one-run baseball in his SEC Tournament start, but Noot's night was done before the second inning ended.
LSU has some things to figure out when it comes to pitching depth.
LSU needs Jared Jones to get hot
For most of the year, Jared Jones was one of LSU's top sluggers. He's one of the Tigers' most experienced hitters and has 61 career homers. But lately, it's been a struggle.
Jones was just 5-20 in the Baton Rouge Regional, which included going 0-5 with three strikeouts vs. Dallas Baptist. Jones was in the No. 2 hole the first three games of the weekend, but Jay Johnson moved Jones to the No. 6 spot on Monday.
Jones delivered a bounce-back performance, going 2-5 with a big two-run homer to put the game on ice in the top of the ninth. That's the Jared Jones LSU needs if the Tigers want to make a run at the title. LSU doesn't have game-breaking power throughout the lineup, but Jones can change a game with one swing.