The Kneaux's Superdome Renovation Rundown: Full List of Superdome's New Features Part 1

Chris Dodson • June 29, 2023

Forget the snippets, find out everything about the Superdome's new face lift in this complete The Kneaux's Guide to the new game day experience.

        The New Orleans Saints and Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District (LSED) are in the middle of a five-year 'Envision the Future' transformation of the Caesars Superdome. The project is a collaborative effort between the LSED, the Saints and the State of Louisiana. The revamp is on schedule, with teams of architects, contractors, designers, and construction workers working around-the-clock to transform the fan experience and functionality of one of the most iconic venues in the world.

        The current Envision the Future project is the third major renovation of the stadium since Hurricane Katrina seriously damaged the venue in 2005. Since then, the building has undergone several smaller upgrades, but nothing of this magnitude. Everything is shaping up nicely and those attending events this fall should be able to see the outlines of the finished product that will be unveiled to start next season in advance of the 2025 Super Bowl in New Orleans, which will also mark the stadium’s 50th anniversary.

        It's been confirmed that all options were on the table initially. After studying the feasibility and costs associated with building a stadium on the same downtown site, the major stakeholders determined that renovating the Caesars Superdome was the most efficient use of public and private dollars. The amenity-driven modernization of the 49- year-old building will preserve an iconic state asset and allow it to remain competitive and useful for decades to come at a fraction of the cost of a new stadium.


So what do we know? What should fans expect? The Kneaux's New Gameday Guide breaks down how & what the Saints look forward to rolling out:

  Part 1:

• Getting In The Dome, Finding Seats 

• A Look Forward 

• A Look Back 

• The Introduction of the Atriums & Escalators 

• 200 Level & Elevators-Added Vertical Transportation 

• Standing Room Only Decks (SROs) 

• The 100 and 500 Levels (East & West Sidelines) 

• Food & Beverage 

• The Fan Relocation Process including new Grab ‘N Go markets and Point of Sale • New Club Rooms & Premium Areas

- Just Getting In The Dome, Finding Seats 

        Once completed, widen concourses, some almost twice as wide, express escalators and restrooms and enhanced food and beverage services, is expected to “elevate the experience and speed of service for guests throughout the venue. However, the ongoing construction will create some temporary inconveniences for the upcoming Saints season for fans sitting on the stadium’s West side.

        “Construction work will create narrower concourses in a handful of areas and eliminate some restrooms and concessions. The same issues occurred last season on the stadium’s east side, with fans quickly learning how to rely on modern technologies and experiences in navigating their quickest paths to and from their seats” according to the team. "The use of the exterior perimeters was met with positive reviews last football season and the process will be replicated this summer and fall in an effort designed to create less friction for all fans. Fans are strongly encouraged to allow a little extra time to circumnavigate the stadium on the outside apron rather than the interior concourses,” according to the renovation's stage planning documents shared with The Kneaux.

- A Look Forward 

        Expect to see signs and models of features that will be installed next summer as a way of looking ahead to what the next generation can expect from a trip to the Superdome. Updating the iconic multi-use building to ultra-modern standards is the linchpin to a 30-year lease extension for the Saints. Wider concourses will make it significantly easier to travel around the plaza, loge and terrace levels. There also will be a wider variety of food and concession service points available, headlined by a pair of 40-yard-long bars that will dominate the 100 level from 30-yard line to 30-yard line on the east and west sideline. 


        Open-air atriums will tower from the floor to the ceiling in three of the four corners of the stadium. Some of this tear out demolition has to be done in stages. The east (Visitors sideline) which saw the bulk of the construction last football season will be completed during this phase and be ready for fans this 2023 football season. Crews are removing 40,000 square feet of ramps on the west (Saints sideline) in preparation to create the same amenities for the west next off season in 2024 that the east sideline fans will enjoy this season.




-A Look Back 

        Monday, January 9, 2023, just hours after the Saints season ended, the west exterior concourse was layered with door frames. Those “frames” were the drywall brackets that served as anchors for the temporary walls that framed the concourses throughout the 2022 season. The temporary walls quickly came down in multiple areas and new steel beams began flowing into Caesars Superdome. 


