Predicting LSU baseball's starting pitching rotation for super regional vs. West Virginia
Predicting LSU baseball's starting pitching rotation for super regional vs. West Virginia
LSU baseball used a 10-6 victory over Little Rock to extend its season to the super regional round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. West Virginia comes to Baton Rouge to start the best-of-three series on Saturday.
With the Tigers' season on the line, head coach Jay Johnson made shifts to his batting lineup on Monday. They proved to be instrumental as Ethan Frey tallied four hits and four RBI in the two spot.
There are questions about how Johnson will handle the lineup this weekend, but we feel pretty good about what LSU's rotation will look like. Aces Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson rank second and third, respectively, in the country in strikeouts. They peaked at the right time with dominant outings in the regional and will look to have repeat performances vs. the Mountaineers.
If LSU can't win the first two games, it will need to name another starter for Sunday's rubber match. Johnson went with Zac Cowan to begin Monday's game but pulled him with one out in the second inning in favor of Casan Evans. Though largely used as relievers, both earned the chance to start from their relief success.
Here is a projected starting rotation for LSU in the Baton Rouge Super Regional against West Virginia.
Friday: Kade Anderson
Going with the projected top-five draft pick to start the series is a no brainer for LSU. Anderson is coming off one of his best starts of the year against Dallas Baptist where he struck out 11 through seven scoreless frames.
In his usual Friday starting spot coming off six days of rest, Anderson should be a lock to begin the Tigers' quest for a College World Series berth. With the lefty on the mound, LSU's batters can step into the box confident that they won't get into a shootout.
Saturday: Anthony Eyanson
Eyanson logged two appearances in the regional, the most recent coming in relief Monday. With four rest days, he'll be ready to go far in a Saturday start. Should LSU win Friday's game, he'd be relied on to deliver the most important win of the season.
The right-hander provides the energy needed to pump up the team and crowd. He held Little Rock scoreless in the regional opener through 7.2 innings, getting the Tigers on the right path to the next round.
Sunday: Casan Evans
Johnson's gamble of using Cowan to start Monday didn't come to fruition. Evans made the most of his opportunity to keep the game within reach for LSU, finishing with one run allowed and 12 strikeouts through six innings of relief.
If the series goes to three games, expect Evans to make the fourth start of his collegiate career. By this point, he'll be familiar with West Virginia's hitters while Cowan will likely be available out of the bullpen.
What if Evans has to be used in games one or two?
There's a chance LSU can't afford to wait until Monday to deploy Casan Evans. As the team's third-best pitcher, he may be called upon in a high-leverage situation in games one and two.
That could leave LSU scrambling on Monday if WVU forces a game 3.
I don't see a scenario where Johnson burns Evans for the weekend unless he knows it's going to end the series in two games. If LSU needs Evans on Saturday or Sunday, I would not expect a 110 pitch outing. That would keep some gas in the tank for Monday, but Evans probably wouldn't start.
That leaves guys like Cowan, Jaden Noot, or Chase Shores. All have started for LSU this year, but all have question marks. All three have the stuff, too; it's just a question of whether they'll have the command.
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