Sacramento St - 6, LSU - 1
David Billiot Jr • March 9, 2026
Sunday Evening Recap
Lifeless. There’s no better way to describe this LSU team right now, specifically the offense. There are a hundred questions and not a single answer at this point in time. The fans are confused. Those that cover this team are confused. Even Jay Johnson appears confused. Friday night’s offensive explosion seemed like a “we’re back” sort of game, but now appears to be an anomaly. The 8-0 start feels like a century ago. Nothing makes sense. It was another night marred by missed opportunities and letting the opposing pitching staff off of the hook. LSU left 8 runners on base. The strikeouts weren’t as big of an issue tonight as they were on Saturday, but Tiger hitters also only drew 2 walks. As for the pitching, William Schmidt was, once again, pretty good. His final stat line doesn’t do his performance justice, especially considering the mistakes that led to Sacramento St scoring their first 2 runs. The first run the Hornets scored in the 3rd was the first run Schmidt had allowed since his opening weekend start vs Milwaukee. Although he allowed 4 runs on 4 hits, the 0 walks number is the most promising stat from his performance. As he has been for his past three starts, Schmidt lived in the strike zone and attacked hitters throughout his outing. He had his breaking balls working throughout, flashing the ability to throw both at any time. The ability to land a slider and/or curveball for a strike not only in pitcher’s counts, but also in hitter’s counts or to start off an at bat, will make him tough to deal with no matter which team is in the other dugout. It’s becoming more and more evident that LSU’s weekend rotation may have to carry their subpar offense, at least early on in SEC play until they can flip a switch.
Pitching
William Schmidt picked up right where he left off last week. He struck out two in the 1st inning on just 7 pitches between the two batters. He followed that up with a 1-2-3 2nd inning and sat with only 24 pitches through the two innings. Things got shaky in the 3rd when he gave up a lead off single on a 3-1 count, which was his first 3 ball count of the game. He struck out a batter looking and then got a Superman diving catch by Derek Curiel, adding to the sophomore’s already impressive defensive weekend. On another 3 ball count, Sacramento St leadoff hitter Sam Harry laced a ball over Mason Braun’s head in left field. It goes down as a double, but Braun misplayed the ball and it probably should have been caught, which would have ended the inning. Schmidt looked to have an inning ended strikeout on the next batter, but the ball in the dirt forced a throw and Cade Arrambide threw the ball off of the runner’s helmet, allowing another run to score to give the Hornets a 2-0 lead. He would immediately make up for it, throwing out the potential base-stealer at second. Following that 25 pitch inning, Schmidt got back on track with a quick 3 up, 3 down inning, finishing four innings with 62 pitches. His 5th inning was just as smooth, retiring the side in order, capped off by another silky smooth defensive play by Steven Milam. Schmidt quickly retired two in the 6th before giving up opposite field single, just the third hit of the game for Sacramento St. The Hornets would follow with another single and that would be the end of the day for the sophomore starter.
Final line: 5.2 IP / 4 hits / 4 runs / 8 Ks / 0 BBs
Cooper Williams entered with runners on 1st and 3rd and looked to build upon a solid 9th inning yesterday. Unfortunately, he only lasted two pitches. After throwing a first pitch strike, he hit the batter on his second one. Jay Johnson was halfway out of the dugout before the runner even got to 1st base and that was all.
Final line: 0.0 IP / 0 hits / 1 run / 0 K / 1 HBP
With the bases now loaded, it was Gavin Guidry time and you always feel good about that. Tonight was different, as Guidry struggled to find the strike zone upon entering. He walked in a run and then gave up a weak ground ball through the left side of the infield and just like that, LSU was losing to Sacramento St 5-0, once again. He’d record a strikeout to end the inning, but the damage was done. Guidry returned for the 7th and battled past a 2 out walk. Back in the 8th, he drew a flyout to Curiel, but then walked a batter, threw a wild pitch, and gave up a bloop single to set up 1st and 3rd and one out. Sacramento St executed fundamentals and squeezed the runner home on a perfect sacrifice bunt. That’s where Jay would, again, turn to his bullpen.
