How It Happened: LSU Baseball Takes Down Little Rock, Advances to Super Regionals

BATON ROUGE, La. – Designated hitter Ethan Frey drove in four runs Monday night, and right-hander Casan Evans fired 6.0 brilliant relief innings as top-ranked LSU posted a 10-6 win over Little Rock to capture the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional title in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.

LSU improved to 45-16 on the season as the Tigers captured the 27th NCAA Regional title in school history. Little Rock completed its season with a 27-34 record.

The Tigers advanced to the NCAA Super Regional round and will face West Virginia in a best two-of-three series beginning either Friday or Saturday in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.

The winner of the LSU-West Virginia series will earn a berth in the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

Game dates and times for all eight Super Regionals are scheduled to be announced by the NCAA at 9 a.m. CT Tuesday.

Little Rock led, 5-1, through three innings, but the Tigers roared back to claim the regional championship.

“I told the players tonight is one of the best wins of my entire career because of what they had to do to earn it,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson, who recorded his 500th career win in 13 seasons as a collegiate coach.

“We obviously have great talent and great players, but also some of the best human beings on the planet.”

Frey was 4-for-4 at the plate Monday night with a home run, two doubles, two walks, two runs and four RBI to lead LSU’s 11-hit output.

Catcher Luis Hernandez blasted two solo homers and collected three RBI, and first baseman Jared Jones launched a two-run dinger, his 20th home run of the season.

“You look at the offensive performance by Ethan,” Johnson said, “that’s arguably the best game I’ve ever seen any one of my players ever play, considering the situation.”

Evans (4-1) entered the game in the second inning and limited the Trojans to one run on four hits in 6.0 innings with three walks and a career-best 12 strikeouts. He threw a career-high 109 pitches, 71 for strikes.

“This dude (Evans) is a superstar, and there haven’t been very many better performances on that pitching mound in championship games than what you saw tonight from Casan.”

Right-hander Anthony Eyanson earned his second save of the season for the Tigers, blanking Little Rock over the final 1.2 innings with one hit, no walks and three strikeouts.

Little Rock reliever Jackson Wells (3-8) was charged with the loss, as he allowed three runs on four hits in 3.1 innings with no walks and four strikeouts.

Frey gave LSU a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning with his 13th homer of the season, but Little Rock struck for five runs in the bottom of the second inning to establish a four-run advantage.

Frey’s three-run double in the fourth inning reduced Little Rock’s lead to 5-4, and LSU tied the game in the sixth when Hernandez launched his first homer of the and eighth of the season.

LSU took the lead in the seventh when Frey doubled, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on shortstop Steven Milam’s groundout.

Hernandez’s second homer of the night in the eighth extended the LSU lead to 7-5, but the Trojans responded with shortstop Alex Seguine’s RBI single in the bottom of the frame to narrow the margin to one run.

In the top of the ninth, Jones unloaded a two-run homer and Hernandez lined a run-scoring single to give the Tigers a 10-6 advantage.

“I’m super proud of these guys,” Johnson said, “and I couldn’t be more excited to dive into Super Regional week and get ready for West Virginia.”

2025 NCAA Baton Rouge Regional All-Tournament Team

MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER: Angel Cano, Little Rock

P: Anthony Eyanson, LSU
P: Kade Anderson, LSU
C: * Luis Hernandez, LSU
1B: Angel Cano, Little Rock
2B: Keaton Grady, Dallas Baptist
SS: * Steven Milam, LSU
3B: Ty Rhoades, Little Rock
OF: Chris Stanfield, LSU
OF: Zach Henry, Little Rock
OF: Derek Curiel, LSU
DH: Ethan Frey, LSU

* unanimous selection 

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