College Top 25: March 9 | Sat. Recap: Tigers' Young Bulldog


As it usually does, the Houston College Classic gave us intriguing matchups between some of the best teams and best teams in the country. And, as many of these teams are coming off softer early season schedules, these games can reveal a lot as we head into conference play. We also learned a lot about individual prospects, as elite pitchers got to test themselves against top flight hitters and vice versa. Let’s take a look at some of the most interesting takeaways from what what we a very telling weekend at Minute Maid Park.


LSU: A Title Contending Juggernaut

On paper, it’s not too difficult to see how frightening the Tigers’ lineup is. And, although it was easy to be skeptical about their youthful weekend rotation, it was also apparent just how talented those young arms were. But, to see LSU in person is a completely different animal. This isn’t just a polished, well schooled team, but an exciting group that brought an electricity with them them to Houston more akin to a touring rock band than a college baseball team.

A lineup stacked with athletes, LSU looks physically like a professional team disguised as a college club. They played the game with about the highest degree of fire in Houston that you’ll see out of a team, perhaps fueled by the raucous traveling circus that is their fan base. And, the resemblances to a professional team go well beyond the physical. This is a lineup that knows how to approach an at-bat and how to exploit a pitcher’s weaknesses. The Tigers’ actually ran up against some superb pitching performances in Houston, but it was obvious in how pitchers attacked them that they were aware of how careful they had to be. It takes that type of caution and planning to keep them off the board. Most teams around the country have parts of their lineup that can be challenged and beat with premium stuff. LSU does not really have a part of their lineup a pitcher can do that with. Pitchers may get accused of nibbling against them, but pitchers that did challenge with hard stuff were consistently burned in Houston.

No team in the country has more bat speed in their lineup. You will not beat Jake Fraley, Alex Bregman, Andrew Stevenson, Conner Hale, or Chris Chinea on fastballs. And, with Bregman, Fraley, and Stevenson, you better be prepared to change speeds, work east to west or change eye levels to get them out. They are that complete. And, they have the big league offensive tools to match the advanced approach. And, it’s nearly as difficult to exploit Chinea, Hale, Danny Zardon, or Mark Laird. Chinea, Hale, and Zardon all show power to the opposite field and can’t simply be attacked with soft stuff away. It’s a lineup that just doesn’t seem to end and goes beyond just the players named here.

If a team can shut down this lineup, getting through the LSU pitching staff is far from a picnic. Sophomore lefty Jared Poche is proving to be the perfect anchor, and Alex Lange already appears to be one of the most dynamic pitchers in the country even as a freshman.

This is a team that is here to stay. The key will be staying healthy in the starting rotation. The offense has such immense depth that is could sustain losses, but LSU’s hopes will rely heavily on the continued success of Poche and Lange leading the staff.