struggled at the plate last weekend against , resulting in a series loss at that dropped the Tigers to 38-11 and 15-9 in the Southeastern Conference.
LSU played a doubleheader Saturday, losing the first game 3-1 before winning Game 2 by a final of 2-1. The Tigers then dropped the series finale Sunday 6-4.
Here are five takeaways from the series loss.
What went wrong at plate?
The LSU hitters struggled mightily over the weekend.
The Tigers scored just seven runs across the three games. They had only 14 at-bats with runners in scoring position all weekend and went just 7 for 33 with runners on base.
Some of LSU's struggles may have resulted from an undisciplined approach, or it could be because the unit was pressing as a whole. The rough weekend also could be attributed to the Tigers' recent problems against left-handed pitching.
Facing three left-handed starters, LSU posted a .214 batting average in 84 at-bats against Texas A&M lefties. The subpar showing was actually an improvement from last week when the Tigers were 3 for 36 against Tennessee left-handers.
This problem extends to the series against Alabama and Auburn. The Tigers were 7 for 33 against the Crimson Tide lefties after they went 7 for 39 against Auburn southpaws.
Cowan's rough weekend
Junior right-hander Zac Cowan has been one of the best relievers in college baseball this season, entering the weekend with a 1.07 ERA in Southeastern Conference play.
But in two appearances against the Aggies, he surrendered as many earned runs to Texas A&M (four) as he had all season against the SEC before the start of the series. He recorded only two outs and failed to get a strikeout.
Cowan threw strikes, but his changeup-fastball combination wasn't enough to fool A&M hitters. They had five hits, including two for extra bases, against the Wofford transfer.
Eyanson flourishing
Junior right-hander Anthony Eyanson had the best performance of his college career in Game 2 on Saturday.
The UC San Diego transfer struck out 14 batters and allowed just one run in a complete game. He threw nearly twice as many strikes as balls and surrendered just three hits.
Not only did he display superb command, his fastball velocity sat at 94 mph in the ninth inning.
"I just honestly put everything together. I want to get early and ahead in the count. I want to throw fastballs well, curveballs well (and) everything well," Eyanson said. "And I think just tonight, everything clicked for me."
Relievers step up
Cowan's struggles aside, the LSU bullpen had one of its stronger performances of the season.
Tiger relievers not named Cowan allowed just three earned runs and four hits in six innings. They were helped by Eyanson's complete game, but that same group of pitchers also struck out 11 batters and walked two.
Four of those strikeouts came from freshman right-hander Mavrick Rizy. The Massachusetts native struck out four batters in 1â…” innings without allowing a hit in Game 1 on Saturday.
Commanding the ball has been an issue for Rizy, but on Saturday he threw 15 of 22 pitches for strikes.
"I thought Rizy was really good," LSU coach Jay Johnson said. "That kind of flew under the radar."
LSU relied on its bullpen heavily Sunday because freshman right-handed starter Casan Evans lasted just 3â…“ innings. Until Cowan's eighth-inning struggles, the unit kept the Tigers ahead.
Redshirt sophomore right-handers Jaden Noot and Chase Shores both had strong performances. They each allowed a run but attacked the strike zone and combined to strike out five batters in 3â…” innings.
Also getting the job done was a pair of left-handers, redshirt sophomore DJ Primeaux and freshman Cooper Williams. Both entered the game for one specific purpose — to retire Texas A&M left-handed slugger Jace LaViolette — and they both struck him out.
"It was great," Johnson said. "I think it may have changed the dynamic of our team today, with some of those guys taking the step forward the way that they did."
National seed chances
Dropping the series doesn't put LSU in any real danger of losing out on a chance of becoming a top-eight seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Tigers actually moved up from ninth to eighth in the RPI since the end of last week and were No. 8 in KPI — another strength of performance metric used by the NCAA Tournament committee — before dropping Sunday's game.
LSU still has some work to do to clinch a national seed, starting this weekend when Arkansas comes to Baton Rouge. A series victory over the red-hot Razorbacks — a club that just swept No. 1 Texas — would do wonders for LSU's chances of potentially hosting a regional and super regional at Alex Box Stadium.
