Vanderbilt - 13, LSU - 12
David Billiot Jr • March 14, 2026
Friday Night Recap
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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The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns were made aware of their 2026 Sun Belt Conference football schedule on Friday. The schedule includes in-state rival and Sun Belt Conference newcomer Louisiana Tech, who is replacing Texas State. All six home games this season will be played on Saturdays, beginning with a home opener meeting with the Lamar Cardinals on September 5th. They will also host an American Conference member, the UAB Blazers, on September 19th before opening up Sun Belt play against the Arkansas State Red Wolves on October 3rd. Louisiana will also host the Troy Trojans on October 17th, the South Alabama Jaguars on November 7th, and the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on November 21st to close out their home slate. On the road, the Cajuns will play in Los Angeles, California against the USC Trojans on September 12th and in Charlotte, North Carolina against the Charlotte 49ers on September 26th. They will then take a trip up to Ruston to face the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs on October 10th. Their remaining away games include another rival in the Southern Miss Golden Eagles on October 24th, the ULM Warhawks on November 12th in a nationally televised Thursday night contest at Malone Stadium, and the Georgia State Panthers to close out the regular season on November 28th. Kickoff times and TV designations for the first three games, as well as any expected national broadcasts, will be announced in late May. All remaining games' kickoff times are released 12 days prior to each game by ESPN and the Sun Belt Conference. It is important to note that although the SBC and UL label this as the official football schedule, there is an ongoing legal dispute between Conference USA and the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs which could alter it. Both conferences currently have Louisiana Tech as a member on each of their schedules. That being said, the Sun Belt schedule (including UL's) and the Conference USA schedule are both subject to change. One of them WILL change, but which one it will be is in the hands of judges and lawyers. For now, this is a tentative schedule until all is resolved. The 2026 Louisiana Football Schedule (home games in bold) September 5th - vs Lamar September 12th - @ USC September 19th - vs UAB September 26th - @ Charlotte October 3rd - vs Arkansas State October 10th - @ Louisiana Tech October 17th - vs Troy October 24th - @ Southern Miss November 7th - vs South Alabama November 12th - @ ULM November 21st - vs Coastal Carolina November 28th - @ Georgia State
The Sun Belt Conference announced its "set" 2026 football schedule today, which includes the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. Normally, it does not take this long for the Sun Belt to release their annual football schedule. But ongoing issues between Louisiana Tech and Conference USA has complicated the process and delayed the schedule releases for both conferences. That said, I would take this "set" schedule release with a grain of salt (with heavy emphasis on the quotation marks). A few days ago, reports surfaced that the Sun Belt would indeed release its football schedule today and that it would include Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs have already accepted an invite to join the Sun Belt last July, and is pushing to make the move this summer, pending a court ruling next week. Late Thursday night, however, Conference USA unexpectedly released its own "set" 2026 football schedule out of nowhere, which also includes Louisiana Tech as one of its member schools. The timing itself raised eyebrows, making it seem like the conference did it out of pettiness to release their version of the schedule with the Bulldogs included prior to the Sun Belt's scheduled Friday release, which was also set to include the Bulldogs. As a result, Louisiana Tech is technically listed as a member of both conferences according to the newly released schedules. Of course, the Bulldogs cannot play in two conferences at once, which is why both schedule releases should be viewed as tentative for now. A court ruling between the