The No. 2 LSU Tigers (11-1) have officially extended their winning streak to six following their weekend sweep in Frisco, TX, and head coach Jay Johnson is clearly starting to get a feel for his baseball team, as well as who he can rely on most. While it’s still early in the year, freshman right-handed pitcher Casan Evans has notably inserted himself into that list of players, most recently earning Co-SEC Freshman of the Week honors for his efforts against No. 18 DBU (8-3) and Kansas State (6-5).
LSU baseball right-handed pitcher Casan Evans earns first career SEC Freshman of the Week honor
Each of the past two seasons, the Tigers have had claim to some of the best pitching in all of college baseball.
The issue? Most of that elite pitching ability came from the top of the rotation, while depth never seemed to shine quite as bright as one might have liked from one of the top programs in the sport.
Fortunately, head coach Jay Johnson was well aware of the concern. Following the 2023 World Series Championship run by the purple and gold, the Tiger head coach looked to his pitching bullpen, and brought in who he views as one of the top pitching coaches in college baseball; Nate Yeskie.
“Nate has an unmatched track record in college baseball for pitching coaches relative to developing pitching talent for professional baseball, College World Series trips, and winning in general,” Johnson said during the summer of 2023. “His coaching acumen is very complete and current, and future pitchers at LSU will develop to their highest potential because of the opportunity to work with Coach Yeskie.”
As it turns out, that coaching acumen might extend further than the diamond. While development has almost certainly improved over the past two seasons, so has recruiting. Over the offseason, the program signed one of the top pitching hauls in the country, bringing in not only some of the most talented players in high school baseball, but also some of the more underrated.
As far as the underrated players go, few are better than right-handed pitcher Casan Evans, who joined LSU baseball via Houston, TX, this year, and immediately found his way into the rotation as early as opening night on Friday, February 14, against Purdue Fort Wayne.
Not only has he made himself available as a frequent relief pitcher, but he’s notably shined when given the opportunity, most recently earning Co-SEC Freshman of the Week honors, alongside infielder Chris Rembert of Auburn baseball.
Evans appeared in two games for LSU this past week, logging a total of 4.0 innings pitched against DBU and Kansas State, respectively, most recently earning the win against the Wildcats on Friday.
During said appearances, we saw a command of the mound beyond his years, as he threw 37 strikes in his 55 total pitches. Furthermore, continuing his 0.00 season ERA, allowing just three hits and one walk in four innings of work, compared to five strikeouts, the 6-foot-2 freshman out of Texas keeps looking more and more like one of the best arms the Tigers have coming out of their bullpen.
Following a three-game trip to Frisco, TX, head coach Jay Johnson and LSU baseball will now make their way back home, as they get set to host North Dakota State in what will be a two-game series hosted in Alex Box Stadium. The games are set to take place Tuesday and Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. CT, and will be available to watch live on SEC Network+.
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