1/28/26 5:30 am CT

Good morning, Tiger Fans,

In today’s post, we’ll discuss a must-win stretch in men’s basketball, preview the upcoming softball season, and continue counting down the days until LSU baseball, which is right around the corner. After that, we’ll close things out with a couple of brief football tidbits.

There’s a large portion of the fan base that has already written off the men’s basketball season after LSU has dropped six of its last seven games and fallen to 13-7 overall, but the Tigers aren’t completely out of the hunt… yet. Time is running out, though. The term “must-win” gets thrown around pretty loosely, but the next two games truly feel like a must-win stretch. LSU currently sits 15th in the SEC standings, with Mississippi State (10-10, 2-5) and South Carolina (11-9, 2-5) up next. Those are very winnable matchups that could help LSU climb out of this hole and improve its SEC Tournament seeding, if nothing else.

And if the Tigers can string together a couple of wins, they can build some much-needed confidence ahead of bigger challenges against Georgia, Arkansas, and Tennessee that loom on the schedule. Those games would also provide opportunities to strengthen LSU’s résumé. So, LSU isn’t completely out of the hunt just yet, but there has to be a real sense of urgency to start stacking wins.

That brings us to tonight’s matchup against Mississippi State. Statistically, the Bulldogs rank near the bottom of the conference in both scoring offense and scoring defense, and they’ve lost five straight games. Still, you can’t overlook Josh Hubbard, who averaged 28 points per game against LSU in two meetings last season. He’s scoring 21 points per game this year, even though he’s coming off a quiet seven-point outing against Vanderbilt.

Despite two losses last week, LSU hung tough with both Kentucky and Arkansas and had chances to win each game. Now it’s about putting everything together and finally breaking through. Tipoff tonight is set for 6 p.m. inside the PMAC.

Switching gears, a lot of you have been asking about softball, so today’s your day. Coach Beth Torina met with reporters yesterday for Media Day, making this the perfect time for our annual preseason primer.

LSU SOFTBALL PRIMER

LSU head softball coach Beth Torina has been quite busy since the disappointing ending to the 2025 season. Eleven new faces make this the most transformed team of her 15 seasons as coach, with several other, more subtle changes, including electing permanent captains for the first time in several years and Torina moving from the third-base coaching box to the dugout full-time.

LSU lost seven players to the transfer portal, including ace pitcher Sydney Berzon in a shocking move one day after being eliminated in its own regional by No. 4 seed Southeastern Louisiana. LSU lost twice to the Lions, forcing a reevaluation and significant change.

“It’s a strong group, and there was a lot of intention in how we designed this roster,” said Torina, whose team is ranked from No. 12 to No. 16 in the various polls. “(Assistant coach) Bryce (Neal) was a voice from the outside of a lot of different things. He challenged us in different ways to develop a roster that provides us strength against any competition we face.”

The Tigers set several offensive records under Neal’s direction of the offense, but none were in the power category. But Torina reached into the transfer portal to snag some major upgrades, including Kentucky infielder Ally Hutchins, Mississippi State shortstop Kylee Edwards and Louisville outfielder Char Lorenz.

Hutchins and Edwards each started more than 100 games combined in their two seasons while Lorenz started 50 as a freshman. Torina sees all three, who bring a power component to their offense, as making an immediate impact.

“I would imagine probably all three in the opening day lineup right off the bat,” Torina said.

Torina already had plenty to build on with senior catcher Maci Bergeron, senior center fielder Jalia Lassiter, and sophomore first baseman Tori Edwards, who happen to be the three captains.

Bergeron, one of the top defensive catchers in the nation, had her best offensive season with nine homers, 49 RBI, and a .364 average. Lassiter fielded splendidly and came on strong at the end of the season, but Tori Edwards was the team’s star. She hit 18 homers with 73 RBI and a .383 average despite being pitched around much of the latter half of the season. She earned freshman All-America honors and is a preseason All American along with being named to multiple watch lists.