UL System (which oversees Louisiana Tech) and Conference USA is currently rumored to take place on Thursday next week (March 19th). The decision at this rumored hearing is expected to have a solution on whether Louisiana Tech can move to the Sun Belt in the summer or remain in the Conference USA for one more year before making the move in the summer of 2027. Until then, it is a wait-and-see game for members of both the Sun Belt and Conference USA. Ultimately, one of these newly released schedules will be right, while the other will be forced to change. But it is in the best interest that both sides have their backup non-Louisiana Tech schedules ready to go in case the ruling swings one way over the other. Here is the 2026 Sun Belt Football Schedule, per the Sun Belt Conference: TEAM-BY-TEAM SCHEDULES SUN BELT EAST DIVISION APP STATE 9/5 Maine 9/12 at East Carolina 9/19 Charlotte 9/26 at North Carolina State 10/10 Old Dominion* 10/16 at Coastal Carolina* 10/22 James Madison* 10/31 at Georgia Southern* 11/7 Georgia State* 11/14 at Marshall* 11/21 ULM* 11/28 at South Alabama* COASTAL CAROLINA 9/5 at West Virginia 9/12 Fordham 9/19 at Delaware 9/24 Liberty 10/3 Georgia Southern* 10/10 at Marshall* 10/16 App State* 10/31 at Georgia State* 11/7 Old Dominion* 11/14 Arkansas State* 11/21 at Louisiana* 11/28 at James Madison* GEORGIA SOUTHERN 9/5 Charleston Southern 9/12 at Clemson 9/19 at Jacksonville State 9/26 Houston 10/3 at Coastal Carolina* 10/10 James Madison* 10/15 at Old Dominion* 10/31 App State* 11/7 Marshall* 11/14 at Georgia State* 11/21 at Troy* 11/28 Louisiana Tech* GEORGIA STATE 9/5 North Carolina A&T 9/12 at Kennesaw State 9/19 at UCF 9/26 Northern Illinois 10/3 Old Dominion* 10/17 at James Madison* 10/24 at Arkansas State* 10/31 Coastal Carolina* 11/7 at App State* 11/14 Georgia Southern* 11/21 at Marshall* 11/28 Louisiana* JAMES MADISON 9/5 Liberty 9/12 Wagner 9/19 at San Diego State 9/26 at Old Dominion* 10/3 Marshall* 10/10 at Georgia Southern* 10/17 Georgia State* 10/22 at App State* 10/29 Troy* 11/5 at Southern Miss* 11/14 at UConn 11/28 Coastal Carolina* MARSHALL 9/5 at Penn State 9/12 Middle Tennessee 9/19 at Missouri State 9/26 Gardner-Webb 10/3 at James Madison* 10/10 Coastal Carolina* 10/20 South Alabama* 10/31 at Old Dominion* 11/7 at Georgia Southern* 11/14 App State* 11/21 Georgia State* 11/28 at ULM* OLD DOMINION 9/5 Norfolk State 9/12 at Virginia Tech 9/19 East Carolina 9/26 James Madison* 10/3 at Georgia State* 10/10 at App State* 10/15 Georgia Southern* 10/24 at Louisiana Tech* 10/31 Marshall* 11/7 at Coastal Carolina* 11/21 at UConn 11/28 Southern Miss* SUN BELT WEST DIVISION ARKANSAS STATE 9/5 at Memphis 9/12 West Georgia 9/19 at TCU 9/26 Kennesaw State 10/3 at Louisiana* 10/8 South Alabama* 10/17 at Southern Miss* 10/24 Georgia State* 11/7 ULM* 11/14 at Coastal Carolina* TBA^ at Louisiana Tech* 11/28 Troy* LOUISIANA 9/5 Lamar 9/12 at USC 9/19 UAB 9/26 at Charlotte 10/3 Arkansas State* 10/10 at Louisiana Tech* 10/17 Troy* 10/24 at Southern Miss* 11/7 South Alabama* 11/12 at ULM* 11/21 Coastal Carolina* 11/28 at Georgia State* ULM 9/5 at Mississippi State 9/12 at UAB 9/19 Southeastern Louisiana 9/26 Florida Atlantic 10/3 at South Alabama* 10/17 Louisiana Tech* 10/24 at Troy* 10/31 Southern Miss* 11/7 at Arkansas State* 11/12 Louisiana* 11/21 at App State* 11/28 Marshall* LOUISIANA TECH 9/5 Northwestern State 9/12 at LSU 9/19 at Baylor 10/3 Army 10/10 Louisiana* 10/17 at ULM* 10/24 Old Dominion* 10/31 at South Alabama* 11/7 at Troy* 11/14 Southern Miss* TBA^ Arkansas State* 11/28 at Georgia Southern* SOUTH ALABAMA 9/5 Southeastern Louisiana 9/12 at Tulane 9/19 Ohio 9/26 at Kentucky 10/3 ULM* 10/8 at Arkansas State* 10/20 at Marshall* 10/31 Louisiana Tech* 11/7 at Louisiana* 11/14 Troy* 11/21 at Southern Miss* 11/28 App State* SOUTHERN MISS 9/5 Alcorn State 9/12 at Auburn 9/19 UConn 9/26 at Tulane 10/6 at Troy* 10/17 Arkansas State* 10/24 Louisiana* 10/31 at ULM* 11/5 James Madison* 11/14 at Louisiana Tech* 11/21 South Alabama* 11/28 at Old Dominion* TROY 9/5 Sam Houston 9/12 Alabama State 9/19 at Missouri 9/26 at Utah State 10/6 Southern Miss* 10/17 at Louisiana* 10/24 ULM* 10/29 at James Madison* 11/7 Louisiana Tech* 11/14 at South Alabama* 11/21 Georgia Southern* 11/28 at Arkansas State* * Sun Belt Conference Game ^ TBA as 11/19, 11/20 or 11/21