        The latest phase “began” primarily on the east sideline, with demolition work commencing on the 100- plaza level all the way to the 650 levels. 40,000 square feet of ramps had been removed on the east side Gate C, and so, this year the build back is creating a new experience for fans on the east sideline. At the same time this offseason, workers have been removing 40,000 square feet of ramps on the west side to open the space needed for the same amenities created on the east sideline. The 100 Plaza on the East side has been widened and new fan facing amenities have been added. The Caesars Legends Sideline Club now begins on the 200 Level East side. The concourse on the 200 east sideline loges has been updated and the east 200 level concourse is also considered to be inside the sideline Legends club.


        There are tunnels or hallways at each end of the concourse allowing patrons to flow freely between concessions and restrooms on the concourse and field side back to the sideline club that sits along the building’s exterior wall. The Caesars Legends Sideline Club will provide guests with a much wider footprint to enjoy, a common theme that will be touched on throughout this series. The East Sideline 300 level suites were also gutted during this phase, with the redesigned space taking full advantage of the added space by housing newer and much longer suite accommodations (think of it as a modern adaptation on a New Orleans shotgun Caesars Superdome style!). The 300 level suites on the East side have practically doubled in length, with the same exact thing happening to the West sideline suites in 2024. Without the ramps on the east side, there is also much more room on the 300 level for new restrooms. 

        Meanwhile, after taking down the temporary walls at Gate C, elevator shafts were created and many will be ready to whisk guests directly to and from the club and suite levels in rapid fashion, beginning with this season. With the temporary walls gone on the 400-suite level, the new escalators and atriums in the corners have come into full view. The new atriums (which will serve as an entire segment unto itself in the coming days), will maximize on quite a bit of previously unused space. The new, finished looks of the atriums on the corners of the Caesars Superdome are brighter and project the feeling of spaciousness.


        In the upper corners of Caesars Superdome, work is nearing completion on the standing room only decks or “SROs,” on the 650 levels in the northeast and northwest corners. The new standing room only decks, in each quad and the new escalators from the 500 level to the 650 levels are set to be ready for the upcoming season. The end zone valley on 450 level at Gate A is also getting a complete makeover with steps replacing the ramps along with new concessions and restrooms. Thus, the East side will have the new amenities in place this season (August completion).


        The ramps on the west side will be gone by the start of this season, and the temporary walls will be in the place there allowing work to continue the west sideline during the season when feasible. The west sideline is not without some new items to celebrated 2023 as the northwest atrium at Gate H will be complete and ready for the upcoming football season. In addition, the southeast quad at Gate D is getting the same renovation and atriums now constructed in the northeast and northwest quads. Tom Benson’s corner, a replica of the office of the late Saints Owner Tom Benson, with all of its artifacts safely stored has been removed. The 200-level Iberville Club above it also gone, and the Stadium Club on the 300 level has also been removed to make room for the third atrium in the southeast quad to be ready for the 2024 season.



-ATRIUM SPACES 

        The most notable visual changes going forward are the new atrium lobbies on the 100 Level in both the Northeast Quad (Gate B) and Northwest Quad (Gate H), the two corners closest to Poydras Street. Rather than the entry gates being simply a pass-through to the 100 level Plaza, these massive entrance lobbies with food and drink stops right beside the Saints Team Store will become meeting spots for fans before and during the game. A third atrium in the Southeast Quad (Gate D) will be ready for the 2024 season and will be protected by a temporary wall for the 2023 season. 

        An escalator from the 100 to the 200 level in the Northeast and Northwest Quads leads to more 200 Level-based food and beverage amenities options. Fans can then take a 120-foot escalator from the 200 Level directly to their seats on the 500 level and above. On the 500 Level there will be yet another escalator that will carry fans to the 650 level to their seats and the SRO decks. These atrium spaces beginning at the 100 Level lobby areas will give Caesars Superdome a more open floor plan vibe. 


-ATRIUM PANELS 

        It will be hard to miss the unique characteristics of the re-designed atriums. Massive panels of extruded aluminum known as the “atrium skins” made of champagne gold tubing creates the panels. The custom-made pieces of anodized aluminum from Trahan Architects are meant to mimic the Caesars Superdome’s timeless exterior, designed by Curtis and Davis, the original architectural firm of Caesars Superdome.

        The atrium skins are like optical illusions with the geometric curves that narrow vertically from the 200 level to where the escalators reach the 500 level. The East Sideline Legends Club is getting two new atriums that are intended to give the large open space some spatial definition. The two atriums in the east sideline Legends Club will only go as high as the 400-level ceiling, and a uniquely designed piece of fabric and special LED lighting above that will give the appearance of a skylight. This same system will be used in the atrium entrance lobbies. However, fans along the Southeast Atrium and the West Sideline Club will have to wait until 2024 to have the exact same atrium skins and artificial skylights.


