Dickinson, Eyanson help LSU beat Arkansas-Little Rock 7-0 at Baton Rouge Regional
BATON ROUGE, La. — Daniel Dickinson hit two home runs, Anthony Eyanson pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings and LSU beat Little Rock 7-0 on Friday night in the opening game of the Baton Rouge Regional.
No. 6 national seed LSU (43-15), making it 13th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and 37th overall, plays the winner between Rhode Island and Dallas Baptist on Saturday. Little Rock takes on the loser in an elimination game.
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USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Everything Jay Johnson said after LSU baseball's regional win vs. Little Rock
Everything Jay Johnson said after LSU baseball's regional win vs. Little Rock LSU baseball beat Little Rock on Monday night to win game 7 of the Baton Rouge Regional and punch its ticket to the super regional. LSU began the regional 2-0, cruising to shutout victories over Little Rock and Dallas Baptist. But Little Rock fought its way out of the losers' bracket and pushed LSU to the brink. The Trojans pulled off the upset on Sunday and looked on their way to a historic win on Monday, leading LSU 5-1 in the winner-take-all contest. But then LSU found life. Ethan Frey struck a three-run double, and Casan Evans started mowing down Little Rock hitters. At one point, Evans had nine straight strikeouts. The true freshman's stuff was electric. LSU is now two wins away from returning to the College World Series. All that stands between LSU and a trip to Omaha is West Virginia. The Tigers have the week to rest with the series not starting until Saturday. Before our attention completely shifts to the next round, here's what LSU baseball head coach Jay Johnson said after Monday's regional win. On Little Rock "First, I want to just say congratulations to Coach Curry and Little Rock. Tremendous run here these last couple of weeks. Massive hat tip, massive respect, absolutely took us to the mat," Johnson said. "I don't know that I've seen a better-prepared team, a more competitive team, or well-coached team at any point. I told the players, tonight is one of the best wins of my entire career, because of what they had to do to earn it." The grit of Monday's win "We won tonight because of character. And when I think about character, I think about Luis, I think about Ethan, and I think about Casan. And I've said this before, maybe in reference to them, but this is what an LSU baseball player is supposed to be and needs to be in all phases," Johnson said. On Ethan Frey and Luis Hernandez "You look at the offensive performance by Ethan, that's arguably the best game I've ever seen any one of my players play, considering the situation," Johnson said. "Luis, clutch. I mean, absolutely clutch. Sometimes you look at a player in the eye in the on-deck circle, and you go, this is about to be good. And special night tonight, great toughness catching four games in a row, really proud of him for that, and maintaining massive offensive production," Johnson said of Hernandez. On the environment of Alex Box Stadium "I want to echo what the players said about the environment tonight was special. Like, maybe the super regional a couple of years ago, I don't ever remember it like that. And it's been great. I mean, that was like another bar. And the thing I'm most grateful for is maybe in those nervous moments for them, I felt like they really lifted the team," Johnson said. "They kept going. You know, they kept supporting the players. And that's all I care about. And baseball is not a game to be played, designed to be played perfectly all the time. And the fans here, they love LSU no matter what." Did LSU feel pressure? With top seeds falling across the country, Johnson was asked if that added any pressure to LSU. Johnson said he didn't even turn on the TV in his office on Monday. Johnson said he called the team in earlier than usual, too. "The approach today was a little bit different. I actually brought something back from my past. I did it at Arizona when we'd host and we'd play really late games. I actually brought them in early in the day as kind of like a, hey, this is a checkpoint type deal. And they didn't need any motivation today. It was actually pretty cool. I actually just wrote on the board the lineup. I wanted everybody to know the lineup early. I wanted everybody to know the pitching plan and the guys on the bench. And next to each name, I wrote down what their job was tonight. And it was pretty cool to actually see the game play out the way that it did," Johnson said. Bringing Anthony Eyanson out of the pen Johnson said the decision to pitch Eyanson in game 1 was because he knew that would give Eyanson a chance to pitch in relief if needed on Monday. When LSU was losing on Sunday, Johnson said he looked to Eyanson and the transfer said, "I got it." Twenty-four hours later, Eyanson took a walk to the bullpen to warm up. "He doesn't take very long to get ready," Johnson said, "I mean, the dude's like a ridiculous athlete, ridiculous physical condition," Johnson said the decision to use Eyanson out of the pen in the SEC Tournament was to prepare him for a moment like this on a bigger stage. The importance of Jared Jones' home run "Yeah, that's probably the most excited I've been, at least in this season. He had a big homer as a freshman against Alabama in a crazy game that we'd kind of come back in like that. So I just love him," Johnson said. "He hadn't had a good couple of weeks here, but we were working today, and there was just like