Speaker 1: Let's I'll start to what you want to present some
off the bench with Jacob Hester and T Bob Abert.
Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.
Speaker 1: Off the bench with Jacob Hester and T Bob aber
the pitch. Now here's Jacob Hester and T Bob Abert.
Speaker 2: Yo, what's up y'all? Our number two bout TB. And
it's Thursday and every Thursday eight am. We are lucky
enough to be joined by head coach of your LSU
softball team, coach Beth Terrena, fresh off a massive series
win against those damn dirty Gators first times. It's twenty nineteen,
taking Florida down absolute and doing it back against the
wall style. Coach Drina, what's going on? How we doing today?
How many game day?
Speaker 3: The damn dirty dat is cracking me up?
Speaker 2: If I said it once, we said it to me
into you already know.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: But okay, So and there's a lot of when to
get to, including the rapid turnaround time here with the
kind of you know, the Saturday start lasting Thursday day,
but Saturday game one does not go well, okay, ends
in a big number at that point that was kind
of back against the wall time. Then you come out
close game two two to one winners, absolute tooth and
nail battle, and then in the rubber match getting it done,
huge sixty, putting your own big number up. How how
proud of you were you of your team fighting back
after that game one disappointment.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it was incredible. It was an incredible series. It's
huge for so many reasons. I mean, like just the
implications in the SEC implications for our team for postseason,
the fight. They said we got a really nice performance
that it did Burson, So it was a really really
big series for us for sure.
Speaker 2: I mean, Coach, the two to one game was incredible.
Speaker 4: I mean that was really well pitched by both teams,
but certainly what y'all were able to do in the circle.
They're only giving up two hits to a Florida team,
and you mentioned Sid there from the other game, but
I mean just really all weekend and it was everybody
but that performance. I mean, giving up two hits to
that team, striking out for had a couple of free
passes obviously, but still just keeping them from scoring. That
was a dominant performance against the lineup that doesn't get
held like that very often.
Speaker 3: It really was. I think that was probably the deepest
lineup we've seen all year. I mean it like never stopped,
you know, like this kept going in the hit a
home run out of the nine hole. You know, it
just seemed to like never never ends. So really really
deep line up, really talented offense. So to see her
do that was just really really special. That's the SID
we've all come to know. So it's nice to see
her get back to her her normal form.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and it's great to see at this time of
the year, especially so that series reps up on Monday
night with the big win. Now turn around very quickly.
Series starts tonight against Imagine this is another top ten
ranked SEC softball team, this time in the Arkansas variety.
What is the process, like, what is the turnaround there?
Coach ending the series on Monday and then quickly hitting
the road for a Thursday series, final series of the
regular season.
Speaker 3: Yeah, we definitely weren't the product of some tough scheduling
this year for sure, you know, I mean, back to
back in Texas and then having to get the Monday
the week that the whole SEC turned around and plays
on Thursday. You know, tough. I'm sure Florida feels the
same today. But getting our team on the road here
yesterday was tough. You know. Of course we wanted one
more day to prep, and we will loved four more
days to prep, you know, but it is what it is.
So we're going to come out and give them our
best shot tonight. Getting a little more practice in this
morning at their place. Got rained out here last night
on that, but trying to get them prepped as much
as we can. And you know, I think the team's
in a good spot. On when I got to the
ballpark Monday, the team was so incredibly loose, just like
hanging out another day, Like that's kind of how this
group is. They're unfazed. So it was fun to see
him be like that and then go out and have
that big win. So hopefully more of the same tonight.
Speaker 2: And so I know that saltball's much different too in
terms of arms and rest and the amount of games.
I mean, you know, a player could throw an entire weekend,
but when it comes to like in between series with
the rest, does this affect Sydney at all? The quick turnaround?
You do? You have her in the training room extra time, Like,
how do you kind of make sure that everybody's bodies
physically are ready to go with that shortened rest.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think that's a real thing. You know, normally
we're doing some recovery stuff on our off day typically,
but we didn't even get the off day this week.
You know, the off day got bumped all the way
to Sunday, so had to turn around a practice after
the Florida series. So it is something to think about,
you know, try to be careful with them and not
overdo it, not do too much, but still want to
give them an opportunity to get prepped right and like
have some time to really like think about what they're
going to see. I mean the Arkansas there is a
leftie that's pretty talented and having a good year. So
trying to get prep for that and just making sure
that they're ready, but still being conscious of, you know,
how taxing it is on their bodies.
Speaker 4: Coach, when you are facing like a lefty right and
it's not something they see all the time. How do
y'all go about trying to make sure that you're prepared
for that.
Speaker 3: Oh, we had all kind of bells and whistles. You know,
you should come over. We'll all see the machine for you.