-VERTICAL TRANSPORTATION 

        Both corners closest to Poydras Street (NE and NW) will have new escalator systems carrying guest from the 100 level to the 650 level. Traveling from the 100 Level on the Plaza up to the 650 Level near the top of the building will require just three escalators.

        The setup was designed to get fans into their seats as soon as possible while allowing for easy access to more amenities. One escalator will link the 100 to the 200 level, then a 120-foot escalator will take fans from 200 to 500 levels. The third and final escalator in each quad, will carry fans from the 500 level to the 650 level, where the SRO Decks are positioned.

        There will also be new elevators in place at the two middle gates on the East and West (2024) side of the building. The elevators at Gate C will be ready during the upcoming 2023 football season and, when completed, will take fans down to the east sideline Bunker Club on the ground level, to the 200 level Legends East Sideline Club, and the 300 and 400 suite levels.

-THE 100 LEVEL EAST & WEST SIDELINES 

        Depth and space, two concepts that are incredibly important in professional football, are the calling cards for the 100 level sideline experience. Per the team's release, “The best way to visualize the new and improved concourse areas that have been recaptured through the Envision the Future campaign is to think about almost doubling the spaces in the concourses from what “used to be” to “bigger and better!”” 

        The nearly completed east sideline is now almost twice as wide in some places along with new concession areas. With the removal of the ramps, the added space will provide a much easier flow for people in all areas including new “grab and go” markets so fans can get back to their seats without missing any of the action. 

The former Miller Lite Club on the 100 level at Gate H is now a large lobby entrance with an atrium and escalator system. The same situation has taken place in the northeast corner Gate B. In the Southeast Corner, this area has also been completely gutted from 100 to 500 to make room for a third atrium (2024).

- 200 LEVEL LEGENDS SIDELINE CLUB AND ENTRANCE 

        New during the 2023 season will be a Premium Patrons Entrance at Gate C (Champions Square entrance). Those with the wallets to afford these seats will find escalators and new elevators that will bring guests from the ground 000 to the 400 level. The elevators on the east side for Gate C, may not be ready for the start of the football season though. Still, they could be in use at some point during the 2023 season.

        The redevelopment of the 200 level on the East side, where the Legends Sideline Club resides, will allow patrons to end up centrally located on the sideline. Whether you take the escalators or the elevators, as guests arrive on the 200-level east sideline, and turn and face the exterior of Caesars Superdome, they will “be inside” the Legends Sideline Club replete with televisions, many seating opportunities, different concessions and access to restrooms that anchor the club on both ends. Much like the northwest atrium and the northeast atrium, the Legends Sideline Club will all have two atriums as well.

        Bars will line the Legends Club's exterior wall so there is always total connection between the sideline club with the concourse and their seats. Caesars Superdome guests who have been accustomed to a one-hallway approach on the 200 level will now have more options to move around in what should be well-tailored spaces. The east sideline 200 level concourse and parallel Legends Club will have new restrooms, concessions including popular “grab-and-go” markets for food and beverages. Two massive restrooms (men’s and women’s) that are accessible from the main concourse, the seating areas, and the Legends Club, will be ready for use this football season.



-NEW CLUB ROOMS & PREMIUM AREAS 

        The Caesars Superdome Club Rooms and Premium Areas have and will continue to be some of the most popular sectors of season ticket holders. Through the Envision the Future campaign the Northeast and Northwest loge clubs no longer exist and have been replaced with an East loge club named the Caesars Legends Club. This dedicated club and suite area provides access to Gate C with access to dedicated escalators and new elevators which will provide fans with a faster entry to the club and premium areas. 

        The upgrades at the Caesars Club include much larger areas that stretch the length of the sideline with improved seating and amenities in state-of-the-art surroundings that bring plenty of bang for the buck. The VIP loge level will also feature an upgraded concourse experience connecting to the new Caesars Club, as well as new premium bars, markets and concessions. New clean, comfortable and modern restroom and family rooms will adjoin the club on both sides to alleviate wait times for the rest room facilities at the busiest times of gamedays.

-FOOD & BEVERAGE/RESTROOMS (Club/Premium Areas)

        The Saints will formally be introducing concession enhancements at Caesars Superdome at a future date but expect for the food and beverage experience to be improved with new menu options and a wider variety. The introduction of cutting-edge technology is supposed to dramatically increase the speed of service.

