LSU, Oklahoma Show Off Upside At Shriners College Classic

Image credit: Daniel Cabrera (Getty Images)

HOUSTON – No. 14 Louisiana State features significant power both on the mound and in the lineup. In its first game of the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic on Friday in Houston, it brought that power to bear against Texas.

Righthanders Cole Henry and Jaden Hill were electric, combining to strike out 16 batters, and Daniel Cabrera and Saul Garza, the Tigers’ four- and five-hole hitters, blasted balls to the far corners of Minute Maid Park to lead the offense. Together, they helped lead LSU to a 4-3 victory.

“We got a big swing from Daniel Cabrera,” coach Paul Mainieri said. “We got two big swings tonight – Saul Garza crushed that ball off the wall. It was a really good baseball game.

“I can’t remember the last time we struck our opponents out 16 times. When you run arms like Cole Henry and Jaden Hill out there it’s pretty exciting to watch. That was a fun time to be on this side of the field, having those two guys throwing for you.”

LSU (7-3) is still rounding into form offensively and finding its best lineup, but it has an exciting mix of power and athleticism throughout its roster. It showcased its power Friday, first in the second inning when Garza tripled off the wall in left-center field to score Cabrera and take an early lead. Cabrera, a first-team Preseason All-American, flexed his own muscle in the sixth when he drove a two-run home run deep to right field to give the Tigers the lead.

Cabrera, a projected first-round pick in June, finished the night 3-for-4. He’s hitting .343/.467/.571 with five stolen bases and will be counted on all season to anchor the lineup.

Friday was Cabrera’s third straight multi-hit game and it seems like he’s heating up at the plate. Mainieri said Cabrera is getting more comfortable with his role as a leader for the Tigers.

“He’s becoming more of a leader with each passing day,” Mainieri said. “The best way he can lead is by hitting balls into the seats. I think Daniel has grown up a lot as a person and as a player.”

LSU’s dynamic duo of Henry and Hill, both sophomores, also did some growing up Friday. Henry was outstanding out of the chute Friday and struck out five straight batters after giving up a leadoff single. His fastball was up to 96 mph and was overpowering Texas’ hitters.

But Henry hit trouble in the third inning, starting with a leadoff home run from DJ Petrinsky. He labored through the inning, throwing 35 pitches and Mainieri said he came close to taking his starter out of the game.

Henry righted the ship, however. After the first two batters in the fourth inning reached, he responded by retiring nine straight batters – striking out four – to finish his outing.

“I hit my second wind in the fourth inning and the everything felt great,” Henry said. “First inning my fastball felt great, had good command of the fastball. Then in the third and fourth inning it was spotty a little bit. Fifth and sixth it felt great.

“Hopefully I can build off that and get after it next week.”

Hill followed Henry with three electric innings. The sophomore struck out six batters – including the first three he faced – and allowed just one to reach base, on a walk. His fastball reached 98 mph and he mixed in a hard, biting slider and a changeup. He also throws a cutter but didn’t need it Friday.

Henry and Hill room together on the road and Henry said Hill told him Thursday night that if he took care of the first seven innings, Hill would close out the final two. It nearly went exactly according to their informal script, as they made life difficult for the Longhorns hitters.

“It’s a pretty good combination of arms when you run Henry and then Jaden out there,” Mainieri said. “I think Jaden’s going to continue to get better and better and by the end of next year, his junior year, he’s going to be one of the top guys in the draft, in my opinion.”

Hill was a top-100 prospect in the 2018 draft but opted to attend LSU and was one of the headliners of the Tigers’ top-ranked recruiting class that fall. He figured to play a big role on last year’s team, but elbow discomfort sidelined him almost all season.

Hill said the time he spent sidelined taught him a lot about himself, both mentally and physically. Most of all, it taught him not to take any moments for granted.

He certainly took advantage of his opportunity Friday, pitching on the big stage of the Shriners College Classic in front of 15,735 fans. He joked the moment wasn’t too big for him because he had pitched at Minute Maid Park a couple times before – in MLB The Show.

“I felt amazing going out there,” Hill said. “The crowd here, amazing fans. We had a lot of fans here so they just kept me going and I knew I couldn’t back down.”

Hill looked the part of big leaguer on Friday night. He has the most upside on LSU’s staff, but right now Mainieri wants to be cautious with Hill as he works his way back from last year’s injury. Hill is still building up his stamina and against Texas threw 36 pitches in three innings, his longest outing of the season.

No matter what role Hill settles into this year – bullpen ace, closer, starter – he’ll be a difference maker for LSU.

“I’ve seen it several times, that kid is a special talent,” Mainieri said. “He’s got a great arm, he’s a great athlete. He’s not just a thrower, you can see he can pitch. He’s got a good slider, he’s got a good changeup, he’s also got a cutter and he throws them all for strikes.”

It was an all-around encouraging night for LSU. Playing under the bright lights with a lineup littered with freshman and sophomores, the Tigers didn’t blink. After already showing some early-season growing pains it was a powerful performance that showed just how high their ceiling can be.

Oklahoma Pitching Quiets Potent Arkansas Offense

No. 9 Arkansas came into this weekend in Houston undefeated and averaging 8.1 runs per game. The Razorbacks’ lineup is anchored by first-team Preseason All-Americans Heston Kjerstad and Casey Martin and has the potential to be one of the best in the country.

No. 15 Oklahoma drew the difficult task of facing Arkansas in the first game of the Shriners College Classic, but its pitchers didn’t seem to be particularly bothered by the challenge. The trio of Cade Cavalli, Wyatt Olds and Jason Ruffcorn combined to hold the Razorbacks to three runs, their lowest total of the season, and the Sooners went on to a 6-3 victory.

Cavalli, the Sooners’ ace and a Preseason All-American, was excellent at the start of the gate. He struck out nine of the first 15 batters of the game and was running his fastball up to 97 mph. But Arkansas did get to him in the fifth inning, showing off both its quick-strike ability and depth of its offense when Robert Moore and Jacob Nesbit, its eight- and nine-hole hitters, hit back-to-back home runs to score three runs.

Still, Cavalli struck out a career-high 11 batters in five innings and showed off the power stuff that has him projected to be a top-two rounds pick in June. Listed at 6-foot-4, 218 pounds, he has a powerful arm and mixes in a good, hard slider.

Oklahoma coach Skip Johnson said Cavalli’s fastball command and slider were the key to his success Friday.

“Fastball command and his breaking ball were real good,” Johnson said. “When you have a good arm with fastball command, they have to try to cheat to the breaking ball and his breaking ball was outstanding.”

The Sooners showed the depth of their staff when Johnson went to the bullpen. Sophomore righthander Wyatt Olds followed with three scoreless innings and struck out six batters. He ran his fastball up to 94 mph while working from a low slot. Senior closer Jason Ruffcorn, who has a big arm as well, finished the game with a scoreless ninth for his fourth save of the season.

Cavalli, Olds and Ruffcorn combined for 18 strikeouts. Completely shutting down the Razorbacks’ offense this season will be rare, but the Sooners did well to limit free bases by walking two batters, hitting none and playing clean defense.

Friday’s victory showed a clear road map to success for Oklahoma (8-2) this season. Premium starting pitching, strong depth in the bullpen, a shutdown closer, clean defense and timely, consistent offense. If the Sooners keep putting games like that together, they’ll be a force in the Big 12 and beyond.