Speaker 4: Coach, I'm a lefty myself, might be a little close
there in the box.
Speaker 3: I mean, Bryce has all kinds of crazy stuff dialed
up with the way. I mean they're shooting machines from
all angles and directions. You've got like tarts covering the
machine so you can't see which way the ball shoots.
And I mean, we have all kind of stuff that
we're using to help get them prepped. So a lot
of stuff in motion so they're not standing around, you know,
like hitting ostias or anything. We got like one hundred
machines going in practice. We use every cage lane available
and the field every time we hit, so we're like,
got the five indoor, we got three outdoor, We're using
all the lanes. I mean, it's it's pretty crazy to
see the setup that he's going on for the offense.
But he's done an incredible job in the offense. Has
been really really incredible coach.
Speaker 2: One player that we haven't mentioned a lot on on
on on these appearances is Tory Edwards. You I know,
well exactly right. Just named the top twenty five finalists
for the Softball Player of the Year award. One of
an out of shoot good the conference is one of
twelve players out of the sec there but leading the
team currently four to twenty three bat and average sixty
eight ribbies eighteen home runs sitting single season were a
nine to ozho one slugging percentage. What what is Torri
Edwards meant to this team this year?
Speaker 3: Yeah? It was cool tot to see her get put
on the all the freshman top twenty five lists, but
to make the top twenty five list of the entire
country as the freshman is just incredible. I mean absolutely incredible.
And you know what she can do is so special.
She's still athletics. She's so she can run, she can hit.
You know, these weight room numbers that she puts up,
they're just crazy. You know, she has like contest with
her brother was on the football team this year, right, Like,
I mean she can like hang with some of these numbers.
It's pretty crazy. But I think the coolest thing about
her is how smart she is and how in tune
she is with the game, Like she understands how to
have it at that that's a big part of who
she is. Like she studies and she knows what's coming,
and she's you know, just really smart in the box
and has a great feel of it at that So
that's a big part of what's making her so great too.
Speaker 4: I mean you could argue maybe the second most important
player from Marcus High School on LSU's campus, Jared Nussmeyer,
also the same high school.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I had no idea. I did not know that that. Okay,
let's go.
Speaker 3: That's Tory. Tory is like his little sister. I mean
they're like he and her her brother are best friends,
and that's they're They're really close with them. So a
lot of LSG connections there in that group. But I
know he's proud of Tory too, because she's having an
incredible year, making all of us really really proud. We're
lucky to have her.
Speaker 4: And coach, if I'm not mistaken, you know, Rich shirted
a year ago, so like in that year, what as
a coach, like, what could you see? Could you see
like things that you're like, Okay, well this is going
to translate, this is going to work out, just you know,
having that time to kind of learn and sit and develop.
Speaker 3: Yeah, Well she was hurt, so she didn't do a
ton last year. You know, she was like putting limited
around the field, and I think it was frustrating for
her because she wanted to be out there. But I
think we always knew we had this incredible athlete. I mean,
just the numbers that this was up in every I mean,
name a category, whether it be the weight room or
exit velocities or that seed or name a category and
she's off the chart. I mean, and she runs well too.
You know, she's one of our best base runners based Steelers.
I mean, the things that she's capable of on the
softball field are just incredible and very very rare.
Speaker 2: Well, if you want to watch Tory Edwards played tonight,
you got one more regular season conference with which series
to do so, and it's going to be Arkansas on
the road in fable tonight series starting check it out. Coach,
thank you so much for making some time for us,
especially here on game day, and best of luck to
you and team over the weekend.
Speaker 3: Thank you so much, guys, are the best. Appreciate you guys, beas.
Speaker 2: Coach Beth areina head coach of your top ten LSU
softball team and yet another top ten matchup now over
five hundred and SEC play as well in the hyper
hyper hyper competitive SEC eighteen s Tory Edwards sheesh, sheesh.
All right, when we get back, Taylor wants to talk
about Harold Perkins and then we got Jay Johnson COUTU
at eight thirty. So keep locked right here on off
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Speaker 1: Welcome to the seventh ranked morning sports show in America.
Off the Bench and with Hester and t Bob.
Speaker 2: Yeah, what's hending, y'all? Welcome back to OTV. We got
Jay Johnson coming up next.
Speaker 5: Uh.
Speaker 2: But before that, Taylor, you linked article from newsde where
they were looking at players to watch for every SEC
team and they highlighted Harold Perkins And I understand why, uh,
and I want to get your take on it, but
I'll see this on Harold Perkins right now? Is in
my mind, I'm kind of at the point where I'm
gonna sit back and instead of hyping them up for
an entire offseason, instead of talking about too too much here,
I'm gonna sit back and I'm just gonna hope for
the best. Right, I'm gonna try to remove some of
my personal expectation for being set upon this man and
just hope for the best and see if we can
build on what was that incredible year one in which
he won you a couple of games with his play,
But this article has him as the player to watch.
