LSU was outscored 22-8 in their three-game series against Texas A&M, and it felt like the games were more lopsided than that. The Aggies were in complete control this past weekend in Baton Rouge, and LSU is now in deep trouble when it comes to making the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers are now 6-12 in the SEC and 23-18 overall.
LSU’s bats were too quiet: Texas A&M entered the series with a team ERA of 4.73, which was slightly better than LSU’s team ERA. But I said in my preview piece that they do not walk nearly as many hitters as the Tigers, and that held up for the weekend.
LSU pitchers walked 18 hitters.
Texas A&M pitchers walked 7 hitters.
And when LSU got runners in scoring position, they could not come through. For the weekend, LSU was 1-for-17 with runners in scoring position.
Steven Milam, who homered in the first two games of the series, left four runners on base on Sunday.
Starting pitching: Texas A&M might have the best offense in the SEC, but LSU’s starting pitchers didn’t get the job done.
On Sunday, Zac Cowan couldn’t get past the third inning. The veteran right-hander allowed four runs on three hits over 2.2 innings and walked three.
LSU’s starting pitchers against the Aggies were Casan Evans, William Schmidt, and Cowan. Here’s their combined line
15 innings pitched, 17 hits, 17 runs, and 10 walks.
Bullpen was a positive: If you are looking for a positive, the bullpen performed well.
Here is the stat line for the bullpen for the weekend:
14 innings pitched, 11 hits, 5 runs, 8 walks, and 25 strikeouts.
Devin Sherrin was sensational on Sunday as he pitched 4.1 innings, allowing three hits, one run, and striking out nine.
What’s Next: It was “Men versus Boys” this past weekend, and even Coach Jay Johnson took notice, saying the Aggies were the much stronger, physical team.
“Watching that team – it’s a really good team,” he said. “And how I’ve seen a couple of their players grow. They’re a much stronger, physical team. We have to get that element back.”
Johnson added that he’ll reevaluate the program’s strength and conditioning.
It seems like a lot will be under evaluation when this season ends.
For now, the Tigers will try to find a spark in Starkville this weekend. After playing UNO in a home game on Tuesday night, the Tigers will visit the Bulldogs who just swept South Carolina.