LSU - 15, Sacramento State - 4
David Billiot Jr • March 7, 2026
Friday Night Recap
LSU needed a bounce back game to kick this weekend off and, boy, did they get it. Following a fairly pedestrian 6 game stretch where they went 3-3 with losses to McNeese, Northeastern, and then ULL on Wednesday, the Tigers had been looking nothing like the team we watched start the year 8-0. Even the three wins over Dartmouth and Northeastern over last weekend did not look pretty on the offensive side. Well, everything went right tonight. Casan Evans was marvelous from first pitch. He started his outing with five perfect innings and looked flat out dominant along the way. It was easily his best start of the season and arguably the best start of his career. Only his start against Tennessee in 2025, which was his first career start, can possibly compare. It wasn't just Evans that went to work, though. Not only did LSU's bats show up for the first time in two weeks, they showed up for their best night of the season. The 15 runs scored on Friday night equal half of what they scored in the previous six games. Speaking of the number six, that's how many homeruns the Tigers hit. Six of them in only 6 innings at the plate. It was a monumental return for Jay Johnson's offense.
Casan Evans got off to a hot start with a two strikout 1st inning. His final pitch was a 99 mph heater that he blew past Sacramento State's 3-hole hitter. His 2nd and 3rd innings were just as good, as he struck out 2 more in each inning. After "only" striking out one in the 4th, Evans returned in the 5th and struck out another two to bring his total to 9 through his first 5 innings. It was the leadoff hitter in the 6th that finally broke up the perfect game, as his ground ball through the right side just barely missed Jack Ruckert's glove. Sacramento St would get to Evans for another single and then a 2 run double and that would be where Jay Johnson would call it a night for his sophomore ace. Despite only 72 pitches, Evans had a lot of long waits inbetween the first four innings with his offense going crazy. Simply put, he was phenomenal. Jay Johnson could not have asked for a better final tune up prior to traveling to Nashville next weekend for the start of SEC play.
Final line: 5.2 IP / 3 hits / 2 runs / 9 Ks / 0 BBs / 72 pitches (52 strikes, 72%)
Zion Theophilus came in to finish off the 6th once Evans exited the game and did exactly what he needed to. He only needed 4 pitches to get a strikeout and leave a Hornet stranded on 2nd base.
Final line: .1 IP / 0 hits / 0 runs / 1 K / 0 BB
Marcos Paz entered for the 7th to finish off the game and was up and down. After starting off with a strikeout, he issued back to back walks. He'd record the second out of the inning on a flyout, but then gave up 2 run double to the right center gap. Despite the trouble, Paz was able to lock in and strikeout the final hitter to close out the game.
Final line: 1.0 IP / 1 hit / 2 runs / 2 Ks / 2 BBs
Hitting
Jake Brown continued his torrid start to the season, blasting THREE home runs to bring his season total to 8. All were beautiful, but the first was an opposite field shot to the Left Field Landing at 104 mph off of the bat. Somehow, his second was even more impressive. At 108 mph off of the bat, Brown hit the ball off of the batter's eye in center field at 425 feet. Just when you thought it was going to be his third two homer game of the season, he stepped to the plate for his third at bat in the first three innings and deposited yet another ball over the fence in right center. Brown added a single to his final stat line, which read 4-5 with 6 RBI and 4 runs scored.
Derek Curiel followed up his 3-3 night in Lafayette with another stellar performance. In his first three at bats, he went: double, 2 run homerun, double. In his fourth at bat of the night, he was finally recorded out for the first time since Monday night against Northeastern. His homerun went 421 feet and came off of the bat at 108 mph. Curiel finished 3-4 with 3 RBI and 3 runs scored.
Cade Arrambide also joined the homerun fun, blasting his fourth homerun of the season in the 4th inning. It was the longest of the night, flying out at 432 feet to dead center field. That was his first since hitting one in back to back games in Jacksonville two weeks ago. Arrambide was also hit by a pitch and finished 1-3 with the RBI on his solo bomb and scoring 2 runs.