        For those who work in the Dome while the rest of us watch the game, an important aspect of the significant investment of the Envision the Future project is the speed and availability now offered in the back-of-house, which will directly impact the ability to get fresh food in front of the customer quicker but with less foot traffic headaches and hassles.. Ten (10) new grab & go markets with hot and cold food options will be spaced out throughout the Superdome on the 100, 200 and 500 levels in 2023. Heads up though, all markets are cashless, self-service food options.

-NEW TECHNOLOGY

        State-of-the-art artificial intelligence (AI) self-checkout scanners have been deployed throughout the stadium. Fans can place the items they wish to purchase on the unit where they are scanned simultaneously for quick payment, significantly increasing speed of service.

        Self-ordering kiosks have been installed at select locations allowing fans to fully customize and pay for their order using touch screen technology. There is now a brand-new point of sale system, which includes touchless Apple Pay, to help speed up the ordering and payment process. Every single one of the in-seat vendors are equipped with handheld credit card reader technology, allowing fans to easily pay.

-THE FAN RELOCATION PROCESS

        Some sections of Caesars Superdome were directly impacted with the removal of seats, in most cases, to enhance the ADA experience for those fans. With the addition of eight new ADA viewing decks on the 200 and 500 levels in Phase II, ADA patrons now have different levels and different price points from which to choose. In this most recent phase completed this August, there are even more ADA seating options added with ADA seats in front of both the SRO Decks in the Northwest and Northeast Quads on the 650 level. This gives ADA guests choices from the 100 Plaza, the 200 and 500 viewing decks in 8 corners, and soon, the 650 SRO Decks in 2 corners. Two more SRO Decks are planned for the 2024 season in the Southeast and Southwest Quad.


  Part 2 (COMING SOON!):
• Lagniappe 

• Renovated 450 End Zones 

• New Team Stores at Gate A and NW Atrium 

• Improved ADA accommodations 

• New state of the art WiFi and DAS systems - complete for 2024 season 

• LED Ribbon Boards (In place) 

• North End Zone Field Level Suites and North End Zone Club (In place) 

• Expanded 300 Level Sideline Suites 

• Expanded Concourses 

• Dedicated VIP Entrances

Make sure to follow Chris Dodson on Twitter.



Keep an eye out for Part 2 but in the meantime check out Dodson's interview with Mike Hoss and lets up know on social media what you are looking forward to seeing in the Caesers Superdome this season!

A quick share helps us a lot!

