By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
The last time LSU won a Southeastern Conference baseball game was nearly a month ago.
It was April 5 at Tennessee by 16-6 in 12 innings in a thrilling affair as Cade Arrambide hit a school record four home runs and LSU scored more runs in an extra inning in its history with 10.
Oh, and Jay Johnson missed most of the drama as he was tossed in the ninth inning for arguing a called strike three on Arrambide.
The game was seen, written and talked about as the turning point of LSU’s up-and-down season up to that point. It was the Tigers’ fourth win out of its previous five SEC games after starting 2-4 in league play.
“That was our team out there,” Johnson beamed after the game.
Well, not exactly. That was not the team he envisioned or saw in 2025 on the way to the national championship, or in 2024 after a rally to 10 wins over its last 15 SEC games to reach the NCAA postseason after a 3-12 SEC opening, or the 2023 national championship team.
It was a turning point all right.
LSU turned down and nosedived to a school record nine straight SEC losses and three straight three-game SEC sweeps for the first time in school history.
The Tigers, once No. 1 in the nation this season, have not been ranked since the days that followed that “watershed” win over Tennessee. And they’ve been drowning ever since in a sea of wild pitches, passed balls, errors, poor pitching and mostly bad offense, until only recently.
In the pain, Johnson now only sees how good it will feel when his team does win again. And that could happen Saturday when the wayward Tigers (25-21, 6-15 SEC) host a team a lot like themselves – South Carolina (22-24, 7-14 SEC).
LSU gets Friday night off because of weather. Doubleheader Saturday vs. SC – 1 pm and 6:30 pm.https://t.co/ZxfxXKE2aE
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) May 1, 2026
After Friday’s rainout, LSU and South Carolina open the series with a split doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at Alex Box Stadium before the 2 p.m. Sunday finale.
Neither team is likely headed to the NCAA postseason, but a Saturday day game to be followed by another at night will have a definite NCAA Regional feel to it at least. So there’s that. Especially if LSU sweeps.
Who knows, LSU may freakin’ dogpile if it beats the Gamecocks to tie them for second-to-last place in the SEC. It has been so long since the Tigers beat an SEC team.
“We’re going to be in better position, based on the pain of the season so far,” Johnson said.
Sounds a little masochistic, but maybe what he means is, they can’t be hurt anymore than they already have been. And everything is going to feel that much better when they do win. If they do win.
“So, when you get to the other side of that, whether that’s this weekend or not, you can feel even more gratification for the success, knowing that you did what you had to do to overcome some of the struggles and the failure,” Johnson said.
Clearly, this season has been rough on Johnson. He’s surely not used to his teams playing this way. Beginning with his last season at Arizona in 2021, Johnson has reached the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, three out of six seasons and won the national championship in two of the last three – 2023 and ’25.
So, yes, a win after so many losses will be that much sweeter at some point or two or three this weekend. But the other way is good, too, like how LSU won eight straight in the NCAA postseason last year to claim its eighth national title.
“Yeah, on the flip side, I’m not into losing a bunch of games,” Johnson said laughing. “I’m not into not doing well.”
Yes. A meaningless win – as far as the big picture – over an equally inept South Carolina team on Saturday may be nothing to write home about. But Johnson will likely call it one of the biggest wins of his career. He did that after the 16-6 win over Tennessee.
And don’t be surprised if the Tigers take a victory lap as if they’re going back to Omaha.
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