Final line: 2.0 IP / 2 hits / 1 run / 2 Ks / 3 BBs
Santiago Garcia entered with a runner on 2nd and two outs and delivered the strikeout LSU needed to avoid further damage.
Final line: .1 IP / 0 hits / 0 runs / 1 K / 0 BBs
Hopes of a comeback were slim as LSU entered the 9th down 5-1, but it was Mavrick Rizy’s task to keep it right there. Despite hitting a batter, he was able to do his job and get the Tigers back to the dugout for one last chance.
Final line: 1.0 IP / 0 hits / 0 runs / 1 K / 1 HBP
Hitting
Brayden Simpson drove in the sole LSU run tonight, which makes him the top offensive performer. For the second game in a row, not a single Tiger hitter had multiple hits. Simpson finished 1-4 and also struck out twice.
After a 4-5 night that included 3 homeruns on Friday, Jake Brown finished up his weekend with a hitless effort on Saturday and just one single tonight. He hit the ball hard a few times, but it was one of those nights where he didn’t have much to show for it. Brown finished 1-3 with one of the two LSU walks.
Derek Curiel’s weekend followed the same trajectory as Brown’s, following up a huge Friday night with just one hit over the next two days. He, too, finished with just a single and went 1-4.
Zach Yorke drew the other walk for Tiger hitters and later singled in the 8th inning when they were trying to rally. He finished 1-3.
Freshman Mason Braun continues to sting the ball in his early season opportunities. While he only has a 1-4 stat line to show for it, he continues to flash high exit velocity. Obviously that doesn’t put runs on the board, but hard hit balls will eventually start to find grass if he keeps it up.
Seth Dardar was another Tiger who stung the ball a few times tonight, also finishing just 1-4. In his post game press conference, Jay specifically mentioned Dardar as someone he was happy with in terms of how they swung the bat.
Up Next
LSU will remain home and welcome the Creighton Blue Jays for one of the best Tuesday night midweek games you’ll find. The Blue Jays won both the Big East regular season championship and their conference tournament, as well. They made the NCAA tournament as a #3 seed and traveled to Arkansas for the Fayetteville Regional. Creighton made it to the regional final, but lost to the Razorbacks for the second time. So far in 2026, the Blue Jays are off to a slower start with a 5-7 record, but will head to Baton Rouge after taking 2 of 3 from Gonzaga. LSU now sits at 12-5, which looks even worse when you consider they started 8-0. The Tigers will, no doubt, take quite a tumble in the top 25 rankings tomorrow.
A quick share helps us a lot!
Well the wait is over, we got to open our present Saints fans. Jordyn Tyson is a New Orleans Saint. Hard to quantify just how badly the Saints needed to add impactful young talent to the wide receiver room and Tyson immediately helps fix the problem. Jordyn Tyson when healthy is the best receiver in this draft, the talent was always undeniable, there are not many receivers who come out who are as well rounded as he is. Tyson brings route running, size, speed, and ball skills to the receiver room who will help take some pressure off everyone else on offense with his presence on the field. Jordyn Tyson gives Tyler Shough another legit pass catcher to aid in his own development this upcoming season as well as offer some insurance in case of Chris Olave missing time from injury. But now the risk of selecting Jordyn Tyson. Tyson was injured every year of his collegiate career with time missed due to knee, clavicle, and hamstring injuries. The other criticism of Tyson has been his ability to be more physical at the catch point and after the catch. Using the eighth overall pick on him is definitely a risk given the injury history but the Saints felt the talent was too great at a position of need to pass up. Personally, I think the Saints got this pick right. Projecting ahead I believe the Saints will be able to add more young talent at key positions which line up as strengths of the draft class. By addressing receiver first they eliminated their number one need and gives them more flexibility heading into day two to address the other side of the ball. The defense could use some reinforcements after seemingly moved on from Demario Davis, Cameron Jordan, and Alontae Taylor earlier in the offseason. Looking forward to day two of the draft I believe the two positions to keep in mind are defensive line and defensive back. Both of those positions are needs for the Saints but also strengths of this draft class. So look for the Saints to