Speaking of joining the homerun fun, Steven Milam finally got his first of the year. The junior launched a towering 404 foot blast in to the Diamond Deck and took his time leaving the batter's box, soaking up that "finally" moment. Monster finished 2-3 with the 2 RBI and 2 runs scored.
Zach Yorke did not leave the yard like multiple other guys, but he did put the barrel on the ball a few times. The big 1st baseman finished 2-4 with a couple of frozen ropes that surely have him mixed in to the top exit velocities on the night.
Like Yorke, Seth Dardar can hit the ball out of the park on any night, but tonight would settle for a 2 run double in the 1st inning that helped push LSU's lead to 4-0 and show that the offense was here to get back on track. He also smacked a ball in to the left center gap that was chased down, but was another very hard hit ball. He finished 1-3 with 2 RBI.
Up Next
LSU and Sacramento St will return to action tomorrow night. First pitch has been moved up to 2 pm central due to possible rain later in the evening. It was originally scheduled to start for 6 pm. Cooper Moore will make his fourth start of the season, coming in with a 3-0 record and three dominant performances. He went 7.2 innings and struck out 10 just a week ago.
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Sunday Afternoon Recap For the first time since 2021, LSU has been swept in back-to-back series. It was the third uncompetitive game from the Tigers, falling behind early and failing to ever punch back. It’s a shame, because we actually saw one of the best pitching performances of the season by Deven Sheerin. He was phenomenal, but by the time he entered the game, the damage was already done. Zac Cowan made the start, which was what a lot of folks hoped for, but Texas A&M’s offense was just too good, even for him. The wind was blowing hard and straight in, making it a tough offensive day in Alex Box. That did not matter, though, as the Aggies blasted two homeruns. Jay Johnson told me after the game that the wind conditions actually plated a factor in the decision to start Cowan, so it was a tough blow watching that gameplan go down the drain. Offensively, the LSU lineup continued to be anemic. Aggie starter Weston Moss entered with an ERA of 6.69, yet the Tigers couldn’t touch him. They struck out another 11 times, drawing only 4 walks. For the weekend, that’s 29 strikeouts while only drawing 7 walks. On Sunday, they were 2-16 with runners on base and went 0-7 with runners in scoring position. That formula isn’t good enough to beat anyone in the SEC, much less a top team like Texas A&M. Pitching Even Zac Cowan wasn’t immune to this dangerous Aggie lineup. After a leadoff groundout, Caden Sorrell hit a line drive homerun that just got high enough to get in to the Diamond Deck. That swing put Texas A&M on the scoreboard first for the third time in the series. Despite following with a walk, the senior was able to get a strikeout and another ground out to limit the early damage to 1-0. Cowan allowed a leadoff walk to start the 2nd. A groundout moved the runner to 2nd, then yet another wild pitch moved him to 3rd, setting up a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0 before a flyout ended the inning. Back for the 3rd, the Aggies got their leadoff man on base, again. After a flyout, Chris Hacopian ripped a 2-run homerun and LSU was down 4-0. Following a groundout and a walk, Cowan’s day was done. Final line: 2.2 IP / 3 hits / 4 runs / 1 K / 3 BB / 60 pitches (37 strikes, 62%) Likely way earlier than he hoped, Jay Johnson had to call upon Deven Sheerin to record the final out of the 3rd. He came in and struck out Terrence Kiel II looking. In the 4th, he found himself in a good bit of trouble after a leadoff strikeout. Three consecutive singles extended the lead to 5-0 and had two runners still on base. Sheerin then struck out both Sorrell and Hacopian to stop the bleeding. It wasn’t until the 5th inning that the Aggies were kept off of the scoreboard, going 3-up, 3-down with a couple of strikeouts. He did the same in the 6th, striking out another two. His 7th inning was his final inning and it was another 1-2-3 frame, extending his streak of 11-straight Aggies retired to finish his outing. Final line: 4.1 IP / 3 hits / 1 run / 9 K / 0 BB / 61 pitches (47 strikes, 77%) Santiago Garcia took over for the 8th and walked the leadoff hitter. He