How are you feeling about Percoles going into this year.
Speaker 5: I think you were taking any correct approach on it.
I think it's just a wait and see because look,
every year since his freshman year, we've been excited about it.
It didn't work out as the middle linebacker. He got
hurt early in September, so you know, he was obviously
a non factor after that. But when I look at it,
if he's ticking over at Star full time, that's big
for the rest of the secondary, right because that position
is already filled now to Marcus Cooley can focus on
safety full time because that was the thing. Oh he
could play safety, he can also play nickel. You don't
need him to do that. If you have Harold Perkins,
that gives you depth of safety. I mean, I think
if Perkins does at Star, everybody else can focus on
their job around him. I mean, I think it's a
big role for him, and if he can take that over,
I mean that that could potentially put the rest of
the secondary in line.
Speaker 2: I mean, I'm with you on the fact that, like
on paper, I do love the Star thing. I mean
what we saw, Jake, and and you can tell me
if I'm wrong, But like in watching film of Perkins
in the past few years, he is not good at
taking on blocks from an inside linebacker standpoint, he doesn't
deliver the blow he can be guys are they stick
to him when when they get on him and he
looks like he's reading a bit too much. But then
I think about some of the plays that he has
made and I just keep going back. Now. I know
everybody hated it, but he actually had a sneaky great
year in that nickel linebacker role. He had an incredible
coverage grade. You think about when he wasn't having to
directly take on blockers. Somebody tries like a bubble screen
or something, He's in the backfield, tripping the guy up,
getting a TfL like he needs space. He's not an
in the box linebacker now, so if you put him
around the box and then you can take advantage of
his athleticism and the ability to cover, which he does have. Okay,
Like I feel like we finally maybe now arrived at
at his at what his best role could be.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, gosh, I don't think we've ever talked
about a player so many different times and so many
different roles trying to really continue to turn the Rubik's
cube to find the perfect solution and solve the puzzle.
Speaker 2: But it is the star position middle linebacker.
Speaker 4: He tried it, and we were, you know, hoping that
with Blake Baker, like he could you know, turn him
into this D'mone Clark type, Yeah, middle linebacker, because Blake
had done such good things with Damone Clark and Damon
now NFL player and doing great.
Speaker 2: That was the hope.
Speaker 4: And look, he's just not a linebacker, right and for
all the things that T Bob just laid out, he's
not an every down rush He's.
Speaker 2: Not He's not an edge.
Speaker 4: He's not somebody that can be on the edge, you know,
being an every down rusher or whatever he did his
freshman year, like you can do that in spurts you.
Speaker 2: He can't live there.
Speaker 4: We've seen it on film for ourselves, but also talking
to people and talking to other SEC head coaches that
played against him when he was on the edge, they
said we would check to run right at him.
Speaker 2: Yes, yes, I have confirmed that on air.
Speaker 4: It's like we ran right at him because look, he's
two hundred and twenty five pounds and we are going
to have our tackle and tight end combination block go
straight through him, and it's no.
Speaker 2: Fault to his He just he's not built for that.
Speaker 4: Edges are two hundred and seventy pounds, not two hundred
and twenty pounds, So.
Speaker 2: He can't live there. He can be there at times,
but he can't live there. Okay. So yeah, third to thirteen,
great to everywhere.
Speaker 4: Yeah to every person's they put him on the edge, Okay,
go watch tape. He is somebody that has great cover skills.
Like T Bob laid out, he can still rush off
the edge from the star position.
Speaker 2: In fact, you can do it a ton like. You
can really switch it up.
Speaker 4: Fighting through blocks out there is completely different than fighting
through blocks in between the tackle.
Speaker 2: A lot more horizontal, more angles. You can take advantage
of putting the big guys in space.
Speaker 4: And so he's got the athletic ability to be able
to go out there and play the star position. I
think he's more athletic than the guy that did it
last year, Major Burns, much bigger, but he's more athletic
than Major Burns. He can get it done athletically, So
it's the best position for him. It's the best position
for the team when he plays at the next level,
he is going to be a nickel wheel and he's
going to rush some, but he's not ever going to
live on the edge.
Speaker 2: Just not going to well. And I mean you look
at the inside linebacker room and it's really come together
quite nicely. I mean, of course you have the emergency
of Weeks and his brothers. Uh, but Devon Keys was
so hot at the end of last year. What other
names am I missing? They love? Who else was a
young guy that played well last year whom they love?
