The (then) No.13 LSU Tiger Baseball team returned home to Baton Rouge this week after a lackluster trip to Nashville, where the Tigers would go 1-2 against an unranked Vanderbilt squad.
The Commodores took advantage of the Tigers’ shortcomings thus far, fielding struggles and errors, less-than-stellar pitching, but primarily struggles at the plate. This time last year, the Tigers had over 195 runs after 21 games; this year, only 176.
That took the 9.5 runs per game average down to 8.4 per game. Additionally, during the 2025 season, the Tigers gave up only 68 runs through 21 games; in 2026, that number skyrocketed to 109 runs for opponents, taking a 3.2 average up to 5.2.
All around, this LSU baseball team is struggling.
But the performance in Nashville is no cause for panic, yet, the Tigers have a lot of road in front of them.
Jay Johnson agrees, saying “We want to be better and our players want to be better” following Saturday’s series losing loss to Vanderbilt.
The Tigers lost a heart-breaker on Friday, losing a 12-10 lead in the bottom of the 9th when Brodie Johnston hit a sac-fly to make it 12-11, followed by a two run bomb to right center field, by Logan Johnstone to walk it off for the ‘Dores.
Saturday’s loss looked much less promising for LSU, as the Tigers went down early and hard. Vanderbilt was on the board in the second inning and never let off as the damage would only stop after the rules of the game forced it to, writing in a 11-3 loss for the Bayou Bengals.
The Tigers’ struggles in 2026 are very reminiscent of the 2024 season, another season following a legendary 2023 National Championship, where a highly ranked LSU looked shaky at first, had a strong non-conference tournament performance and then continued to struggle.
That team, however, was one out away from winning the UNC regional and hosting their own Super, not to mention almost running the table in the SEC tournament. The 2024 Tigers had its struggles and shortcomings all year long, but when it mattered, got it figured out and lead to some huge moments like this:
This LSU squad has a wider range of things to fix, but one of the “easiest” to work on is fielding. The Tigers in 2025 averaged about .76 errors a game, or 3 errors in any 4 game stretch, in 2026, that number through 21 games is already a 1.4, meaning about 6 errors in a given 4 game stretch, double that of last season.
Pitching has also taken a decline in 2026, with the Earned runs allowed increasing from about 3.2 through 21 games to a 5.2. That can likely be attributed to the loss of Ace pitcher Kade Anderson, as well as Sunday starters Chase Shores and Anthony Eyanson to the draft.
This 2026 squad is still finding its identity and its groove, but truth be told, LSU is led by the one of only two active head coaches with multiple national titles.
The only other team that can say that?
The Vanderbilt Commodores, led by two-time National Championship winner Tim Corbin, the team that just beat LSU.
All that to say, that big red panic button people are itching to smash? It is not quite time for that yet.
LSU looks to win two games in a row later today as the Tigers will take on Grambling State after avoiding the sweep in Nashville with a 16-9 Sunday matchup against the Commodores.
That game will start at 6:30 PM CST and will be played on the Tigers’ home turf in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
