REACTION to the IMPRESSIVE LSU COMEBACK WIN over Little Rock to SECURE a Super-Regional Berth

LSU gets the job done. The Tigers stay alive as they win 10-6. They complete the comeback against Little Rock after the Trojans go up 5-1 in what was a hectic, hectic second inning. Uh, great watch party last night. Like we said, shout out to Golf Suite. Shout out to Lloyd for heading straight over after miked up yesterday, getting to golf suites, getting us up and running. Um, and right on time for what was a crumble in the second inning by LSU before they ultimately bounced back later on. It was a rough rough start to the stream last night. Um, as LSU had a pretty ugly second inning and we were live for it all. We appreciate everybody that was a part of the watch party last night. Um, but LSU baseball, they get it started with an Ethan Fry solo home run, which was a sign of what was to come in that baseball game as Ethan Fry is a man on fire right now for LSU. Um, as he goes four for four last night, like we said earlier, needed all of them. Needed every single one. I mean, his four RBI or four runs, like he was responsible for the first four LSU runs, solo home run, base clearing double in the third. He put LSU on his back offensively during that baseball game. So, he gets it started. The other three at bats in that inning were not the prettiest. Um, and then in the second inning, LSU goes up, but it it was clean uh defensively for LSU in the first. like LSU. Let me see what first you had a ground out, you had a single, then you had a fly out and a strikeout. Like it was clean, a clean first inning for Cowan. Um, but that was not a sign of what was to come as what really got me going last night, what had me nervous more than anything was the fact that you got an inning and a third out of Zack Cowan and you had to pull him early. Like as much as there was a crumble in the second inning, it was not pretty. It did not look good. You saw a lot of things from LSU that you were not used to seeing, like an error by Daniel Dickinson at one point in that in that ugly inning. My concern resided in the fact that you went into that baseball game thinking you need at least four out of Cowan and Kase when when I'm talking about innings like you wanted both of them to extend into that game to really make you feel comfortable about what was going to happen because that was your calling card going into the game was still got Cowan, still got Evans. Well, and you make the decision to start Cowan based off of his previous like what you've seen in regional play, but what he's done at other stops when he was at Walford. He's a Friday night guy. He'd started regional games. He's won regional games. He's been able to do it through extending as being a starter. So, and the fact that he's only walked 10 batters all year, right? Another huge selling point. That was cuz he had 11 walks yesterday, two days ago. Go throw strikes. You don't want to put Case Evans in that spot where he does what inevitably Zack Cowan did. What? Which is not what you expected, but you make the it felt like the right decision as I've seen on on Twitter that you go throw Cowan because he has starting starting ability. You've seen Kase Evans go out there and start, but it's been always a a grind, right? You saw against Tennessee. He's not really been extended that much. Ken's the smart call, right call, go ahead and do it. It's not really anything that can be debated. Then count goes one and one/3. Two walks, one strikeout, four earned on 35 pitches and gets the yank. Yep. It It was not a pretty start. And I was like I like you said, I was for the decision. Yeah, it makes sense. Like you went with your experienced guy over the like that's to me what it came down to more than anything because you knew what you had in both of them. You were comfortable starting either of them. you went with the guy that's got the experience over the true freshman that was playing shortstop in high school last year and like putting him in that position. Instead, you go Ken, it obviously does not go the way LSU wanted, the way any of us wanted um the start to go. And so what you needed after that was for Kase Evans to step up and do what he did. And that's exactly what he did. So in that second inning, that was ugly, ugly for LSU. Um, it was tough because I mean this is this is the thing about Ken and I guess we can just have this discussion before we start to kind of pick apart the game and and talk about what we saw last night. This is now what Texas A&M two appearances for Cowan. Both pretty bad. The next weekend against Arkansas, his appearance was solid. He did what you expected from Cowan. He kept you in that first game that went in extras. Um, kept you alive, gave you the opportunity to win it, to walk it off. And then the next weekend against South Carolina, another ugly one in game one for Cowan. Um and then obviously had not pitched since the final regular season weekend until last night. Um and it's just been it's been a struggle bus as of late, Lloyd, what is your level of concern on Zack Cow up to this point? Yeah, Con was saying it in the chat where I was I don't want to say I was a little surprised, but it it became pretty