The reigning national champion LSU Tigers have gone through a bit of a rough patch with Southeastern Conference (SEC) play rapidly approaching.
The Tigers have lost four of their last five games. World Baseball Network takes a look at what has gone wrong for LSU.
LSU pitching ranks last in the SEC
Coming into the 2026 college baseball season, LSU needed to replace some top-tier pitchers in its starting rotation, including Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson.
Although the pitching has been good at certain times during the season, it has not been at its best during the past five games.
In the four losses the Tigers have suffered during this five-game stretch, they have surrendered five or more runs in each matchup.
In the one game they won against Sacramento State on March 6, they allowed just four runs.
This tough stretch of pitching has tanked LSU’s team ERA. The Tigers rank last in the SEC in team ERA at 4.31. They are the only team in the conference with a team ERA above 4.00.
LSU has also hit the third-most batters in the conference (24) and has walked the third-most batters in the conference (62) as well.
Better pitching from LSU will be needed for this team to break out of its slump, especially with more talented SEC lineups on the horizon.
Tigers hitting leaving lots to be desired
In LSU’s three most recent losses to Louisiana and Sacramento State, they put up a combined seven runs.
The Tigers’ offense has not played up to what they are capable of. They rank 12th in the SEC in on-base percentage (.418) and are third from last in team batting average (.291).
Overall, LSU is far from a top five pitching and hitting team like they were last season. They also had just four losses in non-conference play a season ago, which they have already surpassed this season.
Up next for LSU
The LSU Tigers have a 12-5 overall record this season. They have one final game before SEC play begins against the Creighton Bluejays on March 10.
That game is at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, and the first pitch is at 7:30 p.m. EST.
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: LSU head coach Jay Johnson makes a point during an NCAA baseball game against Milwaukee on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in Baton Rouge, La. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
