Tommy 'Tanks' White shines in LSU baseball's series sweep over Alabama

BATON ROUGE — No. 1 LSU baseball earned its second consecutive series sweep against SEC competition on Sunday, coming back from a four-run deficit to beat Alabama, 13-11.

Dylan Crews and Jordan Thompson led the charge on Sunday with a home run and two hits apiece, as Jared Jones and Paxton Kling also blasted balls out of the park. Riley Cooper then closed out the game for LSU (35-8, 15-5 SEC) with 2⅓ innings pitched.

LSU also won Friday, 8-6, and had its largest comeback of the year Saturday, winning 12-8 after trailing 6-1 in the third inning.

Here's a recap of this weekend's series against the Crimson Tide (30-15, 9-12).

Tommy White has lived up to the hype

The expectations were through the roof when Tommy White transferred to LSU this offseason. But all the NC State transfer has done is produce his first year in Baton Rouge.

Entering Sunday's game, White led the nation in RBIs with 70 and owned a 1.217 on-base plus slugging percentage. He also had a 172 wrC+, which means he is 72% above league average in his ability to create runs. And despite his power he also almost never strikeouts, having struck out on 10.6% of his plate appearances entering Sunday

He leads the team in home runs after blasting a solo home run Friday and a three-run shot Saturday. On Sunday, he had another hit and an RBI.

"I was just locked into one pitch instead of trying to hit everything," White said Saturday.

His defense hasn't been Gold Glove-worthy, but White has lived up to his reputation as one of the best hitters in the nation. And he isn't even draft-eligible this summer.

The bullpen steps up on Saturday

LSU's bullpen has been a sore spot since the start of SEC play. And it was again Friday when the Tigers surrendered five runs in the eighth and ninth innings to turn a comfortable 8-1 lead into an 8-6 nail-bitter.

But when coach Jay Johnson needed the bullpen to step up Saturday after Ty Floyd allowed six earned runs in 2⅔ innings pitched, the unit was up to the task.

LSU's relievers Sam Dutton, Javen Coleman, Blake Money, Nate Ackenhausen, Gavin Guidry, Cooper and Thatcher Hurd combined to allow just three hits and two earned runs in 6⅓ innings pitched.

Coleman and Hurd particularly stood out, as the former struck out six batters in 2⅓ innings while the latter had his best outing against SEC play, closing out the game without allowing a hit in 1⅔ innings pitched.

"It was great work," Johnson said Saturday. "It was very reminiscent of 2022, to be honest with you."

With Floyd's inconsistent performances and Little's control issues Sunday, performances like Saturday's for LSU's bullpen will need to happen more often.

Who is LSU's best left-handed option?

Unlike last year, LSU has a wealth of left-handed options out of the bullpen this season.

With Coleman now healthy, LSU has four left-handed relievers, including Cooper, Ackenhausen and Griffin Herring. Each has had its highs this season, but none has demonstrated a level of consistency that would separate him from the rest of the pack.

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Herring has been Johnson's go-to option on Fridays after Skenes, but he allowed five earned runs against Alabama. Ackenhausen has a sub-3 ERA and Coleman had a great outing Saturday, but neither has thrown much against SEC play, and Ackenhausen gave up four hits and two earned runs Sunday.

Cooper has struggled for most of the year, although he has been better in shorter spurts against left-handed hitting and pitched well Sunday.

Herring is LSU's top option for the moment. But before the regionals start, Johnson will need to find a more permanent answer.

"They're all good, that's the thing," Johnson said Sunday. "It's not just four left-handers, its four really good pitchers."

Hayden Travinski's continued ascension

After being the hero last Sunday against Ole Miss, Hayden Travinski earned his third start of the year Saturday and took advantage of it.

Travinski blasted a three-run home run in the sixth inning that turned LSU's two-run deficit into a one-run lead. The Tigers never looked back after his blast in the win.

Serving as LSU's third-string catcher for most of the year, Travinski's power has added a different dimension to the Tigers' lineup.

Koki Riley covers LSU sports for The Daily Advertiser. Email him at kriley@theadvertiser.com and follow him on Twitter at @KokiRiley.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU baseball: Alabama series sweep takeaways, Tommy 'Tanks' White