evident what Kowan was doing and everybody started to pick up on it's really a two- pitch mix. He's got a fast ball that sits like you saw him touch 90 94 but 95 maybe once or twice when the moment was big, but it's the invisible change up that he was able to throw for a strike and throw it consistently and be able to throw it three times in a row and it just disappears under the bat and it's a strikeout. Now teams are playing for that. like you're instead of sitting fast ball you're sitting change up and I conqu I have to agree with you dude because you're right like he's now a one through the lineup guy like if they're going to be able to sit and see and they have film now like you do that in baseball and he's got a two pitch mix and if he's not throwing strikes or even if he is they're now not surprised by the change up they're sitting on it waiting it to see so it's not ideal but kudos to Cowan to be able to hide it for this long if you come back and you want to like figure out a different way to pitch it. Like there's that's what Yesi's for is like let's find some pitchability here that we can still use you utilize what you've done. But I do think he's still a big time big moment guy whether to get three outs but it's obviously not the role that you saw last night. Yeah. And that my concern the reason my concern level got higher the command was because he did something that was out of character. Like the problem wasn't that they figured him out, you know, like that that wasn't the issue really last night. It was wasn't throwing strikes. I mean, he starts the second inning with a four pitch walk and then a first pitch hit by pitch. Then there's a mound visit and then obviously the canoe single to left field to score one. Oh god, I thought that was going to be the turning point of the game. Yep. Like whenever you go back Ed, you're like Bear Jones, he has the he has the ball that he lets go foul from Canó. We were like, "Oh, should you pick that up?" We're like, "Well, it went from first to second, second to third. You sacrificed the out like for him." Yeah, at this point killed you. And then it does exactly what we were afraid of while you were watching. If you're trying to say, "Hey, who's the one guy that can't beat you?" Like, don't give him another opportunity to swing out. And he does. And he shoots a a single to right field. And after that, there's a sack bunt to advance him to second and third. So now the situation that you avoided by letting that ball go foul happens anyway. Happens anyways. Um so then after that, another walk. Um it was a five pitch walk. It was strike and then a strike and then four straight balls. Um followed by another single. This one scores two and that put Little Rock up what? Three Yeah, three to one at that point in the game. Um and then out goes Ken. So I mean that that was where my concern level rose my concern level was higher. There you go. Because his command made it happen was because the command wasn't there. Like that was my that's what had me like on edge because if it was just the same song so dance of like, okay, they've kind of figured out his change up. They're sitting on it. They're they're finding a way to kind of take his pitch ability away. That wasn't the problem. I mean, it was a it was five pitches to start the inning that had two runners on with a four pitch walk and then a hit by pitch. And then it takes four pitches for Cano to single to left, a sack bunt, five pitch walk, like just tough sledding and and a really tough start for Cowan. And there should be, in my opinion, a raised level of concern about where he fits in now. Like how exactly do you use Cowan to this point? Because now you kind of got to figure out his role again. That was my that was my question, right? Is moving into the super regionals and into Omaha. Are we comfortable with him being the closer? And if not, who gets the ball in those situations? Right. Yeah. I mean, that that that's a conversation because like Meyers is obviously somebody that you can and you saw the good you saw what happens when he gets maybe a little too extended into the game on Sunday night. Um Meyers is definitely up in that conversation as the closer. Um, Evans to me is now I wouldn't say out of it because I still think Jay is going to keep all the cards in his pocket and if like there's an opportunity to go win a game, you're not going to like say they win on Friday and it's sat like for the supers and it's Saturday and it's a 4 to3 ball game. You take Iansson out in the eighth or the seventh or the sixth, you go you go K like you don't I wouldn't be surprised if he goes Case Evans as opposed to saving him for Saturday. I mean, Sunday to close out that game and try to win it. It you've clearly seen the the strategy here, and it's not much of a strategy other than if I have to win, I have to win. I'm going to use Anthony Einson. If I have to win, you saw it last year with Gage. I'm putting my best player in in a scenario in which I need to win. Like, it's not a it's not up for it's not a left verse right. It's not any of that matchup. It's like, I'm putting my best player in. And Anthony has been your best pitcher for the last three months. And so here's a