By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson knows offense.
One of the reasons former LSU athletic Scott Woodward hired him from Arizona after the 2021 season was because he was an offensive coordinator-type head coach.
Johnson has always coached the hitters, and offense along with stellar pitching in 2023 and ’25 led Johnson and the Tigers to national championships.
On Friday night, Johnson saw an offense in Georgia that he hopes LSU one day has again.
The No. 5 Bulldogs looked like the No. 1 team in the nation in home runs and slugging percentage that they are as they hit four home runs amid 11 hits in all for an 11-8 victory over the Tigers at Foley Field in Athens, Georgia.
LSU led 7-3 at Georgia at halftime … but loses 11-8.https://t.co/b43F5KMUC8
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) May 9, 2026
“They have one of the better offenses that I’ve ever seen, to be honest,” Johnson said. “It’s very difficult to hold them down. We couldn’t stop them or slow them down.”
Georgia (39-11) stayed in first place in the Southeastern Conference at 19-6 with the win as the Tigers fell dangerously close to NCAA postseason elimination at 29-22 and 9-16 in the SEC. They meet again at 6 p.m. Saturday on the SEC Network.
LSU hit three home runs itself – all in the third inning by Omar Serna Jr., Cade Arrambide and John Pearson – to take a 6-2 lead and had nine hits overall.
But LSU’s pitching was no match for a lineup that features five players with 15 or more home runs – Daniel Jackson, who hit his 24th Friday, Tre Phelps, whose three-run homer in the seventh was his 18th and put Georgia up 11-8, Kolby Branch, who hit his 16th, Brennan Hudson with 16 and Michael O’Shaughnessy with 15.
“Getting 27 outs is difficult and hold them down,” Johnson said.
LSU led 2-0 in the first, 6-2 in the third and 7-3 in fourth. but Georgia tied it 7-7 in the fifth and went up 8-7 in the sixth. The Tigers tied it 8-8 in the top of the seventh, but reliever Gavin Guidry gave up the three-run home run to Phelps for the 11-8 deficit.
LSU scored one run from the fifth through the ninth innings.
“They slowed us down. I don’t think they stopped us,” Johnson said.
LSU starter William Schmidt struck out six in four innings, but he walked five, hit two batters and threw a wild pitch while allowing four hits and four earned runs. Deven Sheerin gave up four earned runs on four hits with a walk in two and a third innings for the loss to fall to 3-2. Guidry allowed two runs on three hits in an inning and two-thirds.
Johnson liked what he saw from his team in defeat, which hasn’t always been the case this season.
“We really showed up ready to play,” he said. “We got off to a great start, and our hitters did a phenomenal job and put us in a great position.”
CASAN EVANS INJURY UPDATE
LSU starting pitcher Casan Evans was listed as questionable on Thursday for Friday’s series opener at Georgia after not pitching since April 17 against Texas A&M because of arm stiffness He was taken off the injury list on Friday and could see action on Saturday or Sunday. Evans is 2-2 on the season with a 5.47 ERA.
“It helps a lot,” Johnson said. “He wasn’t available for today, not because of the injury. But without throwing for eight or nine days, we’ve had to build him up correctly.”
STARTING PITCHERS
SATURDAY – Freshman right-hander Marcos Paz (1-2, 6.08 ERA, 23.2 innings, 19 walks, 34 strikeouts), LSU, vs. junior right-hander Dylan Vigue (4-1, 2.35 ERA, 46 innings, 25 walks, 56 strikeouts) … 6 p.m., SEC Network.
SUNDAY – If healthy, sophomore right-hander Casan Evans (2-2, 5.47 ERA, 52.2 innings, 26 walks, 76 strikeouts) vs. To Be Announced. Or if not used a lot in relief on Saturday, senior right-hander Zac Cowan (3-3, 3.63 ERA, 34.2 innings, 9 walks, 44 strikeouts), LSU. … 2 p.m., SEC Network.
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