locked in after that, going strikeout, flyout, strikeout. That was his only inning of work. Final line: 1.0 IP / 0 hits / 0 runs / 2 K / 1 BB / 16 pitches (11 strikes, 69%) After the Tigers finally found the scoreboard to make it a 5-2 game, Gavin Guidry took the mound for the 9th. After starting 2-0 to Bear Harrison, he battled back to start with a strikeout and then followed with another. An error on Tanner Reaves was the first of the weekend for LSU and after Grahovac stole 2nd, Jay chose to intentionally walk Sorrell. Guidry was able to record a flyout to center to keep the deficit at 5-2 heading to their final 3 outs. Final line: 1.0 IP / 0 hits / 0 runs / 2 K / 1 int BB / 20 pitches (13 strikes, 65%) Hitting Cade Arrambide blasted his 10th homerun of the season, the second Tiger to reach double digits in 2026. It came in the 8th inning to break the Aggies shutout. He finished 1-5, but had a good weekend and now hold the second highest batting average on the team at .311. Derek Curiel finished 1-3 with a walk. His base hit came directly after Arrambide’s homerun and he eventually came around to score on a wild pitch for the Tigers second and final run of the game. Steven Milam, Jake Brown, Omar Serna, John Pearson, and Eddie Yamin each finished with one hit. Up Next LSU will stay at home for a midweek battle with UNO on Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30. The Privateers sit with a 17-25 record and are also struggling in their conference play with a record of 7-14. With the Tigers season entering dire moments, Tuesday is not only a must-win, but it feels like a must that they play well and find some momentum to take to Starkville next weekend for a 3-game series with the Bulldogs. A loss on Friday would mark only the second time in LSU baseball history that they lose 7 consecutive games. Follow me on X for much more @DCBilliotJr
Saturday Evening Recap Despite the uncompetitive loss in game 1. Despite Jay Johnson’s post-game comments about the roster. Despite his comments about the competitiveness. Despite the fact that this team in running out of runway to finally take off, they came out flat, yet again, and got dominated by Texas A&M to clinch the series. LSU fell to 6-11 in SEC play, having lost 5 consecutive conference games. Three of those losses are by 5+ runs, meaning it was smooth sailing for their opponents. Weekend pitching had been the Tigers “best” aspect for the first 5 weeks of the SEC schedule, but it has failed them through two games so far. William Schmidt had his worst outing of the season, getting pummeled by the potent Aggies lineup for 7 runs through 5.1 innings pitched and getting credited with the loss to drop his record to 4-4 in 2026. The bullpen was solid, holding Texas A&M scoreless for the final 3.2 innings of the game, but with the lack of offensive support, it was too little, too late. As bad as the offense seemed at times in game 1, they found a way to get worse in game 2. Mustering only 5 hits, LSU only reached base 7 times, including the 2 walks. They’ve now struck out 18 times this weekend, while only drawing 3 walks. That’s just another example of how the lineup is so far away from looking like a Jay Johnson lineup, they’ve become unrecognizable. They hit .161 as a team on Saturday night, including a .111 average with runners on base. Mason Braun was the only Tiger to reach 2nd base safely the entire night. It’s just not good enough. Pitching William Schmidt got off to a great start, quickly disposing of one of the best 1-2-3s in the country with Grahovac, Sorrell, and Hacopian. It only took 12 pitches to record a strikeout and two flyouts. That quickly went down the drain in the 2nd, as Texas A&M picked up right where they left off last night with scoring 2-out runs. The inning went flyout, infield single, flyout to start, when Jorian Wilson followed his two homerun game last night with an RBI single to start the scoring. Bear Harrison followed with a 2-run homerun and just like that, the Aggies were up 3-0. A lineout would end the inning. Things didn’t get a whole lot better in the 3rd, as Schmidt allowed a leadoff homerun to Grahovac, followed by a single, double, and sacrifice fly and it was a 5-1 game. The sophomore was able to pitch around traffic to prevent any further damage. He finally got back on track in the 4th with a 3-up, 3-down inning, but the Aggies weren’t held