target those positions on day two and if they don’t then for them to look at them again early on day three. If the Saints do look to continue to add to the offensive side of the ball I can see them adding to offensive skill positions and interior offensive line to gain better depth in those areas. Some key names to look for on Day 2 : Edge - TJ Parker from Clemson Nose Tackle - Kayden McDonald from Ohio State Nose Tackle - Dominique Orange from Iowa State Nose Tackle - Darrell Jackson Jr from Florida State Edge - Zion Young from Missouri Cornerback - Jerrod McCoy from Tennessee Cornerback - Colton Hood from Tennessee Cornerback - D’Angelo Ponds from Indiana Edge - R Mason Thomas from Oklahoma Edge - Joshua Josephs from Tennessee Defensive Tackle - Christen Miller from Georgia Nickel/Safety - Treydan Stukes from Arizona Safety - Emanuel McNeil-Warren from Toledo Nickel/Safety - Jalon Kilgore from South Carolina Offensive Guard - Chase Bisontis from Texas A&M Offensive Guard - Emanuel Pregnon from Oregon Tight End - Max Klare from Ohio State Tight End - Sam Roush from Stanford Tight End - Oscar Delp from Georgia Offensive Center - Connor Lew from Auburn Offensive Center - Jake Slaughter from Florida Wide Receiver - Chris Bell from Louisville Wide Receiver - Zachariah Branch from Georgia Wide Receiver - De’Zhaun Stribling from Ole Miss Wide Receiver - Ted Hurst from Georgia State Running back - Mike Washington Jr. from Arkansas Running back - Kaytron Allen from Penn State Okay I think I covered all the bases here, talk to you all next time to recap day two! Kaden Arkeder @KArkeder
It’s the night before the draft, and you’re scrolling on X to see what all the NFL insiders and draft analysts have to say about your team. Trying to find any clues about who is going where and what the latest rumor is that could be the biggest surprise of Thursday night. The NFL Draft is one of the few times during the year when every fan has some level of hope and optimism in their team. The draft is a three-day event where it can make or break a franchise to where you can be set up for a Super Bowl contention or be stuck in the doldrums. This year, Saints fans get to have some hope and optimism after how well the 2025 NFL Draft went. Kelvin Banks and Tyler Shough headline their draft class, which showed great promise for the Saints moving forward. Now it is on Mickey Loomis, Jeff Ireland, and company to keep the momentum going and have back-to-back successful drafts. Something they haven’t been able to really do in almost ten years now. But pressure isn’t new to Mickey Loomis, the man is not fazed by the likes of you or me posting online how poor of a job he’s done. No, the man simply chews his gum into a microphone defiantly with the confidence knowing that when his back is against the wall, he can capture lightning in a bottle. Mickey did it for the 06’ draft as well as the 17’ draft. The 2025 draft doesn’t appear to be quite like those, however, getting a starting Quarterback in the second round might help make a case, but that’s beside the point. The Saints don’t need to shoot for the moon with the 2026 NFL Draft, they aren’t one player away, which Mickey confirmed today in his annual pre-draft interview. All the Saints have to do is draft good football players and not get cute. Which I know is putting it way too simply, and is easier said than done. But I don’t want the Saints to get trigger-happy and make a costly trade that backfires on them à la Trevor Penning or Marcus Davenport. If a trade opportunity comes along that they deem is reasonable, then by all means, I hope they take advantage, but just make sure you’re not the ones being taken advantage of. The Saints might have already done the hardest part by finding a QB, so now they can do the fun part of the roster building. I’ll admit there is some nervousness as a Saints fan about the draft and rightfully so, but as I type this out, the Saints are in a spot where they can’t really go wrong with their first pick in the draft. All the players being mocked to them can and should help the team in a major way as a rookie. They could go with a dynamic wide receiver like Jordyn Tyson or Carnell Tate, a do-it-all safety like Caleb Downs, a productive edge rusher like Ruben Bain, or maybe even trade up for a cyborg-like linebacker in Arvell Reese. The Saints have plenty of options, and all of them should be quality options. So now the question is, who is going to be the Saints fans’ present Thursday evening? We don’t have to wait much longer to find out. Merry Draftmas, everyone.