By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
LSU lost No. 1 weekend starter Casan Evans from an already poor staff because of an arm injury entering its series at No. 15 Mississippi State on Friday, and the result was a disastrous insult to injury.
Over the next two nights and one day, LSU used 21 pitchers that allowed 27 earned runs in 26 and two-thirds innings for a 9.11 earned run average. There were also 22 walks, nine wild pitches and seven errors that resulted in a three-game sweep to the Bulldogs – 10-8 in 11 innings on Friday, 9-8 on Saturday and 13-8 on Sunday.
And LSU (24-21, 6-15 Southeastern Conference) lost a school record ninth straight SEC game and was swept in three straight SEC series for the first time. With 11 regular season games to play, the Tigers are in danger of their first losing season overall since going 23-30 in 1981. They are also within range of their worst SEC season since a 7-14 finish in that same ’81 season.
LSU started playing baseball as an SEC school in 1933, and did something Sunday it has never done. It lost a 9th straight league game.https://t.co/x78VlutUpq
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) April 26, 2026
And all that while LSU’s offense performed as well as it has all season with 24 runs on 32 hits, including 13 extra-base hits with seven home runs. That is enough offense to sweep a series with decent pitching, instead of the opposite.
“I thought it was outstanding,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said of the offense.
The pitching stood out as well, but not in a good way.
LSU’s relievers blew leads all weekend – 7-3 in the fourth inning on Friday, 7-2 after six innings on Saturday and 5-3 after four and 8-5 in the sixth on Sunday. The bullpen gave up 20 earned runs in 17 innings for a 10.58 ERA along with 15 walks and seven wild pitches.
“We were not in an advantageous situation, given that Casan couldn’t go,” Johnson said. “It was going to be a challenge anyway. If he could pitch, it’s a different series.”
Evans (2-2, 5.47 ERA) is questionable for this weekend’s series against South Carolina (22-23, 7-14 SEC). LSU returns to play Tuesday against Southeastern Louisiana (28-17, 16-8 Southland Conference) at 6:30 p.m.
“You get in trouble when you have to ask guys to do more than maybe they should,” Johnson said. “And we had to do that this weekend.”
LSU’s persistent pitching issues before the injury to Evans also continued.
The Tigers stand 16th out of 16 SEC schools in ERA at 5.35 and 15th in walks with 220. LSU pitchers are No. 1 in the SEC in strikeouts with 534, but they are also No. 1 in earned runs allowed with 231 and in wild pitches with 72. The next wildest pitching staff is Kentucky’s with 49 as the Tigers hold a 23-wild pitch lead. And LSU is third in the SEC in the most hit batsmen category with 60.
Yes, this pitching staff is “The Gang That Couldn’t Pitch Straight,” which could be confused with Jimmy Breslin’s 1969 mafia novel called “The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight” that was made into a movie.
LSU has five relievers with a combination of wild pitches and hit batsmen totaling 53. Mavrick Rizy has six wild pitches and seven hit batsmen (13) in 18 and two thirds innings. Deven Sheerin has five wild pitches and six hit batsman (11) in 27 and a third innings. Reagan Ricken has five wild pitches and five hit batsman (10) in 15 innings. Santiago Garcia has seven wild pitches and three hit batsmen (10) in 20 and two-thirds innings. And Gavin Guidry has seven wild pitches and two hit batsmen (9) in 33 and a third innings.
The Tigers also have eight relievers with their walk totals very close to their inning totals. Ethan Plog actually has walked more batters (15) than innings pitched (12). Zion Theophilus is close with 10 walks in 11 and two-thirds innings. Marcos Paz has walked 16 in 18 and two-thirds innings. Jaden Noot has walked seven in nine innings. Cooper Williams has walked 12 in 15 and two-thirds innings. Rizy has walked 15 in 18 and two-thirds innings. Ricken has walked 10 in 15 innings. And Garcia has issued 14 free passes in 20 and two-thirds innings.
Four other relievers have allowed a batting average of .286 or higher – Connor Benge at .385 in just five and two-thirds innings, Plog at .292 in 12 innings, Noot at .286 in nine innings and Grant Fontenot at .286 in 21 and two-thirds innings.
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