Fun in Frisco: Baseball Goes 3-0 Over the Weekend

LSU rises to the occasion facing quality competition for the first time this season

It was hard keeping up with LSU baseball this weekend between it being Mardi Gras weekend and the fact that the event they played in was streamed exclusively through D1 Baseball (which you needed a subscription for and even then the stream was…less than ideal) so if you missed it, the Tigers swept the weekend in Texas to win the Frisco College Classic.

LSU rallied back from a 5-0 deficit to beat Nebraska 11-6 on Saturday, and then had to hold off a Sam Houston State rally to beat the Bearkats 12-8 Sunday.

Josh Pearson was named tournament MVP, while Jared Jones, Steven Milam, Daniel Dickinson, Chris Stanfield, and Kade Anderson were voted to the All-Tournament team. Pearson hit .667 (6-for-9) in three games with three doubles, two RBI, seven runs and a .769 on-base percentage.

“Our team is very together,” Jay Johnson said. “Our players are genuinely happy for their teammates’ success. We’re going to continue to get tested, and this weekend was a step in the right direction.”

This weekend was a great showing for LSU. The Tigers could have easily played Insert Lowly School Here at The Box, but instead they went on the road to play quality programs, including two that made the NCAA Tournament last season, tested themselves and went 3-0 in what was essentially a regional.

“I think our team has been very tough-minded in how our players have approached each day,” Johnson said. “(Sunday) was a great example of that. We had a great, emotional game (Saturday) night (vs. Nebraska), and I wanted to see how they would respond today. I don’t think it could have been better, to be honest with you.”

Of course there are things to nitpick. The Tiger pitching staff had its first rough outing of 2025 as charted by friend of the website @TexasTiger on Twitter.

Anthony Eyanson had a rough start Saturday against Nebraska but did a great job battling back. After giving up five runs over the first three innings, including a three-spot in the first, Eyanson threw up zeros in the fourth, fifth, and sixth, which allowed the Tiger bats to get them back into the game. The final line on Eyanson was six innings, seven hits, five earned runs, seven strikeouts versus one walk. He was credited with the win and threw a season-high 96 pitches.

“Anthony began to execute better pitches; his intent led to better conviction, and his pitches seemed sharper,” Johnson said. “He’s obviously in great condition; maybe he’s one of those guys who gets better as the game goes along.”

Chase Shores once again got the Sunday start and he too extended like never before, throwing a career-best 89 pitches. Shores also allowed seven hits in his outing, giving up four runs, walking three, and striking out five.

The biggest advantage about playing in early season tournaments like these is you get an early idea of who you’ll be relying on once conference play starts. Pitching wise I think we’re starting to see a divide in guys you trust versus the ones you’d lean on if a game gets out of hand in a good or bad way. The arms I’d lean on: Anderson, Eyanson, Shores, William Schmidt, Zac Cowan, Connor Ware, Casan Evans, and remember we’ve still yet to see Gavin Guidry this season.

We’re also seeing the batting lineup crystalize. Derek Curiel seems to have firmly established himself as the leadoff man, while Daniel Dickinson is providing protection for Jared Jones. Curiel is currently leading LSU in hits (19) and currently has an OBP of .576. On Sunday Curiel went 2-3 at the plate and drew three walks.

Curiel reaching base five times means Jones and Dickinson have plenty of run-scoring opportunities and opposing teams are starting to figure out you can’t pitch around both of them. Dickinson leads LSU in RBI with 21, and Bear is right behind him with 17. Dickinson is also proving to be a great defensive presence and LSU has three tremendous gloves up the middle with he, Steven Milam at short, and Chris Stanfield in center.

Speaking of Stanfield, he seems to be setting in towards the bottom of the lineup and giving LSU a “second” leadoff guy down at the 8 or 9-hole. He’s currently hitting .343 with a .489 OBP.

Josh Pearson was also a big winner this weekend because it’s looking like he simply has to be in the lineup, whether as a DH or in the outfield. Pearson tied a single-game program record with three doubles in Saturday’s win over Nebraska. Ethan Frey also warrants some playing time because of his power, but Pearson’s just got that incalculable clutch factor where you can count on him to come through.

LSU’s got one final non-conference weekend before SEC play begins next week at home against Missouri. This week LSU will two games against North Dakota State (Tuesday and Wednesday) before welcoming North Alabama for the weekend series. All games may be streamed via SEC Network+.