Five takeaways: LSU beats Dallas Baptist, Tigers one win away from Super Regional

USA Today

2 days ago

Five takeaways: LSU beats Dallas Baptist, Tigers one win away from Super Regional
LSU baseball couldn't have asked for a better first two days of the NCAA Baseball Tournament. The Tigers shutout Little Rock 7-0 on Friday night before beating Dallas Baptist 12-0 on Saturday. LSU is yet to surrender a run, winning its two contests by a combined score of 19-0.
Now, LSU awaits the winner of Sunday's Dallas Baptist vs. Little Rock game. The Patriots and Trojans square off, looking to earn another shot at the Tigers. The winner has a quick turnaround before facing LSU on Sunday night.
But before we move on, let's take a look at how LSU pulled off its dominant win vs. Dallas Baptist. This was the second meeting between the programs this year after LSU won the first round 7-3 in February. DBU entered the contest with one of college baseball's most productive lineups, but you wouldn't know that after watching the Patriots swing vs. Kade Anderson.
Here five takeaways from LSU's win.
1. Kade Anderson dominates
Anthony Eyanson gave LSU 7.2 shutout innings on Friday night. Kade Anderson followed it up with an elite outing on Saturday. In seven innings of work, Anderson struck out 11 and walked just two. Anderson allowed four hits, but none for extra bases. Nearly two-thirds of Anderson's pitches were strikes.
That's just what LSU wanted to see from its ace.
Anderson is one of the top pitchers in the country, but elite lineups have gotten to him at times. Dallas Baptist had the bats to do damage, but the lefty wasn't having it. That was Anderson's best outing since his complete game vs. Oklahoma.
2. Chris Stanfield finds power in the No. 9 hole
Chris Stanfield isn't your typical No. 9 hitter. He was one of LSU's top bats throughout SEC play and he remained hot on Saturday.
In the bottom of the second inning, Stanfield arched a ball down the right field line for his first home run of the year. The center fielder isn't known for his strength, but he showed it off with an opposite-field bomb. Stanfield finished the night with three hits and three RBI.
After transferring from Auburn, Stanfield is in the midst of his best year yet. He hit .276 on the plains in 2024, but is hitting .326 with the Tigers now. Stanfield's .451 slugging is a career best, too.
3. Tigers defense shows up
Dallas Baptist was threatening to rally in the top of the second inning. The Patriots started the inning with a walk and a single. Anderson took some momentum back with a strikeout, but it was the defense that got LSU out of it.
Left fielder Derek Curiel made a diving catch in left field, popped up, and rifled the ball to first base. Jared Jones caught the DBU base runner off the bag and applied the tag for the inning ending double-play.
On a night when Dallas Baptist committed four errors, LSU was perfect in the field.
4. LSU comes through in the clutch
When LSU had the chance to score runs, the Tigers took advantage. LSU hit .300 with runners on and .333 with runners in scoring position. LSU was .593 on advancement opportunities.
LSU hit .333 with two outs. That includes LSU's first runs of the game, which came when Ethan Frey smacked a double down the right field line on a full count with two outs. Frey's clutch hit set the tone for the rest of the night.
5. LSU's bullpen is in a really, really good spot
LSU has gotten a combined 14.2 shutout innings from its two starters so far. There's a lot of teams around the country that would kill to have that right now.
Not only has that been the catalyst for LSU's 2-0 start, but now, LSU's bullpen is perfectly positioned for Sunday night. Jay Johnson is yet to use Zac Cowan or Casan Evans, putting both in a position to give LSU some length in the final.
LSU gets to rest on Sunday while its Sunday night opponent plays an elimination game in the afternoon. The Tigers will be fresh while their opponent plays the second game of a doubleheader. Dallas Baptist already burned its two best arms on Saturday night, and Little Rock spent Saturday navigating its way through a game with 32 combined runs. Neither pitching staff is in good shape.