Torina is also excited about the preseason play of Sierra Daniel, whom she said is batting “around .800” in practice after 43 starts in 50 games last year, mostly at second base.

The pitching staff is headed up by another freshman All American left hander, Jayden Heavener, who started her LSU career with a perfect game. She struggled with her control but still amassed a 13-5 record with a 2.75 ERA and 152 strikeouts in 119 2/3 innings.

To make up for Berzon’s loss, Torina imports Cece Cellura from San Diego State. A junior, she compiled a 27-14 record and has pitched 260 2/3 career innings. With Oklahoma transfer Patyn Monticelli and holdover Tatum Clopton, among others on the seven-player staff, Torina feels the diversity of styles will make the Tigers a tough matchup for any SEC team.

The season gets underway Thursday of next week at Tiger Park against North Carolina State at 6 p.m. in the Tiger Classic, which includes Nevada, Illinois and Lamar.

LSU BASEBALL COUNTDOWN TO GAME DAY: 16 DAYS

Now, with 16 days until the start of baseball season, it feels only right to look back at LSU’s 16–9 win over West Virginia in Game 1 of last season’s Baton Rouge Super Regional for today’s countdown. As many of you will remember, the game featured some incredible fireworks — three home runs, including grand slams from Steven Milam and Josh Pearson.

LSU was actually playing from behind early. Kade Anderson took a scary liner off his pitching arm in the second inning but stayed in the game, and the Mountaineers scratched out a run to take a 1–0 lead. The Tigers finally broke through in the fourth when Derek Curiel launched a three-run homer to give LSU a 3–1 advantage and get the offense rolling. By the way, Curiel safely reached base in all five of his plate appearances that night, but I digress…

The real separation came in the fifth.

After LSU chased West Virginia starter Griffin Kirn and loaded the bases with no outs, Milam stepped to the plate and did what he had done so many times in big spots — he delivered. His grand slam turned a tight game into a commanding one and blew things wide open. It was the swing that put LSU firmly in control.

West Virginia showed some life in the sixth, cutting into the lead, but LSU wasted no time answering. With two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom half of the inning, Pearson crushed a grand slam over the right-field wall. That was the knockout punch, restoring complete control and removing any doubt about how the night was going to end.

Revisit that big win with these video highlights.

Two grand slams in a Super Regional opener isn’t something you see every day, and it was a perfect example of why Milam and Pearson had already built reputations as postseason difference-makers.

Looking ahead, we can’t wait to see what Curiel and Milam do for an encore. And while Josh Pearson has moved on, the power-hitting of his younger brother, John, should give LSU plenty of exciting moments this season.

Sixteen days and counting!

Closing Tidbits:

• Yesterday I mentioned that Garrett Nussmeier, Aaron Anderson and Barion Brown are practicing for this Saturday’s Senior Bowl. Well, later in the day, Nussmeier talked with Jacob Hester and Matt Flynn on ESPN Radio’s Off the Bench and confirmed what all of us could see with our eyes during the season — that he was dealing with an injury that was affecting his throwing motion. “Obviously, with the injury, I couldn’t use my core, so I was throwing without it,” he said. “I’ve gone back to the ground up, finishing throws, rotating through the ball, using my core again. The ball is coming out differently now. It’s been good, just fixing fundamentals.” 

• Lastly, congratulations to former LSU assistant Joe Brady for landing a massive promotion in the NFL on Tuesday morning. The former LSU passing game coordinator has moved from his role as the Buffalo Bills’ offensive coordinator to becoming the team’s new head coach. Brady was an integral part of LSU’s magical 2019 season — the greatest season of all time — and I couldn’t be happier for him.

Enjoy your hump day, Tiger Fans, and head over to our Extra Points for more good reads. Also, if you’ve been meaning to contribute to our annual fundraiser and haven’t yet, there’s no time like the present.