one of those good coach moments where somebody is, you know, you can tell how hard they're fighting themselves because they care so much. And they want to be the guy for the team. Wasn't about him or his performance. He's way past that. Like, he's been such a great leader this year. And just the work that was put in today mentally and physically," Johnson said. "That was a huge deal." On the lineup change Johnson went with a different lineup than he had the first three games of the regional. The starting nine was the same, but there was a new order. "I just operate by this. When do you take a risk? You take a risk when you have a lot to gain. We had a chance to play a super regional at home, two wins to go to Omaha, seven more to win a national championship, maybe eight. It was time to take a risk. And then you don't just do it to do it. There's never a decision in this program made just because I want to make a decision," Johnson said. I'll walk you through the whole thing. So Derek Curiel is the engine of this offense. That's what he is. He's the engine of this offense. And how he plays inspires the team," Johnson said, "And then it's Ethan Frey, one of the best hitters in the country right now, and I wanted to get him up as much as we possibly could." Johnson went on to say he moved Milam up to No. 3 thanks to Milam's quality ABs throughout the regional.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Southeast Spotlight: Five biggest June visits
June has become arguably the most important month in the recruiting calendar, with prospects crisscrossing the country on official visits and lining up announcement dates. Rivals national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman looks at five Southeast prospects who are taking key visits this month. Advertisement MORE: Clemson climbing with top targets after star-studded official visit weekend CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker RIVALS CAMP SERIES: Rivals Five-Star heading back to Indy | Rivals Five-Star roster | Schedule/info LAMAR BROWN - Texas A&M, June 13 Brown is coming off his first official visit to Miami, which made a huge splash in his recruitment as a July 10 commitment approaches. Brown will hit Texas, Texas A&M and LSU next – the final visits before locking in his college commitment. Advertisement No program has been pushing the in-state Tigers harder than the Aggies, which get Brown back for a fourth visit this off-season on June 13. Texas A&M has legitimate traction with the five-star defensive lineman. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH TEXAS A&M FANS AT TANK JONES - Alabama, June 20 Jones logged official visits to both Auburn and Miami so far with the latter making a strong push for the blue-chip defender. Jones has upcoming official visits planned to Texas A&M and Oregon, but the biggest stop on deck is a return to Tuscaloosa scheduled for June 20. Alabama has made Jones its top priority since Kalen DeBoer and Kane Womack landed in T-Town. As a summertime decision looms, the Crimson Tide get the final crack at Jones. We view Alabama as the team currently leading for the five-star edge defender. Advertisement SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH ALABAMA FANS AT TRISTEN KEYS - LSU, June 20 The nation's top receiver logged an official visit to Miami this weekend and will hit Auburn, Alabama and back to LSU before finalizing his college plans before his senior season. The five-star from Mississippi made an early call in favor of the Tigers, who are working feverishly to hang onto the elite pass-catcher's commitment. LSU is playing with a lead and getting Keys for his final visit looms large toward its chances of inking this year's No. 1 pass catcher. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH LSU FANS AT CEDERIAN MORGAN - Alabama, June 20 Morgan has logged official visits to Colorado and Georgia with some pivotal stops on the horizon. The second-ranked receiver in the Rivals250 will hit Florida, Auburn and Alabama before a July 2 commitment. Advertisement Since the beginning of this recruitment, the Iron Bowl programs have been pegged as the teams to beat. His last stop will be back in Tuscaloosa, as the Crimson Tide aim to separate even more with the in-state blue-chipper. BRALAN WOMACK - Ohio State, June 20 Womack wrapped up his first official visit to Florida, which made a massive impression on the top-ranked nickel defender in the Rivals250. The Gators, along with Auburn and Texas A&M, are working to play catch-up with the Buckeyes, who have been standing on a sizable lead for the past few months. Womack returns to the Shoe again on June 20 and since last summer, Ohio State has been the team to beat. Ryan Day and Tim Walton aim to seal the deal during Womack's final official before an August commitment. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH OHIO STATE FANS AT
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
For Texas Tech coach, reminders of late daughter are everywhere at WCWS: ‘She's been with us'
