GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
LSU hit two grand slam home runs in the same NCAA postseason baseball game for the first time since beating Nicholls State in 1998 as the Tigers dominated West Virginia, 16-9, Saturday in front of 12,093 at Alex Box Stadium in a Super Regional opener.
Sophomore shortstop Steven Milam hit the first one for a 7-1 lead in the fifth inning for his 11th homer of the season, and right fielder Josh Pearson hit another one for a 16-5 lead in the sixth.
LSU COACH JAY JOHNSON PRESSES ALL THE RIGHT BUTTONS AGAIN
It particularly meant a lot to Pearson, a senior from West Monroe High who has been playing regularly and starting frequently since his freshman year in 2022. He hit two home runs in the national championship win over Florida in 2023. He is also LSU’s only four-year senior in this NCAA Transfer Portal age of instant and frequently short-sighted, instant gratification.
Pearson has started 38 of 52 games this season, 52 of 60 last year, 36 of 55 in 2023 and 35 of 51 as a freshman in 2022. But he never seriously considered another uniform to become an everyday player.
“It’s been awesome,” said Pearson, who hit his seventh home run this season and 34th of his career Saturday. “These have been the most fun four years of my life. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
Not even a permanent starting job at a transfer destination.
Pearson could play his last game in Alex Box possibly today at 5 p.m. on ESPN2 against West Virginia (44-15) as the Tigers (47-15) try to clinch a trip to the College World Series with a win in the best-of-three series. Or, it could be on Monday should the series go to three games. Or, he may not play, which is part of it as well as the Tigers are deep, and coach Jay Johnson uses several platoon players in addition to Pearson.
“I’m going to miss the Box,” Pearson said. “Going to make the most of it for sure.”
“Super proud of Josh,” said freshman left fielder Derek Curiel, whose three-run home run in the fourth inning put the Tigers up 3-1. “Josh has been a leader on this team since day one that I got here. He kind of taught me the ropes. And I look up to him a lot.”
Curiel remembers watching LSU at the College World Series in 2023 when he was at Orange Lutheran High in the Los Angeles area.
“Watching him on TV, I wanted to be his teammate,” Curiel said. “I wanted to be his friend. He’s been like a brother to me. I’m so happy to see him succeed. I wish nothing but the best for him.”
And Pearson took Curiel’s job on Saturday as he moved to the lead-off spot, where the left-handed Curiel had batted in virtually every game this season. But because of Curiel’s .215 batting average against lefty pitchers entering the Super Regional, Johnson inserted the lefty-hitting Pearson at lead-off against West Virginia ace lefty Griffin Kirn. Pearson entering Saturday’s game was hitting .323 against lefty pitchers (11-for-34), so he got the start.
And Pearson is known for turning it on in the post-season as he made the 2024 All-Regional team at North Carolina, the 2023 All-Regional team in Baton Rouge and the 2022 All-Regional team in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
“He’s stepped up big for us in the postseason year after year,” LSU junior star first baseman Jared Jones said as NCAA Regional play began last week. “He always seems to get going right at this time. He’s had a great year already. And I’m sure he’s looking to build on that.”
And Pearson went 1-for-3 against Kirn with a lead-off single in the fifth inning that chased the pitcher and started a seven-run rally in the fifth for a 10-1 lead. Overall, Pearson was 2-for-5 with the four RBIs.
Curiel, meanwhile, found his groove for the three-run homer off Kirn and finished 3-for-3 with five RBIs, including 1-for-1 with three RBIs off Kirn.
On the season, Pearson is hitting .299 with 32 RBIs through 52 games and 38 starts as one of Johnson’s many platoon players. He is hitting .324 against lefties (12-for-37) and .288 against righties (26-for-90)
“Every day I kind of show up to the field as if I would be in the lineup at some part of the lineup,” Pearson said. “Coach texted me last night and told me I’d be in it. I came today and got ready to go. And saw my name was in the lead-off spot, so I knew I had a job to do and had to get the job done.”
It was his turn. It will likely be lefty-hitting sophomore Jake Brown’s turn on Sunday in right field as West Virginia is expected to start senior right-hander Jack Kartsonas (6-3, 2.94 ERA). Brown is hitting .311 with seven home runs, too, and 40 RBIs in 58 games with 42 starts and is particularly good against right handers and not so good against lefties.
“Yeah, I mean, we have a really deep team this year,” Pearson said. “I feel like we have guys who will play in the Big Leagues who don’t start every day here.”
Another one of those is his little brother – freshman outfielder John Pearson, who is hitting .263 with two home runs and seven RBIs in 25 games and one start.
“Just kind of knowing that, we show up every day ready to go,” Josh Pearson said. “We have guys who are ready to pinch-hit at any point in the game. That’s what makes a great team – guys kind of owning their role and whatever their role is for that day. And not bringing past failures with them into future at-bats.”
Not much more of a future at The Box or at LSU for Pearson, but his last LSU days could be in college baseball heaven – Omaha.
“It will be odd not having him here because it’s my only guy,” said Johnson, whose first year at LSU was in 2022 like Pearson. “The four years together, like that’s it. He’s the only one left. It’s his last go-around here at LSU. He’s had a good season. He’s right at .300, has a bunch of homers in and out of the lineup. He’s always ready when we call his name. He’s the best. He’s just the best.”
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