Devon Keys? Yeah, I mean, well was awesome by the
end of the year.
Speaker 4: I'll just tell you, Like having conversations with some of
the coaches, it's one of the names that gets.
Speaker 2: Brought up more than any is Devon Keys. So Weeks
and Keys looking like he even.
Speaker 4: Played star some last year he did, he didn't played
really well there. So it's a very talented room. It's
a solid room. Like it's guys that you know, we're
going to get it done athletically, but also like their
mentality and their attention to detail and their assignment.
Speaker 2: And and I agree with this statement by Daniel here
he says, how would love if the LSU defense returned
to the form of old I feel like some of
our young players have experienced. Now I'm interested to see
the product. I mean, guys, for for a place that,
for damn near twenty years was built on intimidating elite defense.
We've been wondering the desert for a hot minute now, man,
you know, yeah, I mean bo Polini into Madhouse. I mean,
I guess we had linking, yes, think I was thinking Vikings, yeah,
h which wasn't great. Now when he was unlocked and
allowed to do his thing, they put together some gems
that year, that Alabama. But I guess the point is, like,
it's been half a decade of not subpar defense. It's
been half a decade of awful defense at a place
that was built on incredible defense.
Speaker 4: So I went back and I looked, Okay, now this
is going way back. But just to give you an
idea of what Tea BOP's talking about, we're going to
go total defense and where LSU was from two thousand
and nine.
Speaker 2: Right, Oh, I just took last fifteen years. Yah, I
was good to sample size.
Speaker 4: So two thousand and nine you were eleventh in the
nation in total defense. Twenty ten you were twelfth in
the nation. Twenty eleven, you were second in the nation. Yeah,
you only gave up two hundred and sixty yards a game.
Speaker 2: Those are crazy year US and Alabama were giving up
like seven points a gamer, so that's wild.
Speaker 4: Twenty twelve you were eighth, twenty thirteen you were fifteenth.
Twenty fourteen you were ninth. Twenty fifteen you were twenty fifth.
Twenty sixteen, you were tenth in total defense. Twenty seventeen
you were twelfth in total defense. Twenty eighteen you were
twenty fifth. Twenty nineteen thirty first. Interesting, and here's where
the will starts to fall off. Twenty twenty you were
one hundred and twenty fourth.
Speaker 2: Good god, one hundred and twenty fourth. The Pullini explosion.
Twenty twenty one, you were sixty diarrhea of a defense.
Twenty twenty two you were fifty fourth. Twenty twenty three
you were one hundred and eighth. Is twenty two. Dronte No,
that was his house's first year, one hundred and eighth.
So I mean so yeah, like ever since twenty nineteen,
the wheels just completely. It wasn't it was twenty It
wasn't a small fall off. It's been a precipitous drop off. Yeah,
and you've invested. You've invested, You played Bake, you paid
Blake Baker, you paid everybody. Now you lose but Davis.
But whatever you've you've invested in the players, you've invested
in the staff. It's freaking time. It's time to have
a good defense again.
Speaker 4: And so last year you went from what do we say,
one hundred, where you were one hundred and twenty fourth
with Madhouse and his last year Blake Baker comes in.
Speaker 2: You do go up to fifty six. Oh so you're
the right direction.
Speaker 4: You were giving up with Matt House four hundred and
ninety two yards per game. You got better by one
hundred and twenty. You got three seventy this last year.
Speaker 2: My guy line credit for LSU odyssey too, because sometimes
things are obvious. When somebody points him out, you're like,
oh my god. But when you see what these guys
do on Sunday, we're gonna look back on a team
that featured Jaden Brian Malik, Will Campbell. I know missing
guys in there, right, but I mean all of these
top picks that are dominating the NFL, and you never
even sniffed a championship. And it's because of that right there.
Speaker 5: I'll look at it like whenever I look at Baker,
I get excited because when he got the Missouri their
defense was in the hundreds. Yes, first year they were
top sixty. The second year they were top thirty. Yeah, hey,
Jake just listed you were top sixty his first year.
Can you make that jump again? He did it in Missouri.
Speaker 2: Here's the hoping that he can. Man, here's hoping that
he can. Here's hoping that LSU make sure you don't
have any poodles. Man I I'm not even engaged.
Speaker 4: Uh h, Blake Baker saying we don't want no poodles?
Speaker 2: Madaga, no, wantn't be it make defense great again? I
don't know. Yeah whatever the Lounges poodle she ended missing
like right at.
Speaker 5: Lake Blake said we got a poodle on the show,
and that it not the person sitting next to me.
Speaker 2: That came from Blake Baker. He said that about Jay,
he said that about you. Oh wow about me?
