LSU Baseball Just Needs A Win – Forget About RPI And Rankings, Which Have Forgotten LSU

By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor

LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson said it best after getting swept at Ole Miss over the weekend, and looking pretty bad doing so for the most part.

The question on Sunday after an 8-7 loss to the Rebels was about his Tigers (22-15, 6-9 Southeastern Conference) position in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) at a lowly No. 74 and their sinking to 14th in the 16-team SEC. LSU, which was once the No. 1 team in the nation in multiple preseason polls, is better than only two SEC teams – 5-10 South Carolina, which recently fired coach Paul Mainieri, and 3-12 Missouri, which South Carolina just swept.

LSU ended the 2024 season at 10-5 in the SEC for a 13-17 finish. Can this LSU team that is 6-9 in the SEC finish that strong or anywhere close to that and get a bid?https://t.co/Ryf7cl0TB9

— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) April 13, 2026

The former preseason No. 1 and defending national champion Tigers fell out of the D1 Baseball poll on Monday after “rising” to No. 24 last week and are not ranked anywhere.

“Uh, we need every one. I mean, we haven’t won in a week. So I mean that’s enough for me,” Johnson said when asked about rankings. “I don’t know anything about standings or RPI or any of that.”

LSU’s last win was a week ago Sunday, 16-6, in 12 innings, as it took two of three at Tennessee. Four straight losses followed – 10-7 to No. 212 RPI Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday – and three at No. 13 RPI Ole Miss – 6-3, 12-2 by 10-run rule in seven innings and 8-7 after trailing 7-0 after six.

“We need to win a game,” Johnson said.

LSU hosts a good 102 RPI Northwestern State (23-13, 14-7 Southland Conference) on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

Then the No. 12 RPI Texas A&M Aggies (27-7, 9-5 SEC) come to town for the weekend after taking two from No. 2 Texas. The third game was rained out on Sunday, and the SEC ridiculously doesn’t allow league games to be postponed to Monday. Never mind how many school days college basketball players miss during the NCAA Tournament.

The Tigers were no-hit for six innings Sunday by Ole Miss starter Taylor Rabe, who struck out five. Then he gave up two hits and two runs and left in the seventh when the Tigers tied it 7-7. Then LSU lost it when the Rebels pushed across a run in the home seventh.

“I mean we got dominated for six innings,” Johnson said, not mincing words. “Like, can’t lose sight of that. Couldn’t do anything with Rabe.”

QUOTE OF THE YEAR

Johnson then took an interesting perspective on two of LSU’s last three SEC wins – 16-6 last Sunday against the bottom feeders of Tennessee’s pitching staff and 17-10 the Sunday before against same from Kentucky.

“Don’t have a lot else,” he said. “But they can come back from a late deficit on a Sunday. We know that.”