Vanderbilt - 11, LSU - 3

By David Billiot Jr • March 15, 2026
The big question following LSU’s heartbreaking loss on Friday night was how they would respond. Game 1 was a rollercoaster of emotions, starting with the Tigers scoring first, giving up the lead, Jake Brown crushing a homerun to retake the lead, then the pitching staff collapsing to fall behind 10-4, followed by 8 unanswered runs by LSU, only to be walked off in the 9th inning while being just an out of securing the dramatic comeback victory. Having that happen will test a team mentally under normal circumstances, but considering the timing, it was an even bigger challenge. It happened on the road, in the first game of SEC play, and on the heels of a pretty bad multi-week stretch for the Tigers. LSU was going to need a quick start on Saturday night to regain momentum, but Vanderbilt beat them to it by scoring first while Wyatt Nadeau carved up Jay Johnson’s lineup the first time through the order. The Tigers answered back to tie the game, but as Cooper Moore battled through the early innings, he was also playing with fire. He finally got burned in the 5th inning and things went downhill in a hurry for LSU. Before you knew it, they were down 10-1 and, again, in deep trouble. What was most concerning was Saturday’s results seemed to indicate that what we watched transpire on Friday had more to do with the Commodores choking, rather than the Tigers storming back on their own merit. LSU would go down quietly this time, dropping their first series of conference play. Pitching Cooper Moore entered Saturday coming off of his worst start of the season thus far. It wasn’t bad last week, but it was a far cry from his first three. He looked good early against Vanderbilt, breezing 1-2-3 through the 1st inning. Despite getting in to early trouble in the 2nd, Moore battled out of a 2nd and 3rd with 0 outs situation by only allowing 1 run. That was a massive win in the moment. The leadoff hitter got on base in the 3rd, but, again, he fought through it and didn’t allow the baserunner past 2nd base. We saw more of the same in the 4th, as the inning started with an infield hit, a single, then the chopper that bounced high over Zach Yorke’s head and rolled down the 1st baseline to give Vanderbilt a 2-1 and, once again, put runners on 2nd and 3rd with 0 outs. Moore struck out Ryker Waite, who came in to the series with a .560 on base percentage. Then, thanks to the magician that LSU has playing shortstop, a double play ended yet another big threat. Korbin Reynolds hit a laser right at Steven Milam, who was playing on the grass with the infield in. The ball go on to Milam so quickly, he had to fall backwards to catch it, but his impeccable reaction time somehow allowed him to snag the ball, fall to his butt, and toss it Trent Caraway at 3rd base. Unfortunately for Moore, the trouble would catch up to him in the 5th, though. A four pitch walk to the Commodores 9-hole hitter was the omen of bad things to come, as that was followed with a perfect sacrifice bunt attempt that no one fielded as they hoped it would roll foul, and then another single loaded the bases with 0 outs and Moore’s night was over. The first inning was the only inning that he was able to pitch from the windup, as the leadoff hitter was on base for the next four innings. Despite the talent of starting pitchers, that will forever be tough to overcome, especially against good teams. Final line: 4.0 IP / 7 hits / 5 runs / 4 Ks / 2 BBs / 79 pitches (48 strikes, 61%) Ethan Plog entered in an impossible situation and promptly got he ball he was hoping for. A high chopper ground ball made Yorke leave his feet, but he snagged it and fired home for the force out attempt. Unfortunately, the throw was poor and Omar Serna was unable to go down and get it, scoring a run and the bases remained loaded with no outs. Plog would then walk a hitter and give up a sacrifice fly, pushing Vanderbilt’s lead to 5-1. Chris Maldonado then stepped to the plate to pinch hit and blasted a 3 run homerun over Derek Curiel’s leaping attempt in dead center and the Commodores had blowing things open with 6 run 5th inning. Plog has been fantastic, but that’s where his first SEC appearance would come to an end. Final line: .1 IP / 1 hit / 3 runs / 0 K / 2 BBs Freshman Zion Theophilus was called upon to try and finish off the disaster of an inning for LSU pitching and he did just that, recording a strikeout and a flyout to end the 5th. Back for the 6th, he recorded the leadoff hitter for the first time since the 1st inning, but was unable to record another out after that. He then issued 3 walks (1 intentional) and a hit by pitch and his day was done. Final line: 1.0 IP / 0 hits / 2 runs / 1 K / 3 BBs From one high promise freshman pitcher to another, Reagan Ricken entered with the bases loaded and 1 out. He did exactly what Jay Johnon called upon him to do, drawing a ground ball to record an out and striking out Waite looking to keep the damage from getting worse. Even though a run scored on the groundout, LSU pitchers have struggled to simply record outs in some of these tough spots, which allows things to get worse and worse, much like we saw in the 5th. Ricken returned for the 7th and despite allowing a solo homerun and 2 two out walks, was able to navigate through the entire inning and get out of trouble. Ricken continues to flash plenty of traits to very excited about as he grows as a Tiger. Final line: 1.2 IP / 1 hit / 1 run / 2 Ks / 2 BBs With LSU down 11-3 and the tensity of the moment being low, Jay Johnson inserted Marcos Paz for the 8th inning in a great spot to get his feet wet. As he continues to come back from Tommy John surgery, he’s flashed his talent that made him a possible draft risk, while also battling through rust. In his first SEC appearance, he looked fantastic. Despite a walk, Paz struck out the side, including Maldonado that hit the big homerun earlier. Final line: 1.0 IP / 0 hits / 0 runs / 3 Ks / 1 BB Hitting There isn’t a lot of offensive production to get to, so this will be quick. Steven Milam followed up his 3 hit performance on Friday with a 1-4 game, including a fantastic piece of opposite field hitting for a double. Derek Curiel, Cade Arrambide, and Omar Serna each had a single hit, to give you the 4 total LSU hits. Arrambide’s was a double and Serna’s was a 2 run single that brought his RBI total for the week up to 6. Jake Brown entered the game with only 9 strikeouts so far this season, but Nadeau’s stuff was so good, he was able to get LSU’s offensive MVP twice. Brown did draw 2 walks, finishing the night 0-2. Up Next LSU and Vanderbilt will wrap up SEC opening weekend tomorrow. First pitch will be at 3 pm central. William Schmidt will take the mound for the Tigers as they look to avoid being swept on SEC opening weekend for the first time since 2006 when Arkansas took three in Alex Box during Smoke Laval’s final season. The Tigers have fallen to 13-7, which matches Vanderbilt’s record after back to back wins to start the series. The Commodores will send Nate Taylor to the mound on Sunday, who has started all four Sundays for them this season. Taylor has a record of 0-3 with a 4.91 ERA. His batting average against is the highest of any of the top Vanderbilt pitchers that LSU has seen so far at .242. Taylor has given up 12 runs in 18.1 innings of work, so the opportunities for the Tiger offense to get back on track could be there.