Speaker 6: Also, I bet if Blake Baker knew me, he would
not think that I was a poodle. And you also
can't say that after you like guilted me into going
to Don Juan, and I worked the entire day and
I went you did.
Speaker 2: I was proud of you. I was proud of you.
Speaker 6: You can kiss my eyes.
Speaker 2: Gladly. All right? Coming up next here on O TV.
I'm into that. Uh, let's talk to l s U
head baseball coach Jay Johnson. More of the bench, coming
up next.
Speaker 1: Off the bench.
Speaker 2: Hey, hey guys, you're looking for U. Look, maybe you
can have a watch party this weekend for the big series.
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Speaker 1: From the break, the sports talk gets real kind of
off the bench and with Hester and t Bob.
Speaker 2: We'll tell me all. Welcome back to otb and uh
oh what pop up for this? Guys? We're so lucky
every Thursday here during the baseball season to be joined
by LSU head baseball coach Jay Johnson making time for
us each and every week despite his incessantly busy scheduled Coach,
what's going on, man, how we feel on this Thursday morn?
Speaker 7: Good morning? How are you guys?
Speaker 2: I'm freaking great. You know why because you beat Tennessee's ass. Okay,
that's the good stuff, coach. Hell yes, and I know
that yours is not a profession where you stop and
smell the roses, right, I get it, Like, you guys
are always next pitch, next pitch, next pitch. But if
I can ask you for a moment that Friday game, man,
that ninth inning, one thirty am, Like, surely that has
to be up there with one of the wilder regular
season experiences you've ever.
Speaker 7: Had, no doubt. I actually said that, you know after
the game, that's that's one of the best regular season
wins I remember being a part of. And you know,
there's a lot that went into that. I mean, we
were facing you know, one of the best pitchers in
the country and didn't have a lot to show for
it early on, but I did think our guys were
competing in the box and it didn't manifest in any runs,
but it did and us getting him out of the
game a little bit earlier before Kate Anderson, who who
had an awesome performance also, and you know, forced Nate
Sneaed in the game for just a little longer than
he normally goes, and we got him there at the end.
And then just that ninth inning was electric, Like I mean,
we get a couple good at bats. I mean, Dalton
Beck that was awesome, drives into Kanner, Reeves drew a
walk in there, and then you know Derek carry All
with the two strike hit, ripping it through the right side,
and then the big Bear after one am man, you
love that.
Speaker 2: I mean, how insane because the punctuation mark is not
just the wall, it's it's four fifty to dead cinner,
you know what I'm saying, Like it's not to write
this not about four fifty to dead center one AF
walk off over the batter's eye. It's legendary. It's one
of those games where if you're a fan of team,
you're remember it forever.
Speaker 7: Yeah, and then like afterwards, like it it was kind
of funny, like because it all happened very fast, Like
I wasn't going crazy. I was just kind of standing
there smiling, and it was definitely you know, we normally
shake hands as coaches like after we get a win.
That was definitely like, hey, I hugged every coach on
our staff after that. And then like I just kind
of looked around for a minute and like the place
is going crazy and the guys are going crazy, and
there's this rap music I never heard of playing future,
So I'm like, this is awesome. Somebody you gotta find
that song. It was good.
Speaker 2: Good night.
Speaker 7: It was a great night.
Speaker 2: That's so good.
Speaker 4: Coach kind of walk us through maybe Dalton Beck coming
up and hitting in that spot, because look, Bear Jones
and that highlight's going to play for a very very
long time and we're all going to remember that.
Speaker 2: But you're right as you lay it out, there was
things that led to that.
Speaker 4: And Dalton Beck is somebody that you know hasn't got
a ton of at bats this year. How clutch was
that and what were the conversations maybe to put him
in the game in that moment.
Speaker 7: Well, first off, you know, there's a lot that goes
on here more than game day. As you guys know,
is the athlete. Guy is a really good hitter. We
brought him here because he's a really good hitter. Just
kind of you know, how our team is shaken out
this year. We have a few guys that probably should
have more at bats than they do, and Dalton would
be one of those guys. But I would kind of
liken it to Hayden Travinsky a couple of years ago,
like you only had like three at bats through like
twenty six or twenty seven games. But we saw what
was going on and plugged him in there. And then
you know, last Saturday, I put him in against you know, Ozma,
the closer from Alabama, and he struck him out, and
he struck everybody out. He's had a good year. If
you're out of the pen. But I still liked what
I saw, and he had bad and it was a
better matchup than you know, the right handed hit her
that we had coming up at that time. And then
I saw him walk up to the plate and I
mean he was just completely under control. I was like, huh,
this this got a chance to be pretty good. And
I mean he took a borderline pitch, took a strike,
you know, got to count to two to one and
then and somebody would have got killed if he shipped by.
