Heading into this season, the consensus was that the veterans for LSU were going to be the key factor when it comes to getting into Omaha. Guys like Kramer Robertson and Jared Poche have been crucial for this team when it comes to getting into the field of 64, but they haven’t been the only reason why the Tigers have been rolling lately.
If the Baton Rouge regional showed us one thing, it’s that the future of this team is very bright. Just look at what Eric Walker did on Sunday night against Rice. The freshman allowed only seven hits and struck out eight on the way to a 5-0 victory to punch their ticket to the Super Regional. With Alex Lange likely leaving the team, the righty is making a strong case to be the Friday night starter in 2018 with performances like this.
While Walker looks to be a virtual lock for Friday night, Zack Hess is making a strong case for becoming a starter again with two appearances over the weekend allowing only one run in three innings of work and striking out seven batters.
However, the real MVP of the weekend for LSU has to be Zach Watson. The wiry centerfielder looked good defensively, but it was his performance at the dish that got everyone talking. Heading into the weekend, Watson had only hit four home runs. He doubled that total in the span of two days and racked up 7 RBIs. His hitting was crucial for those first two games with how competitive those games were and that got LSU in the position they’re in now.
Regardless of who they face over the weekend, these same freshmen will be relied upon to get this team back to Omaha and give them the best chance to do something they haven’t done since 2009: win the National Championship.
-Clint Domingue