spot where we can't look ahead to a super regional if we don't play in it. And so Anthony, give me all you got cuz comes in and does it. And that's where it's what and it was only what 30 pitches. Yeah. But because you got the absolute like star stud performance from a freshman that it doesn't feel like he's a freshman ever. He came in as shortstop, maybe two-way guy, and instead it's like, no, I'm pitcher. He just goes pitcher only. And you see him field his position the way that he was able to do so. And it's become whether it was a bunt, he gets one and he throws it to third and to go out and have a hercule and 105 pitch effort whenever you didn't know that who else was going to come up like Einson wasn't ready to go yet. And so you had to extend because I think a lot of people even us watching we were surprised to see him go back out there. Came out two batters late probably, right? But you didn't have a choice, right? Like Einson wasn't ready yet. He wanted to see if he could give you one more because at the end of what was it? The when did he come out? The sixth. Seventh. Kase. Yeah. Seventh. Seventh. Yeah. Yeah, it was the seventh. That's what So at the end of the sixth, you're like he's toast. I was I was like he's done. Like great, great work, but you could clearly see he was just trying to throw strikes. He wasn't trying to throw you anything other than like get it over the middle. I'm not walking anybody. Right. And then he comes out again because LSU has this this star turn on offense where you're like, "Oh, you got a little bit of a rest." And he comes back out. He gives you a little bit more time for Einstein to get ready. You see Ein come out the pin and another good decision, I would say, because you have to win. There's no point in playing this long game and looking ahead if you don't get to be there. And you also have to give like are we all comfortable saying Arkansas Little Rock pretty good? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I would I mean Yeah. I mean, they went out there and they they performed against you two times in a row. I mean, it would have flipped and they Yeah, it was 22 conference tournament. They get to a they get to a regional final and they have a they are absolutely in the money for seven innings. Beat DBU beat us. That's Yeah, Johnny. It was a fluke. Yeah, John has a really good clip if you want to run it real quick of of the legend of Kase Evans that was born last night um with some highlights from the game and obviously some sound as it was a a massive performance and obviously the discussions around Cowan, but the job Kase Evans did coming into that baseball game was absolutely massive. I mean needed you don't you don't have a you don't have a pulse. No, you don't have a shot if you don't get somebody to come in and it's what we talked about a little bit like Thatcher 2023 after a rain delay like kind of holds your breath a little bit and you you've seen Thatcher in like spot rolls. It's like I get it. I see the potential but then it was got to have you cousin and he goes out and strikes out 12 and you're like you saw Nate Akenhousen in Omaha where it's an absolute elimination game. He's never started and it's like gives you six shy last year. North Carolina should be in this conversation, but because you lose, it's going to get forgotten in the in the annals of history, but it was one of those alltime performances where it was the exact same thing Will Helmers did. Yes. A year ago where it's like except he I don't even know if he thought he had that in him. Like Case Evans, you know that he's a pitcher and he's NBA stud and he'll be a starter at some point in his career, but right now I don't know if you move him to Sunday, but where he is right now and doing that was all time. Well, I would say you have Friday, Kate Anderson written in Sharpie or you have Kate Anderson and Anthony written in Sharpie for who your pitchers are. They're going to go Saturday, Sunday, Monday or Friday, Saturday, Sunday. I do not know. I don't know. And then for game three, it's written in pencil case Evans because they can be erased and put in another spot. So, well, yeah, I think that that's going to be the conversation probably moving forward. You saw Cowan and if there's a concern level around him, I get it. I understand it. But I also think there's still a role for him where he's got to find get right back get back right to what you were doing. Follow up Kate Anderson come in get six outs and move on. Y there's no like doesn't need to be extended doesn't need to start like I just because the sample size it is what it is. The same thing if you want to look at like Kase Evans where it's like I keep seeing it must be true. You've seen the other end of it where it's I think he's getting figured out a little bit. But one time through the lineup, I still trust Cow and he got you here like he's gotten you here. Then you don't have another bullet, but you've also seen Cooper Williams show up. You've seen Jacob Myers at times like it's taken all hands shores all hands on deck. Y and I guess that would be the conversation if you wanted to have one and not like at least take a moment to exhale and be like, okay, super regional, right? Like