OKLAHOMA CITY — For the Glasco family, softball is the lingua franca, the language that connects them. It anchors Texas Tech coach Gerry Glasco to his daughter Tara Archibald, who is also the program's associate head coach. And it connects both of them — even now — to Geri Ann, Gerry's daughter and Tara's youngest sister, who was killed in a car crash in 2019 at just 24 years old. Advertisement 'For us, it's like you can't go anywhere in the softball community without some sort of tie to Geri Ann.' Tara said. 'Any park I go recruiting at, there's always some kind of memory that involves G. Then the people, even here.' Even here, at Devon Park — where Texas Tech will face Texas in the Women's College World Series finals beginning Wednesday — Tara can still see a teenage Geri Ann running around in the outfield on Gerry's under-18 squad, competing against the top teams in the nation. All three of the Glasco girls played softball, and all three played or coached in the WCWS. Tara played at Southern Illinois and was a head coach at Eastern Illinois before joining her dad at Texas Tech this season. Erin played at Notre Dame and Texas A&M, reaching the championship series in 2008. Advertisement Geri Ann started her career at Georgia, where Gerry was an assistant coach and Tara was the pitching coach. Together, they took home the program's first SEC tournament championship in 2014. When Gerry left for Texas A&M, Geri Ann departed for Oregon, where she played two more years. She began a coaching career of her own as a student assistant at Oregon in 2017 before following Gerry to Louisiana as a volunteer assistant coach in 2018. She died two weeks before opening day in 2019. 'She was so loving, just loved to love on people, which I think is what you see through the softball community when you hear people talk about her. She just made everybody feel so good,' Tara said. 'The ultimate teammate as a player. (She was) just a fun-loving, goofy, always singing — knew every word to every song — just a fun-loving personality. We loved to be around her.' Reminders of Geri Ann have been frequent throughout Texas Tech's WCWS run. In the semifinals, the Red Raiders came up against Oklahoma pitcher Sam Landry, who played for Gerry for three seasons at Louisiana before they each moved to their current schools. In Geri Ann's brief time as a volunteer assistant coach, Landry was still a budding high school ace, but said they met 'a few times.' When Landry arrived on Louisiana's campus in 2022, she grew 'very close' with Gerry, and opted to wear Geri Ann's number — No. 12 — as her own. Advertisement 'Just seeing how he was dealing with it, wearing No. 12 was how I, in my opinion, helped keep him going, so that's why it was so important to me — carrying on her legacy, she was an amazing person,' Landry said. When Landry arrived at OU this season, her No. 12 was taken. She reversed numbers and went with No. 21. Still, Landry wanted to keep the memory of Geri Ann going. So she wore Geri Ann's name on her glove. To reach its first championship series, Texas Tech had to best Landry — the SEC Newcomer of the Year — in a 3-2 game Monday that ended on a walk-off sacrifice fly. 'I hated that we had to play today. I just hated it,' Glasco said of going against Landry. 'I would have rather her finished her career against anybody besides me. And I would have rather played anybody than her to go to the championship. But we don't control that.' Advertisement When Gerry met Landry on the field for a long postgame embrace, it was not only a reminder of what Gerry had won, but also what he had lost. On May 11, the day of the NCAA tournament bracket reveal, Tara told Gerry that if the team drew the No. 12 seed, it would make it to the WCWS. 'Sure enough, it comes up on TV. She said, 'I told you. We're going to the World Series,'' Gerry said Monday. 'We got the 12-seed, which was Geri Ann's number.' There was also a moment while traveling for softball and checking into a hotel this season that Gerry saw it — a sign from Geri Ann, that lingua franca. In a 'huge hotel,' he said, he checked into one of the first rooms: No. 112. Advertisement 'Things like that happen. She's been with us on this journey,' he said. 'And you know, (Monday) I thought to myself, like, if Sam goes and I don't go, it's still good. Geri Ann would have been thrilled with Sam going (to the championship series), and I'm sure she's thrilled with me going.' Though he's not positive about that. Because there's another connection in the final. At Oregon, Geri Ann played for coach Mike White, reaching the WCWS with the Ducks in 2015. White is now the coach of Texas, the team standing in the Red Raiders' way. Gerry can't say for sure who his daughter's front-runner would've been. Advertisement 'I don't know if she'd root for me or Whitey, because she loved Whitey,' Gerry said Tuesday. 'She used to compare us a lot. She'd say, 'Daddy, coach is just like you, he just got more colorful of a vocabulary.' She probably thought he was a little smarter than I am, but anyway, I'm really looking forward to compete.' No. 12 Texas Tech will face No. 6 Texas for the national title — the first finals since 2018 that will not include Oklahoma — beginning with Game 1 on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. With the nation's best pitcher, NiJaree Canady, in the circle, Tara will again aim to call the pitches that stifled the Sooners and so many others. She'll also focus on where it all started. Her first coaching gig came in college, as the leader of Geri Ann's youth travel team. One of her very first players was her sister, and though 12 years younger, Geri Ann was also part teacher. 'No matter how intense the game was, or how big the moment was, she played like a 10-year-old who first fell in love with softball,' Tara said. 'I think she always reminded me to let the game be a game and to enjoy the game.' Advertisement That's a language the Glasco family — and Texas Tech — can surely understand. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Texas Tech Red Raiders, Texas Tech Red Raiders, Texas Tech Lady Raiders, College Sports, Women's College Sports 2025 The Athletic Media Company