That ball was smoked, and it was awesome and better
than that. I mean, you're talking about a guy that
did eighteen homers last year and had all the personal
accolades you could have, and I mean he's been an
awesome teammate and you know, really good hit her. I
got to hit the other night on Tuesday too, So
I'm excited to get him going a little bit.
Speaker 2: Also, we'll start to look forward in a second coach.
But again, it just a massive series win last weekend.
But I want to talk about Kate Anderson because whether
it's Tyson Witherspoon, Liam Doyle, whatever the case may be,
he seems to have the ability. It's it's almost like
a like a prize fighter. When he knows that one
of the top contenders is coming in, he almost like
raises his level of play. Is that a trait that
in your career you have seen kind of your best
aces have that that they they they do take it
a bit like a one on one matchup with when
they got another big name across from him.
Speaker 7: No doubt about it. And you know, it's a really
good point and a really good something to hang or
have on for our team is that you know where
it's Pico, Khn, Witherspoon, Liam Doyle, obviously, Riley Quick. We've
won all the games against the guys on the Mount
and a big reason is that of that is because
of Caid not just matching, but being a little bit better.
And you know, he's really he made a big jump,
and I'm not surprised when you know the person and
the work that he puts in and the character and
the athlete. But like he's been a huge, huge part
of this thing. I think we only have one loss
on Friday as the entire season, and he can immediately
poke point to Caid for that coach.
Speaker 4: A couple of weeks ago, you joined us and we
were talking about some of the options out of the
bullpen because you had two guys that just kind of
when they come in, the game's kind of over. Well,
one of those guys started on Sunday in Case and Evans,
and I kind of attribute that to you saying again
a couple of weeks ago, that we got to do
whatever we got to do to win that game that day,
and that's what we look at, not maybe down the road,
but just that game. Was that what that was on
Sunday because he was still available. You had to go
win the series, win that game, And that's not really
a plan necessarily moving forward, but in that day, in
that situation, that was the best option for the Tigers.
Speaker 7: Yeah, no doubt. And you know he's going to be
a starter, you know, whether that's the rest of the
season and definitely the next two years. Like he's one
of the best freshman pitchers in the country and along
with William Schmidt, So how lucky are we to have
those two guys for three years. So yeah, that's where
he's headed. I just believe in your best guys. Some
of your best guys have to be at the end
of the game. And you know, one of this team's
really good trade so far and why we're in a
good position today as we sit is we've won a
lot of close games, you know, and Cason and Zach
are a big reason for that. And you know, I
mean last year you look at it, and you know
we rallied and ended up having a good season, but
with some really tough close losses last year. And part
of it was we just couldn't match up with who
the other team was throwing out of the bullpen in
those close games, and you know, somebody would pop a
homeer on us or get a big hit where you know,
maybe their guy was shutting us down. Well, we have
two guys that when we come in or when they
come in, you know, our team feels pretty good like
they're gonna put up zeros and give the offense a
chance to relax, play the game and score.
Speaker 2: Uh. I'm talking to LSU had baseball coach Jay Johnson here.
I don't I'm gonna frame this next question very poorly, uh,
because I don't know how else to ask it. But like,
what else can you say about Derek Curiel that hasn't
already been said? Right? I mean, freshman top of the
order he seems to continue to ascend. It's it's clutch hitting,
it's consistent hitting. I mean, it's a weekend where he
has the big Friday nd hitting and he comes back
on Sunday and the rubber matchic goes four or four
or five ribbies from the leadoff spot, Like, I don't
get it. Is there? Do you have any uh compliments
left that you could say that you haven't already said.
Speaker 7: Yeah, he's a great player. And for me, like the
separator in these truly elite players is their mind, you know.
And the same thing we'd always talk about with Dylan
and he just he's got such good feel for baseball.
And I mean he texted me just about every night
at some point, and this was really cool. So Thursday
night he was still thinking about he didn't do a
couple double plays against Alabama and like he texted me,
is like, no more double plays. I'd get one, you know,
up in my thigh. I'm gonna he goes, I'm gonna
rip it right through the right side between the first
basement and second basement, and lo and behold that was
the game with two strikes and pretty pretty crazy. But
he just got great feel for baseball, a great competitor,
and really, you know, Sunday's game, that's one of the
best games I've ever had a player play when you
think about not just the hits, but the situations he
got the hits in was awesome. And you know, he's
respected by his teammates because of how he goes about
his business and just we're lucky to have him here
at LSU.
Speaker 4: Coach, I want to highlight another player here, and look,
one of the things that I try to lift by
is two great to be pretty.