Vanderbilt - 13, LSU - 12

By David Billiot Jr • March 14, 2026
Gut-wrenching. There’s no other way to put it. LSU fought all the way back from a 10-4 deficit to have the game ripped from them at the very last second. They say that the 27th out in baseball is the hardest one to get and tonight, we saw why. If you told Jay Johnson that he could be in that situation with the tying run at 3rd base with 2 outs in the 9th inning and Gavin Guidry on the mound, I can guarantee you that he’d take that scenario 10 out of 10 times. In majority of those times, it would work in the Tiger’s favor, too. Not tonight. Sometimes you have to tip the cap to the other team for making the necessary plays and that’s what happened in the final inning on Friday night. Vanderbilt earned their victory. Not without some help from the LSU pitching staff early in the game, but when it mattered most, the Commadores stepped up. Although we learned a lot about the resilience of the Tigers in game 1 with their willingness to to fight back, we will learn even more about their ability to rebound from a tough loss. There were plenty of silver linings despite the L, which could be huge for the future success of this LSU team. Pitching Casan Evans had been on a steady upwards trajectory with his transition from ace bullpen piece to Friday night ace. That trend hit a brick wall tonight. Despite having a lead before stepping on to the mound, Evans was way off from his very first pitch. He walked 3 of the first 4 hitters of the game. Though he was able to strike out two, a two out 2-run single flipped the scoreboard to give Vanderbilt a 2-1 lead. The offense retook the lead, but the struggles remained as the LSU ace gave up another run in the 2nd on walk and a couple of singles. It was more of the same in the 3rd, as Evans continued to battle control problems, allowing another 2 runs on only 1 hit. The free passes were a haunting presence for his entire outing. Surprisingly, he returned for the 4th having already thrown 82 pitches. He’d finish with 83, though, as Braden Holcomb would blast a solo homerun to right center and that would be the end of the night for Casan Evans. Final line: 3.0 IP / 5 hits / 6 runs / 5 Ks / 5 BBs / 1 HBP / 83 pitches (46 strikes, 55%) The expectations for Cooper Williams were high coming in to his sophomore season, but he has failed to come even close to them, so far. That continued tonight when he relieved Casan Evans in the 4th inning. He entered with no one out in the inning, but failed to record an out. Williams walked the bases loaded and then started the next hitter with back to back balls and Jay had seen enough. Williams desperately needs to figure it out. Final line: 0.0 IP / 0 hits / 4 runs / 0 Ks / 4 BBs Jaden Noot inherited the 2-0 count from Williams and promptly allowed the walk with a few more pitches out of the zone. He followed with back to back outs to get close to being out of the inning, but another walk, then a 2 run single, followed by yet another walk would allow Vanderbilt to extend their lead to 10-4 and that would be all for Noot. Final line: .2 IP / 1 hit / 0 runs / 1 K / 2 BB Although it’s fairly subjective, it’s safe to say that Zac Cowan has been the most disappointing pitcher on LSU’s staff thus far in 2026. Considering how dominant he was for almost all of his 2025 season, the coaching staff had high hopes that they were bringing back a pitcher that could be trusted against anyone on the schedule. With the way some of Cowan’s outings had gone through the first four weeks of the season, he was borderline unable to be trusted against anyone. That changed Friday night. He was marvelous. Looking like the rock solid bullpen piece from a year ago, Cowan mowed through the Commadores lineup, allowing just one baserunner. One single was all that he allowed, while striking out 5 and throwing 73% strikes. As much credit as the offense deserves for fighting back in this game, Cowan deserves just as much for stabilizing things for the staff and allowing the bats to go to work. Final line: 3.1 IP / 1 hit / 0 runs / 5 Ks / 0 BBs Once the Tigers took the lead in the top of the 8th, Jay Johnson turned to Gavin Guidry. The argument could be heard that Cowan may have had more in the tank as he was rolling strong, but we’ve seen Guidry come in to close the final 6 outs of a ballgame before. It’s almost never the wrong move to put the game in his hands. At first, he was proving why. He went 3 up, 3 down in the 8th while striking out two hitters looking. But as I said in the beginning, sometimes you have to tip your cap to the opponent