Analyzing The Dip in Batting Average in SEC Play

-Slightly alarming, as only two regulars are hitting over .300 now.

-Gavin Dugas is 5-33 since being injured at Kentucky. He's struckout 14x. However, in SEC games since then, he has 5BB & 7HBP. In one of the crazier stats ive ever seen, he has been hit by a pitch in 9 straight games.

While he is maintaining his value as an on-base threat, he has not done much to keep runners moving.


-Cade Beloso is on a 2-20 skid in his last two SEC series. He is putting the ball in play. 2BB, 2K, 2 1B. He has been somewhat unlucky, but you also wonder if the clock has struck midnight on Cade. It may be time to explore using Travinski at DH some nights.


-Speaking of Hayden Travinski, he has homered in the last 3 SEC series. In his last 7 games alone, he has 11 RBI. Baseball is a game of streaks, and as he heats up, it may be time to find a way to get him everyday ABs, unless until he cools.


-Brayden Jobert, after a nice series vs Kentucky, has been on a 4-23 bender (.173) While he hasn't played everyday, he has been in there pretty consistently. We already withstood a mini slump by him earlier in the season, I wonder how long of a rope they give him with Paxton Kling back.

-Paxton Kling's return is a positive for the team, despite his numbers. He offers a different skillset than any other player on the team, both in the field and on the bases. I think they need to force him some at bats (id play him everyday) going down the stretch here.

-Jordan Thompson, while playing an excellent shortstop, has gone 10-43 (.232) in SEC play since the Kentucky series. He won't leave the lineup, but this is just to further support that the ancillary players have not hit well lately.

-Overall I do not think LSU has a getting on base problem, but they do lack 'hitterish' type players that consistently lean on the defense. And while this is by design(play for the 3R HR), it is also prone to some slumps.


- Finally, crunching some numbers, if you remove Crews and Tommy White from the statistics in SEC play, LSU, as a team, hits .243.

League average in the SEC is .265

The worst team in the league, Missouri, hits .236 as a team.

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Overall, the median numbers for the SEC are .265/.374/.462

LSU without Crews/White: .243/.385/.432
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- Am I freaking out? No. But think of the talking point surrounding how poorly pitching has been this season league-wide. And they are only hitting .243?

There was always a worry that maybe guys like Beloso and Jobert were playing slightly over their head. Milazzo has been lagniappe as a hitter, and while he is not a liability anymore, he has just kind of turned into a net-neutral. Dugas is immensely valuable to this team, but you are only getting a part of his game right now.


As consistent as LSU has been up to this point, they are a hard team to predict because of this. Is it a slump, or has the prince turned into a frog? If it is the latter, guys like Travinski and Kling need to step up. Tre Morgan needs to take more of a burden as a run producer.