Jay Johnson: “Yeah, We Got Dominated – They Took It To Us In All Phases”

By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor

LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson sounds as tired of talking about the Tigers’ 2026 season as the LSU fans still watching it.

“Yeah, we got dominated,” he said after an 11-1, mercy-rule loss to Florida in seven innings at Alex Box Stadium on Friday night. “They took it to us in all phases.”

Florida starter Liam Peterson struck out 11 in seven innings and limited the Tigers to three hits.

“We really didn’t do much,” Johnson said. “Credit him. It was a great performance. And if you’re not totally locked in, competing, plan, all of that, you’re going to get eaten up. And he ate us up tonight.”

LSU freshman starting pitcher Marcos Paz gave up seven earned runs on four hits and four walks in four and a third innings to take the loss and fall to 1-4.

LSU is a mercy killing for 2nd time in 3 games. Is there a mercy rule for a season?https://t.co/xZzxjxklfp

— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) May 16, 2026

The Tigers (29-26, 9-20 Southeastern Conference) have one more game to get to double-digit wins in the league as they host Florida (36-18, 17-12 SEC) to close the regular season at 2 p.m. Saturday on SEC Network+. The last time LSU finished with single-digit wins in the SEC was in 1983 in a 28-21 overall season and 9-12 mark in the league in the last season of coach Jack Lamabe, who was replaced by Skip Bertman.

LSU just set the record for most SEC losses in a regular season on Friday at 19 with an 11-8 loss to the Gators. The 1978 Tigers held the previous mark at 6-18 in a 12-34 season – the last of coach Jim Smith before Lamabe took over.

Johnson could have started sophomore right-hander Casan Evans (2-3, 5.96 ERA) instead of Paz. But he is saving Evans for a possible start in the single-elimination SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama, should the Tigers win their opening game on Tuesday behind starter William Schmidt (5-4, 4.22 ERA). Johnson is also saving Schmidt from this weekend for the SEC Tournament.

The Tigers’ only chance or reaching NCAA Regional play is by winning five games in six days in Hoover for the SEC Tournament title and automatic NCAA bid. Johnson did pitch Evans Friday to prep him for the SEC Tournament. Evans pitched an inning and a third in the eighth and ninth. He allowed three runs on two hits with two walks and two strikeouts.

“I hate talking in these terms,” Johnson said. “But it was more like he needed to touch the mound because he has only thrown one time in the past four weeks. And it needed to be Friday so there are enough days of rest on the back end for the SEC Tournament. So, it was like a high-intent bullpen.”

That’s where LSU is.