Speaker 2: I say it all the time.
Speaker 4: And you've got a player that I think fits that
motto perfectly, and that's Daniel Dickinson. He doesn't get as
much praise maybe as others from the outside. I know
he certainly does from the inside, but he just finds
a way, scraps and claws and is such an important
piece of what you are trying to get done. He
just feels like the grittiest baseball player And I just
want you to brag on him for a little bit
because I feel like he deserves it.
Speaker 7: Yeah, I'm really glad you brought him up. He's, in
my opinion, the best defense of second basement in college baseball.
I think he lands one error on the entire season,
and that sometimes goes overlooked. And again, I always look
for things that are common threads and good teams, and
we've turned some really big double plays at times this year.
And he's done that offensively, you know, really good player.
I don't know what his average is, but he's on
base all the time. You know, he's going through a
tough stretch for a couple of games and hitting the
ball hard and and it's just like, dude, just keep
going and this is going to go. And you know,
in Sunday's game, like he walked three times and then
you know, had an infield single. It's like there you go.
I mean, the guy's on baseball times, big big game
on Tuesday and sort of back on track. He just
he's a great competitor, he's tough minded, he cares about winning,
and he's going to play baseball for a long time.
Like that's a very valuable player in somebody's organization. That's
you know, gonna gonna outperform as talent, and I think
he is big talented and he's just going to be
more consistent, you know than other guys because of that
that tough mindsets that you mentioned, and again you know,
we're we're really lucky to have him here. I wish
I could have him for more than one year. That's
not going to happen, unfortunately, because he positively affects everybody
around UH coach.
Speaker 2: So looking forward to the A and M Series this weekend,
there's kind of a fascinating inversion from what it was
last year, where you know, last year y'all were the
highly harolded team kind of stumbled at the gate, had
to find yourself back against the wall, big series win
with A and M last year. This season complete opposite, right,
A M, that highly heralded team stumbling out the gate.
They seem to be playing much much better as of late.
What are you telling your teams in terms of kind
of being ready to battle that wounded animal?
Speaker 7: Yeah, I don't. I think it has their attention, Like
they have so many returning, Like we're a completely different team,
like I mean the body for body, it's like it's
not even the same team. They are very much the
same team in terms of personnel, like I mean the
Friday and Saturday starters Ryan Priger and Justin Lampkin. Like
at some point, these guys got to move on from
college baseball like they've been there forever, you know. And
then you know, Lavolette really good. You know, Caden Currell
to me, is one of the best hitters in the country.
It's just guy after guy after guy that has a
ton of college at bats under their belt. And let's
look at their last few weeks. Think they lost three
one run games at Texas. Well, Texas is the number
one team in the country. The week before that, they
won two out of three at Arkansas, probably you know,
the most consistent winning SEC program for the last ten years,
you know. And then Tennessee obviously we just saw that
they won the series there, they swept South Carolina. So
he can't get fooled by the record, because for the
last four weeks they've been playing as good as anybody
and it's an Omaha caliber team. And so really it's
I think this is the eighth week the league. It's
super regional number eight, you know. So you got to
dive in and go so and coach.
Speaker 2: You also know this, you've certainly been here long enough.
Speaker 4: You know that when LSU comes to town, you were
going to get the best, the best from the other
team and the best from the opposing crowd as.
Speaker 7: Well, no doubt. I think the last one we went
to Auburn, they broke all kinds of attendance records and
you know, there's a big vibe in the stadium, and
you know, that's that's awesome to be a part of.
And you know, instead of you know, I think we
have the type of players that we use that to
only help them play better, you know, and focus more.
And at the end of the day, like you know,
whether you got a billion people around your or backyard
stand lot, you know, whatever, it's how to play, it
is how to play. And so you just got to
stay focused on that. And I think it's a cool environment.
I think it's one of the better ones in the league,
to be honest with you, and we're excited to.
Speaker 2: Play in it. All right, last one here, coach, and
it's probably gonna be the least favorite one. But I've
been directed to to ask you about Devin Cheron, who
of course transfering in getting hurt in the fall. But
as some have noticed, not on the injury report. Are
there any updates on Devin Cheering.
Speaker 7: Yeah, he's throwing live like simulated games, and he's obviously
got a great arm. It's just a matter of you know,
there's a lot more to it to be able to
put him in a game, specifically an SEC game in
terms of readiness. But we're excited about his health progress now.
I think you know A word I use the other
day is just, you know, the sharpness. We need to
get it to a level where we feel good about
putting him in a game. I think that day will calm.
I'm just not quite sure yet.