and you'd still have like I said, you have Anthony Einson, Kate Anderson. Now you're in a super regional play where you only have to win two. You just got to win two. Just win two. It's not play five games. It's not wait until Monday. Play three games, win two of them. He's got to win two. It's a normal weekend. And that's this is how your team is set up is to win two. Yeah. You give me Anthony and Kate Anderson and I got to win two games. I feel very good about where LSU sits. Amen. So uh let's listen to uh to the discussion on the legend of Kase Evans. Baton Rouge breathing a sigh of relief in the early morning hours of the first Tuesday of June. LSU gets off the mat, punches back, and knocks out Little Rock 106 to win the regional championship. I told the players, uh, that's tonight is one of the best wins of my entire career. Uh, because what they had to do to to to earn it. We obviously have great talent and great players. We won tonight because of character. means a lot, you know, especially when you compete like we did tonight. Um, some teams were probably thought they were out of the game, but we knew we weren't done. Um, but I'm just looking forward to continue to play Alex Fox. There are some LSU fans that can recall memorable individual performances between the months of February and May. Kase Evans certainly had his fair share of those in his freshman season, but legends are born in June and the Evans folklore coming to life on Monday night. hands down one of the best performances I've had um of this year and of my career. So, I couldn't be more thankful for Coach Johnson and trust me in this situation. Uh when we were down a couple runs, he threw me in with runners on and I was just going to go right at him and let them get themselves out. When you get put in a situation like that where you're challenged, true competitors, they they I hate to say they rise to the occasion because he shows up to work every day and he doesn't act like a freshman. He doesn't go about his business like a freshman. If anything, we have to kind of pull the rains back at times because he wants to get going if he noticed one of those innings out there. I had to send the signs in slower to try to get him to slow down because he's like a horse that just wants to run. So, I think he's the best reliever in the country and I think he showed that tonight. Um, he's he's actually had rest like the last two weeks. Um, we haven't pitched him much. Um, but I think it was for this to save him. Uh, I think coaching knew we were going to need him and um, he came through when it mattered most. He's done that all year and um, we trusted him. He's our guy and um, he had our back today. Coincidentally, LSU would have faced West Virginia in the supers last season had it won the Chapel Hill Regional. But one year later, we'll get that matchup in the box with a trip to Omaha on the line. Covering LSU baseball, John Eid, WFB9 Sports. Excellent stuff there from John Eids. LSU baseball. Yeah, I mean it's that was as that was as impressive as it gets in a postseason victory last night. As ugly as it was in the second inning, you saw the heart of this team. This is the moment. This I mean this bases loaded. Give me Give me one and give me that the box. And you saw Jay Johnson say as loud as I've ever heard it and they needed all of it. How could you not have a [ __ ] moment? Have a time. Step it the [ __ ] up like this poor guy. it again. Like first of all, nobody doesn't like the [ __ ] box, dude. Well, and not just the I mean Case Evans and Alec B like injected into the veins. Freshman. That's the thing. Electricity. Like that is that is as good as it gets in sports in general. Like play shortstop. Absolutely electric from from Kase Evans and Alec Bach Stadium. What a moment. What a night. Shout out to John Eids for the clip there because that was great work. Uh but yeah, I mean as much as you can have your your discussion around the concern of Cowan and we'll probably get into that as we get closer to super regional play this weekend. Um as much as your concern level may be raised on Cowan, you got to be feeling really good about Kase Evans and the role he has like the job he did last night and just proving once again. I mean, he he's he's that guy. Yeah. Like, and I do think there is credence to he might just feel more comfortable coming out of the pin. Yeah. And you've seen them that they try to use him in multiple ways and everybody like I see it on Twitter. I just typed in his name and it's all Friday night guy next year, Friday Night Guy next year. And look, you'll get there. Yeah, we'll have that discussion when we get We'll be in that rotation, too. But right now, this I mean, unbelievable bulldog role. like absolute dog to come in and give you what? Let's see. It was six innings, five and two/3, 12 strikeouts, eight in a row. No worries. Nine in a row. Nine in a row. Nine in a row. Like had to have it. Had to have it. I mean, just absolutely massive. And you got the same thing from Cooper Williams the day before where it was like hold literally you could make fun of it, say what you will, hold the rope is [ __ ] real. and he went in there and held the rope and pulled you back in