Postgame Quotes: Johnson, Anderson talk LSU win over Arkansas

LSU sophomore left-hander Kade Anderson delivered a brilliant effort on the mound Saturday night, lifting the Tigers to a 4-1 win over Arkansas in the opening round of the College World Series at Charles Schwab Field.

After the game, head coach Jay Johnson, left-handed pitcher Kade Anderson, and freshman star Derek Curiel talked about the win and what’s ahead for this team as it pushes for a title.

Opening statement

Jay Johnson: “Great win for our team. Outstanding performance against a great team in Arkansas. Start with Kade — outstanding performance, what we’ve been accustomed to on the opening night of every weekend this year. I thought he got stronger as the game went along. He executed pitches at a really high level, which you have to do against that offense.

I thought the bullpen was great. Chase came in with a man on base, executed, got two strikeouts right there, and then we got the line drive. Kasein showed great poise in the ninth, especially after giving up the single to Davalon.

Offensively, we did just enough. Really good job by Luis drawing a walk, Derek falling down 0-2 and drawing a walk, then great bunt by Danny. Chris stayed within himself, not trying to do too much, moving the ball to the outfield. We got another free base with the hit-by-pitch, and then Josh again moved the ball against a tough left-hander to get three. Big hit by Derek there in the eighth inning. As usual, really good defense by our team tonight. Good performance. Now we’ll get ready for Monday.”

LSU players

Kade, obviously last week you were not happy with your performance. Can you speak about the grind of the last two games and where you get the strength to overcome early hiccups and battle through?

Anderson: “Yeah, that’s part of the game. You don’t take those for granted — it’s a learning lesson. Having that experience and learning from that outing was huge. Coach Jesse and I went through it and found a plan for next week to be better. I just took it all in. It was a really cool moment, but honestly, I’m just excited to win. That’s all that matters.”

Kade, you pitched a great game today — seven innings and held the Razorbacks to one run. Do you expect to pitch again this tournament? Do you have energy left after that performance?

Anderson: “I completely expect to pitch again. Obviously that’s not up to me, that’s up to Coach, but I want to pitch again. This is a really cool moment for our team, and we’ll be ready to go.”

Kade, as a kid growing up in Louisiana, you probably dreamed of this moment. How did you not let it get too big for you?

Anderson: “Just taking it all in. That’s why you come here. I’m really proud of our team. At the end of the day, all that matters is winning. Doesn’t matter the stat line or how the paper looks — we won the game, that’s all I care about.”

Kade, [LSU] faced Arkansas earlier this season. What did you learn from that game that you took into tonight?

Anderson: “I take every outing with a grain of salt. You look back a little bit, but every week is different. They prepare differently, we prepare differently. You just keep learning — live in the classroom — that’s the best part of it.”

What’s your opinion on Kade’s performance? Also, you’ve had big postseason hits off lefties. Can you describe what’s working for you against left-handers in these moments?

Curiel: “Kade’s been great. Super happy for him — great teammate. I’ve looked up to him a lot; we played together when we were younger. He used to swing it pretty good too! He just competes his butt off — really proud of him.

As for me, I’ve just been working in the cage. Baseball’s a game of failure — I try my best to stay in there on lefties. Chief and I worked on keeping my shoulder in and staying on balls. Just having fun, learning from mistakes, and getting better every day.”

Derek, Arkansas threw some good arms at you today. Talk about the patience it took and your approach at the plate.

Curiel: “Trusting myself with two strikes, whether I’m taking or swinging. I know my hand-eye coordination can handle it. Even when I go down 0-2 — probably my two ugliest swings of the year — I just stay confident and stick to my approach.”

You may see Arkansas again. What did you learn tonight that helps you if that happens?

Anderson: “We treat every game like a playoff and we’ll be ready. We’ve faced them four times and like the results we’ve had. Like Coach Johnson says, we’re not playing Arkansas, we’re playing the game. That mindset helps a lot.

LSU head coach Jay Johnson

Coach, how do you explain striking out 16 times and still winning? What do you have to do to overcome that?

“I’ve seen it before here. If there’s a pitching staff capable of doing that to us, it’s the one we just faced. Zack Root’s an All-American, Gabe Gaeckle is one of the best in the country, Gibler’s a lefty specialist, and Foutch throws 100 mph. I’m proud of my team for fighting through that.”

Was it about capitalizing on limited opportunities?

“Absolutely. You won’t get many chances against arms like that. We executed well: walk by Luis, walk by Derek, drag bunt by Danny, solid at-bats by Chris, Michael, and Josh. I’ve coached enough games here to know that playing with a lead is huge, and we were able to do that tonight.”

Is winning the first game more important this year?

“I said this the other day — it’s not a death sentence if you lose, it’s a double-elimination tournament. We have good pitching depth, as do the other teams here. We were focused on tonight’s game and will be ready for Monday.

What was your thought process going with Casan in the ninth, knowing he may start later in the tournament?

“We’re playing one of the best teams in America. Top of the order coming up. I liked the strike zone pressure Casan brings. He was efficient, threw 13 pitches. I feel good about where he’s at.”

Coach, can you talk about Derek Curiel’s at-bats tonight?

“The first at-bat was huge — fell down 0-2, battled back to walk. The second walk was great too. And then staying on Gibler’s breaking ball for a big two-out RBI. Derek’s made for these moments, College World Series, Major Leagues someday, he’s got the “it” factor.”

On Kade Anderson’s outing for LSU…

“He has four pitches for strikes and can pivot against any type of hitter, left or right. He’s a tremendous competitor. After his Super Regional outing, he was irritated with himself and got right back to work with Coach YEskie. Those guys are special.”

Were you surprised Dave pulled Zach Root so early? And how much did your offense in the first two innings influence that?

“He’s one of the best pitchers in the country. Dave is one of the best coaches ever, maybe he saw something he didn’t like. He brought in a great arm in Gaeckle. As for us, it probably took an inning for us to settle in with 25,000 people in the stadium and everything else going on.”

Coach, you talked about LSU getting back to its brand of baseball. How did you see that click tonight?

“Maturity. Luis has been an unsung MVP — excellent behind the plate and at-bat. Derek’s 0-2 to walk was huge. Danny laid down a perfect drag bunt. Chris stayed on his pitch, Michael took the hit-by-pitch, and Josh did exactly what we needed. Just enough to win — that’s LSU baseball.”