scoreless for much longer. A leadoff double in the 5th, followed by a wild pitch, set up a sacrifice fly that extended their lead to 6-1. Back-to-back strikeouts would get the Tigers off of the field, but the whole was getting deeper and deeper with their struggling offense. Schmidt’s day would end in the 6th. After recording a flyout to start the inning, the then walked the bases loaded and with his 105 pitches, Jay Johnson came out to get him. Final line: 5.1 IP / 7 hits / 7 runs / 4 K / 4 BB / 105 pitches (60 strikes, 57%) Connor Benge came out for his normal task of trying to put out a fire, but a weak ground ball through the open side of the infield with the Tigers shifted led to an RBI single to make it a 7-2 game and that would be the only batter he faced. Final line: 0.0 IP / 1 hit / 0 runs / 0 K / 0 BB / 3 pitches (2 strikes, 67%) Cooper Williams entered for a lefty-lefty matchup against Sorrell and struck him out for his only batter faced. Final line: 0.1 IP / 0 hits / 0 runs / 1 K / 0 BB / 6 pitches (4 strikes, 67%) With 2 outs and the bases loaded, Zion Theophilus entered and recorded a groundout to end the inning. He returned for the 7th and despite allowing a leadoff single, he was able to record a strikeout and a flyout before his day came to an end. Final line: 1.0 IP / 1 hit / 0 runs / 1 K / 0 BB / 11 pitches (7 strikes, 64%) After a fantastic outing last night, Jay called upon Danny Lachenmayer took over with 2 outs and recorded a groundout to end the inning. He did not return for the 8th. Final line: 0.1 IP / 0 hits / 0 runs / 0 K / 0 BB / 5 pitches (3 strikes, 60%) It was Marcos Paz taking over in the 8th and as he has in his first inning of work many times this year, he cruised. He went 1-2-3 with a flyout, a strikeout, and a weak groundball. His troubles have come in his second innings back out on the mound and that somewhat held true, but he was able to pitch through it. He struck out Sorrell to start the inning, then allowed a walk and a single. That’s where he locked in and got his third strikeout and a groundout to escape with no damage. The freshman continues to boast tremendous promise as he matures throughout his first season. So much so that Jay Johnson gushed about him in his post-game presser, saying that he believes Paz “will eventually be the best pitcher in the program.” Final line: 2.0 IP / 1 hit / 0 runs / 3 K / 1 BB / 42 pitches (25 strikes, 60%) Hitting Steven Milam recorded his second game in a row with multiple hits, including another homerun. This one was from the left side off of Aiden Sims, a bomb that landed under the auxiliary scoreboard in right-center. The star shortstop has quietly raised his average up to .284, 4th among regular starters. He finished the night 2-4. Omar Serna, Chris Stanfield, and Derek Curiel each had a single. Serna finished 1-2 with a walk, Stanfield went 1-3 with an RBI, and Curiel was 1-4. Up Next LSU and Texas A&M will wrap up the series tomorrow afternoon with game 3. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 pm central and presents a pitching matchup of TBA from each team. Despite how bad this series has gone for the Tigers, they are set up well with their top arms for tomorrow. Zac Cowan, Deven Sheerin, Gavin Guidry, and Santiago Garcia have each yet to throw this weekend. The availability of Cooper Moore may also play a large factor. If Moore does pitch, I expect him to start the game in a very limited capacity. Despite potentially being unavailable to record more than 3-6 outs, it would be beneficial for him to get back in to a starter’s routine before, hopefully, fully returning next weekend. If Moore doesn’t pitch, my best estimation would be Cowan to start the game. As for the Aggies, RHP Weston Moss could be a potential candidate. He has started 8 games on the weekend this season, so it would make sense. His record is 3-2 with a 6.69 ERA through 36.1 innings pitched. He has struck out 35 and walked 13 and holds a WHIP of 1.58. Tomorrow is a must-win for LSU. Semantics say that it’s never a must-win until the season is on the line, but the season gets more and more on the line with every loss. A second consecutive sweep would be catastrophic for this team, especially considering their remaining schedule. It’s been a waiting game for this team to finally click, so time will tell if that ever actually happens. Follow me on X for much more @DCBilliotJr