Q&A: Jay Johnson, LSU players reflect on 11-0 win over Kentucky

LSU started the morning off with a dominant 11-0 win over Kemtucky on Wednesday behind a no-hit effort from Luke Holman and grand slams from Jared Jones and Tommy White.

The Tigers improved to 38-20 on the year and 15-17 in SEC play. LSU returns to the field Thursday at 4:30 p.m. CT to take on the winner of South Carolina versus Arkansas in their third game of the SEC Tournament. The contest will be broadcast on the SEC Network, and it can be heard on the LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates.

Here’s everything LSU said after the win.

LSU head coach Jay Johnson

Opening statement

“Great win for our team against one of the best teams in the country. I don’t think anyone has been more consistent than Kentucky from the start of the year to the end of the year. Our guys were ready to play and it starts on the mound. Just like yesterday, we had one of the best pitchers in the country in Luke Holman and he continues to prove that over and over again. Great at bat from JAred. He did a good job of slowing the game down and he saw the game well throughout the day with a few really good at bats, then in the [grand slam] at bat, he had two strikes, but he’s so strong he just has to be behind it a little bit. Great performance from the team and really excited to play tomorrow afternoon.”

On pulling Holman after the sixth…

“Yea there was no shot he was going back out there. He was at 100 pitches and I was looking at 80-95 as my target, then he got those two quick outs in the sixth. He’s one of the best pitchers I’ve ever had and he got through that inning after we made an error, then he got a quick inning the next inning, and a quick inning the next inning.”

On Holman’s make up…

“He’s special. I’ve been fortunate with Paul then Luke this year. It’s deeper with him as a cancer survivor as a little kid, so when you put into context a game you need to win in college baseball versus what he went through and overcame, it’s not surprising. His poise, presence, mound demeanor, maturity, is as good as anybody else I had. He’s going to pitch for a long time. I love it too because some people have more on the fastball or are better in the metrics, but nobody is better at getting outs than him.”

On patience and waiting for this run…

“I believed in our team. Last summer was critical. You look at the last two days when we won the national championship on Monday night and then Saturday I was with Holman in North Carolina then two days later I was in California with Gage. I knew we had to retool and I believed with those two, we’re going to be one of the best teams in the country. Now, on the position player side, it took a lot of retooling. Last year was one of the best offenses in modern college baseball history. Tommy is the only one who played wire to wire from that team. Then the schedule we had was the real deal – that’s win No. 20 against top 45 RPI teams. That didn’t do us any favors as this team was trying to find its way in SEC play. We pushed them hard, tried to get through that, then we got to the point that no matter what happens, we’re going to remain positive because I did believe in this team. In this league, you always have a chance if you just stay with it and that’s what these guys did and we’re playing better than anybody right now.”

Braswell to the lead off spot…

“Michael has had a terrific year offensively for us. We made a lot of adjustments when he moved here. He had a good fall and it took him some time to work through some of those things. He was taking quality at bats and I love the energy he plays with. We brought him here because I liked the way he played, that was the whole impotence of it. It wasn’t the analytics or stats, I just liked the way he played. He’s now got 500+ college at bats under his belt. He’s getting on base. He’s hitting the ball with some authority and playing with a ton of confidence. That’s what you want out of a table setter.”

How big was it to see Jared hit that home run?

“It was important. As soon as they moved up on the wild pitch passed ball, I knew they were going to walk Tommy. The thing I like about that is there’s not a lot of margin for error missing outside the zone and he punishes you when you’re in the zone. His at bats were good today. After the strikeout, I tried to get him reset and visualize success he had early in the season. Really proud of him.”

Pitching plan…

“We set the table on this at the same time. Part of it was an encouragement to the team saying everything is still in front of us. It was like OK look at [the two pitchers] and I’’l take our chances against anybody with those two on the mound. Anybody. I felt good about where we stood coming into this thing and now there’s not question about where we’re at and what we’re capable of, the quality of the team, the eye test, that’s all there. We went through a tough stretch against some of the best teams in the country, that’s all this year has been is a blip. But they’ve dominated the non-conference schedule. They played great in the back end of the SEC schedule and they’re off to a great start in postseason play and it starts with those two on the mound.”

LSU RHP Luke Holman

What was working…

“I’d say my ability to mix. My fastball can be shaky sometimes, but even when I was behind in count, I was able to mix and stay in the zone.”

On having a no-hitter…

“I don’t think about that at all. Each inning is its own. I don’t worry about the stats.”

Preparing for this start…

“You have to know how many days until you get on the mound, so you have to be smart the whole week. I took rest days and lifted differently, then once I get on the mound it’s gametime.”

Feeling on four days of rest and early start…

“It’s big to stay strong mentally, so I was able to battle through that, go to sleep early, and get my body ready.”

LSU 1B Jared Jones

What clicked in that at-bat…

“I don’t know if anything clicked in that at-bat. Coach Johnson pulled me to the side when I struck out in my second at-bat and said ‘get back to seeing the ball and being in character in the box’, and that’s something I lost focus of the past couple of games. Just going up there with a clear mind, getting a pitch up in the zone and being able to put a swing on it.”

How did that ball feel coming off your bat?

“It felt good. I was just trying to make sure it was fair. I hook a lot of balls to the pull-side, so for me to backspin a ball felt good. To break that game open and give ourselves a chance to run rule them and save some pitching is huge and we’re looking to build off that tomorrow.”