the game because it got you Ethan Fry, it got you Papi, all of the things that you like you needed everything last night because you had a team that didn't want to die. They were looking at super regional like this this might we might go to Omaha, right? Like if we keep this run, we beat LSU and Alec Box and we take a regional, where does it stop? I don't know. I mean, the confidence that little LSU should have won that game yesterday. like the way everything was against you somehow and LSU is like you see all of the SEC teams start to get eliminated in a regional and you start looking at the bracket and you go man it's kind of set up for LSU. Well, you're watching the second inning like we're we're sitting in golf. We've got the LSU game on this TV Murray State and Miss was up here in the corner. It's the fifth inning right now for LSU and I mean not the fifth inning, the second inning right now and you see the five runs and Miss is about to lose to Murray State and you're like this has to be all around me. This is not good. Like, how can you even feel confident? And like, they panned through the dugout at one point with the TV camera and it looked absolutely dead. And I would I would assume it was like the third inning, right after that second inning, right before I quit. Yeah, you quit. It was It was that the bottom of the second and into the third inning. It was It was It was a funeral. It was a as bad and as dark as it can get. went from J Johnson who just had his head in his hands and looked like if you gave him rope hide all the ceiling fans and then you look through the rest of the dugout like there's not one guy like you needed you needed something you needed a spark and you get it for me than Fry four for four could have hit for the cycle if you wanted to from you and Justin holding hands that's right yes I mean in the top of the third in in response in response to that ugly bottom of the second where Arkansas Little Rock scores five runs you have Brazwell who goes up 3 ends up grounding out to start off the inning. Curiel draws a walk and then Fry singles. So you've got 2-1. Milm flies out, but it gets uh it's a sacrifice. It gets Fry and Cell to second and third. Um and then Dickinson walks. Now the bases are loaded. You can feel a little bit of juice, like just a little bit of energy. Just give me something. We started talking about crashing then, right? And Jake Brown flies out as he fights back to a 3-2 count. Um he he flies out to end the inning leave the bases loaded and that was just like crushing another because you you it's not hard to go back to the day before where like bases were loaded. You had opportunity second inning, third inning, fourth inning, fifth inning and it becomes LSU leaves runners on base. You have to it's not it's not a coach thing. It is an absolute like put yourself in that situation enough times at some point somebody's going to break through and you got it last night. Yeah. No, I mean it. But what you had right after that in the bottom of the third inning was fly out, strike out, and then out at first. It was a a clean, quick bottom of the third. Evans got you out of it. Gave you a little bit of life. And then I think he I think he was at 14 pitches. I said, "If you can get a 10 pitch inning, a 12 pitch inning, and just turn this thing right back around and get back to offense." And that's exactly what he gave you. I think it was 10 pitches. And it was just like it it felt like the bases loaded thing went away. Yeah. Like like you needed some momentum. That gave you momentum right back. Like get to the dugout. Let's do this thing all over again. And then Jiren Jones starts it off with a leadoff single. And the other way gets one the other way. You feel great about it. And then Stanfield hits into a fieldielder's choice. Move it over. Hernandez flies out. So now it's two outs. And you're still feeling like you got you got Stan on base, but you're still feeling kind of Here we go again. like this is still not feeling good about it. Larson pinch hit walked love it four pitch walk which was excellent. So there's a mound visit, then there's a wild pitch. You get Larson and Stanny the second and third and you're like, "Okay, you can kind of feel it." Four pitch walk, wild pitch. The box is breathing, right? This is how it happens. Don't give them life. Little Rock made two mistakes right there. And they followed up with Cel draws a walk. So it goes loaded again. Wild pitch walk. Bases are loaded. Alex Box can feel it. Two outs. And who else in the country would you want stepping up to the plate right now in that moment? Two outs, bases loaded. Need it more than you can breathe. The White Berry Bonds. Ethan Fry. I like you. There's literally nobody in the country that I would want stepping up to the plate in that moment more than Ethan Fry right now. It's so bizarre to go from the complete lack of confidence. Yes. To seeing him get in that box and being like, here again, this guy [ __ ] got it. Yeah. Like it. You felt absolutely dead. 10 minutes ago. Yeah. And now you've got the bases loaded. Two outs. Ethan Fry doubles to right center. Clears the bases. Curielle scores. Lar I mean Stanfield scores. Larson scores. Curielle