Speaker 2: Win Coach Jay Johnson, We've kept you long. Thank you
so much coaching the absolute best, best of luck this
weekend in College station, and we will talk to you
next week. All right, guys, have a great day there
you coach man. How great is that Curry el story?
So he literally texted him the exact thing that would
go on to happen Friday night at one am. Yeah,
next time I get it inside hot thigh, I'm just
gonna rip it through the right.
Speaker 6: Side and did exactly that.
Speaker 2: That's crazy and is an eighteen year old? What a
great story?
Speaker 4: What a great story like you could tell like even
like his approach, like in the box, like when he
steps into the box, that he's not a normal freshman,
Like just mannerisms and the way he carries himself and
the confidence he has against these guys that look when
in Friday night in the sec the guy that you're
facing eight times out of ten is gonna be like
a top ninety draft choice in the MLB draft and
you're you know, you're basically a couple of months from
being a high school prom and you're handling it.
Speaker 2: It's crazy. It's really crazy to think of and like
and you know, very insightful by Coach j talking about
how it's the mind more than anything that gets him
there that allows him to do that. He's hitting three
eighty on base percentage over yeah, over five hundred. Yeah
all right. Closing an hour two of OO TV. Next
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Speaker 1: Out, Welcome in to the best morning sports this show
around Off the Bench with Hester and T Bob.
Speaker 2: Yeahooooo the guzzler. The guzzle is uh a Landra Wait
what word like?
Speaker 6: Definitely on right now?
Speaker 2: Yeah, we're on air. What are you talking about girl.
Get about Uh that was a lot. I'm going to
allow woman to speak there. Okay, so this is a
big moment for you.
Speaker 6: I haven't I don't have any Blake Lively updates.
Speaker 2: Uh that's funny. Uh No, I was gonna because I
know that you've been talking about him a lot. Uh.
Chat wants you to sing the praises of Brassy.
Speaker 6: Oh yeah, shout out Michael Braswell. I mean, yeah, two
home runs, his first two home runs of the season
over the weekend over Tennessee. Obviously one of them was
on the loss, but that's okay, Like you get it
out the way and hopefully that makes his back get hot,
which we all know Michael Braswell.
Speaker 2: When he gets hot, he gets hot.
Speaker 6: So I I've been a huge Braswell fan since he
got here on campus last year. I love it. I
hope that, you know, we see more of him. Tanner
Reeves is doing great too.
Speaker 2: Yeah, but it's a good problem. And I mean you
have a lot, but certainly, I mean you look at
your most consistent SEC hitter last year, yea, and him
coming on is nothing but a good thing.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 6: Sorry, it's so important because his glove is so good,
Like he is your best option for defense at third base,
like Michael Braswell has a great glove, So I feel
like if he can hit how he's hitting now, they're
probably like it's probably going to be him there most
of the time, if not the entire time.
Speaker 2: Well, and I don't have the timing wrong on this,
do I. But when he hit the home run Saturday
age and the game was still very close, it situation
to hit the home run.
Speaker 6: I think he got us up three two or not up.
Speaker 5: He got us down three two or down two one
because it was two solo shots him and my lift,
and that made it three to two.
Speaker 2: Yeah, right there, it was.
Speaker 6: It was a clutch hit at the time. He didn't
end up closing, but I mean it was. It was
a great, uh, great at bat from him. And he
always has pretty good at bats, whether it's walking or
like making the pitcher throw a bunch of pitches. Like
it's not even if he's batting, you know, below three hundred,
they're still good at bats. That he's going up there
and taking.
Speaker 2: So shout out to uh, shout out Michael Brass. Shout
out Michael Brass. Yeah, shout out Michael brass.
Speaker 6: I went back to look at Daniel Dickinson. He's his
filling percentage nine to eighty five and he only has
two errors on the season. He was the one that
I was most excited coming into the season and one.
Speaker 4: I mean, it does feel like he's not undervalue, but
just on a team full of stars. A guy coming
in maybe with only one year, maybe doesn't get talked
about enough.
Speaker 2: He really doesn't.
Speaker 4: He is like he's one of those those guys that
kind of makes everything work. Like you have to have
one of those guys to go with the bear and
the milum and curiate, like to make it all work.
Speaker 2: Gol says his tavop. I'm gonna allow women to speak,
try to talk over her multiple times, one time everybody
to everybody.
Speaker 6: Yeah he does everybody, And I don't really know him talking.
Speaker 2: Over me exactly with the landre. Yeah, I just am
uh incredibly narcissistic and love the sound of my own voice.
It's a perfect job. I got a really good joke
too that I wrote down because it's not for on air,
but I'm gonna tell y'all like this another vampire one.
Uh no, no, no, no, no, this is not all right,
our three verres gonna join the show. Coming up next,
you block off the bench