After getting swept at No. 8 Auburn this past weekend, the No. 9 LSU Tigers return home to begin a nine-game homestand Tuesday night against the McNeese State Cowboys.
Who will coach Jay Johnson send to the mound as the game’s starting pitcher?
LSU Tigers Starting Pitcher Tonight
LSU enters the matchup fresh off a humbling weekend at Auburn, where the Tigers were swept for the first time this season. They are now 31-6 overall and 10-5 in SEC play, tied for fourth with Georgia and three games behind league leader Texas.
The Tigers return to Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field, to open their homestand at 7:30 p.m. ET against McNeese State. The Cowboys are off to the best start in program history at 27-5 and carry the nation’s longest active winning streak at 12 games. This game caps a five-game road trip for McNeese.
The Cowboys are 14-4 in Southland Conference play, sitting in a three-way tie for first with Southeastern and Houston Christian. They swept Incarnate Word in San Antonio over the weekend.
William Schmidt, RHP
Schmidt, a 6’4″, 188-pound freshman from Baton Rouge, surprised many when he withdrew from the 2024 MLB Draft to honor his commitment to LSU. The 2024 Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year went 9-0 with a 0.44 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 63 innings to lead Catholic High School to a state title.
The right-hander brings electric stuff and was graded as a first-round prospect, but chose instead to join Johnson’s pitching staff—and early returns have impressed.
In 10 appearances, including four starts, Schmidt is 5-0 with a 3.09 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings. That includes four hitless innings and a career-high eight strikeouts in last Tuesday’s 5-3 win over Nicholls State.
LSU has won all four of Schmidt’s starts. He has not pitched beyond 4 2/3 innings in any of them, as Johnson has used a mix of arms for midweek outings. The rotation has typically included Schmidt, junior left-hander Connor Ware (4-0, 4.76 ERA), and redshirt sophomore right-hander Jaden Noot (2-0, 4.11 ERA).
Ware tossed 1 1/3 hitless innings against Auburn on Saturday and is expected to be available in relief again tonight.
Johnson has praised Schmidt often, calling him a future ace in Baton Rouge.
“I have a ton of confidence in William,” Johnson said after last week’s outing. “I think he executed at a high level. A great performance from a pitcher that is very talented and is going to be very, very good. We have a lot of faith in him and his role in contributing to winning.”
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The Tigers take the field on Tuesday vs. McNeese at 6:00 p.m. local time.
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