scores. And all of a sudden it's a 5-4 ball game and the Tigers are alive. Like that's that is the beauty of the sport of baseball. You go from feeling dead 10 minutes ago to now I mean we're watching the game everyone is on their feet like at golf suites in alley box everybody is like zoned in on this television there's nothing it's like oh my gosh Ethan like it lined up exactly how like that's why skip talked about as the perfect game like it look at I mean look at the timing the way it lined up you get three on walk wild pitch Hulk Ethan Fry up to bat. Uh right and that is as good as it gets. 113 miles hour off the bat. Rolls into second base. Curiel having fun. Alec Box is alive. And I mean from in the room with us from that moment on it changed. It was kind of like flipped the switch. We got this. The lights were off. Ethan Fry turned them back on and put tape over the switch. Said, "You can't turn these off." Yeah. Like you just needed something. Resuscitated a fan base, a baseball team, everybody. Also doomed Justin to five more innings of hand. Doomed Justin to uh continue to hold Lloyd's hand for the remainder of that game. That's as good. That's as good as it gets. Yeah, you really can't ask for anything more from that. You can't like it lined up just as good as it could. And then you like and then you can't not feel confident after that happens and you've got Case Evans going back on the mound like Kase Evans and Ethan Fry in that moment of the game after that second inning before you had the awakening of Poppy in the sixth. He hit two bombs. Evans comes out and that's when he starts his nine strike out, right? And then and then you turn around right after that you have a single to left center by Little Rock and you have a ground out and you have strikeout strikeout in the fourth and into the fifth you've got strikeout strikeout strikeout into the sixth you've got strikeout strikeout strikeout into the seventh strikeout like and then Christian runs his and then Christian ran his mouth and ruined it but I mean fifth, sixth and seventh inning just you couldn't add like the momentum that he created for you from being like as much as you want to do it offensively doing that on the mound and being able to do the quick change put the pressure right back on Arkansas Little Rock and it felt like you couldn't breathe like oh we're flip this thing over LSU it felt like was always at the dish and that's when you start creating more once you cut that thing because when you look at the scoreboard and it's five to one and you you just feel like God that feels almost insurmountable at some points and then you have boom bases loaded double with two outs and it's 540. Oh, new ball game. Yeah. Like as And then Poppy. Oh, well, I'll tie it. As ugly as that second inning was, like as bad as it got, I mean, you're going walk to a hit by pitch to another walk to an error that you I mean, that's the first error of the regional. This defense that has been basically spotless all year. All of the sudden, the pressure is on an error on a flip from second to short. And you have the Texas League that looks like an absolute debacle between Stanfield and Dickinson. like they both run into each other like, "Oh, this is a it's a circus." It looked like an absolute meltdown in the second inning. And then to flip the switch the way Ellis Shu did in that fourth inning and on Case Evans and Ethan Fry putting the team on their back and then just holding the rope until Luis Hernandez decided to break out, hit a homer in the sixth. In the seventh, you've got another Fry double to lead it off. Advances to third on a wild pitch. Milm with a swinging bunt scores Fry and then into the eighth inning. Guess who? Poppy again. Another home run. Crush the baseball. Gets you to the ninth or you have a Jared Jones homer. You have a Hernandez RBI single. Like it just that is what good baseball teams do. Like they have the guys that can step up when you need them, answer the call. Ethan Fry, Kase Evans did that. They held the rope, and then Luis Hernandez came out swinging to close it out to give LSU the victory. And it's it's guys stepping up and doing that that aren't your one, two, three star type of guys. Fry getting up there at this point. Yeah, at this point. I mean, yeah, he wasn't earlier in the season necessarily. And you know, it's it's those second tier kind of guys when they start to make those plays, that's when you have a team. Yeah. That can do. You need all of it. This is what you need in postseason baseball is like it's always somebody steps up, somebody does something and then you do it enough times where it's oh like we've always like as Lucette is going to catch he's absolute warrior back there takes one off the collar bone. You can see it like he's wearing everything and then he goes to the he gives you two homers at the dish like you can almost like you almost write him off like if he does something great but then he gives you two and then it gets to the point where now your stars are stepping up. Curielle Jared Jones gets hot and now if you're going you're going into a super regional with Jared Jones feeling a little bit better at the plate I would say because this was an absolute