and admit that they beat you. In the 9th, Vanderbilt recorded back to back singles to start the inning. A passed ball then allowed both runners to advance, putting the tying run at 2nd base in a 12-10 ballgame. Guidry was able to record an out, although it was a sacrifice fly that drew the Commadores within a run and top hitter Braden Holcomb coming to the plate. Guidry painted a perfectly executed slider on the outside corner to freeze Holcomb for the second out of the inning, putting LSU just an out away from the comeback win. Unfortunately, an 0-1 slider to Logan Johnstone hung up just a little and the ball took flight in to right center to give Vanderbilt a walk off victory. Guidry just got beat. Plain and simple. Final line: 1.2 IP / 3 hits / 3 runs / 3 Ks / 0 BBs Hitting Moving up in to the leadoff role, Steven Milam acted like he belonged there. He recorded hits in his first three at bats, leading to a 3-6 day with 3 runs scored. Milam has been hitting the ball hard, severely lowering his strikeout rate from 2025. His lone strikeout tonight was only his 4th of the season, showing why concerns of his performance have been largely overblown. This spot for Jake Brown might as well be written in permanent marker at this point. He finds his way on to the top offensive performer list ever single game and he is year yet again. The 3 run homerun in the 2nd seemed like the perfect opportunity for Casan Evans to settle in and roll, but as we know, the offense would be relied upon for even more. Brown’s final line was 3-5 with 3 RBI, 2 runs scored, a walk, the homerun, and also a double. His third hit came on a beautifully executed drag bunt in the 8th inning, helping get the rally together that eventually took the lead. Derek Curiel moved down to third in the order with Milam swapping to leadoff. Curiel has been LSU’s best hitter not named Jake Brown and he continued that on Friday. It doesn’t matter where he hits in the lineup, he’s going to just simply…hit. He finished 2-4, which included the 2 run double over the center fielder’s head to pull LSU within a run with a 10-9 deficit. He finished with 3 RBI, 2 runs scored, and also walked. Cade Arrambide has gone through the bumps on the road as he adjusts to being the primary starting catcher. Both offensively and defensively, LSU has needed him to be better. He was just that on Friday night. His defense was solid, blocking up multiple pitches in the dirt. His 2-4 line with 2 runs scored and a walk further boosted his bounce back game from a rough week or two. Seth Dardar didn’t get the start, but he entered as a pinch hitter in the 5th inning for Brayden Simpson and delivered what I would say was the biggest swing of the night for the Tigers. With the bases loaded and 2 outs in the 5th, Connor Fennell was very close from escaping without damage, but Dardar ripped a base-clearing double to drive in 3 runs and cut LSU’s deficit in half to 10-7. If he doesn’t come through in that moment, who knows how the rest of the night would have went for the Tigers. He finished 1-3 with that double and the 3 RBI. Zach Yorke entered the game with a 4 game hitting streak that started in game 1 against Sacramento St. That streak came to an end on Friday, but he did draw 3 walks, which led to a .600 on base percentage. Last, but certainly not least, is Chris Stanfield, who provided the much needed spark that the lineup had been missing in his absence. In that 9-hole spot in the bottom of the order, his ability to find his way on base is invaluable. He is, essentially, a second lead off hitter. His biggest value in that spot is to be a table setter for the table setters in the top of the lineup and that’s exactly what he did Friday in his first start since opening weekend. Stanfield was 2-4 with a couple of singles, while drawing a walk and scoring twice. Up Next LSU will be faced with the enormous task of bouncing back from that heart breaking loss to try and win the next two games and head back to Baton Rouge with an opening SEC weekend series win. The loss dropped the Tigers to 13-6. Cooper Moore (3-1) will take the mound on Saturday with the goal to go deeper in the game and compete to give his team the best chance to win. Vanderbilt improved to 12-7 on the season and will send Wyatt Nadeau to the mound on Saturday night. Nadeau has made 4 appearances thus far, with last Saturday being his only start. He is filling in for Austin Nye in the weekend rotation, who is injured. First pitch between LSU and Vanderbilt will be for 7 pm central on Saturday night.
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