LSU LHP Gage Jump named SEC Pitcher of the Week
BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU left-hander Gage Jump on Monday was named SEC Pitcher of the Week by the league office.
He fired a seven-inning complete game on Friday to lead LSU to a series-opening win at Missouri. He limited Mizzou to one run on three hits with one walk and a career-high 14 strikeouts.
Jump, a product of Aliso, Calif., threw 98 pitches in the outing, 65 for strikes, and he retired 12 of the final 13 batters he faced, including 10 by strikeout.
His 14 strikeouts marked the most by an LSU pitcher since Ty Floyd recorded 17 strikeouts versus Florida last June in the College World Series.
Jump’s seven-inning complete game was the first by an LSU pitcher since Paul Skenes posted a seven-inning complete-game win over Mississippi State on May 13, 2023.
LSU Jay Johnson quotes on Gage Jump
On his performance over the weekend…
“He’s really good and I think we saw that earlier this season when he didn’t give up a run before SEC play,” Johnson said. “We’ve faced a lot of good teams and a lot of good hitters and I’ve never felt like he was that far away. When you look at the box score and see 14 strikeouts, to me it’s less of a surprise and I think he’s poised to continue to pitch well. He’s mixed his pitches in more and he’s suffocated the strike zone which puts a lot of pressure on the batters. It was a really good performance by Gage.”
On Gage settling in…
“It’s just complimentary baseball. When your pitchers are out there giving up zeros and you’re scoring runs, that’s what allows everyone to settle into the game easier. Getting a lead takes pressure off the pitcher and allows them to attack. He had a couple really good weeks. I could sense he was moving in the right direction a few weeks ago.”
LSU is now 25-16 overall and 5-13 in the SEC with a home game against Nicholls State in the mid-week and a home series against Auburn over the weekend, beginning Friday night at Alex Box Stadium. The Tigers look to make a push for the postseason in the final month of the regular season as their pitching continues to lock in behind performances like Jump’s on Friday.
“I’m proud of our team,” Johnson said on Sunday. “We didn’t get off to a great start, but they stayed with it and played with great competitive character. Griffin’s performance on the back end of the game was outstanding. He’s a team-first player, and in four of our five SEC wins, he did exactly what he did today.
“(LSU catcher) Alex Milazzo also played a great game today behind the plate and with his at-bats; he was not going to let our team lose this game.”
