Tigers Improve to 5-0 with Run-Rule Win over Nicholls

While most of us were hard at work at our 9-5, the LSU Baseball team improved to 5-0 with a good ole fashion mid-afternoon beating over Nicholls 12-1. Nicholls drew first blood with its lone run in the top half of the first, but LSU answered right back with a five-spot in the home half of the inning.

Trent Caraway had the highlight of the afternoon with a first inning grand slam, his first home run wearing the purple and gold. TC BOMB 💣 @TrentCaraway | SECN + pic.twitter.com/rmPEkVlP8Z — LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) February 18, 2026 Wednesday was a bullpen day for LSU, with five different pitchers taking the mound and none of them threw more than 40 pitches.

Zac Cowan got the start and was credited with his first win of the season; Cowan only pitched 1.1 innings, giving up three hits, an earned run, a walk, and struck out a pair. Nicholls wouldn’t get a hit off of the last four Tiger pitchers to take the mound (though they did walk five and hit another).

Dax Dathe and Santiago Garcia made their second appearances of the season, while freshmen Zion Theophilus and Reagen Ricken made their LSU debuts. Ricken was especially good, pitching the final three innings and only allowing one base runner. The freshmen righty was credited with the first save of his collegiate career. Leading 9-1 in the eighth, John Pearson called game.

Pearson was brought on to pinch hit and took the first offering he saw deep to left field for a walk-off, run-rule win. Tigers win! Tigers win! pic.twitter.com/C852tE898x — LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) February 18, 2026 Through five games the defending national champions haven’t really been threatened. LSU’s won by run rule in three of the five games and have scored 10 or more runs four times.

We ought to get a better idea of LSU’s quality this weekend in Jacksonville, as the Tigers are heading off to Florida for the Jax College Classic. LSU will play Indiana on Friday, Notre Dame on Saturday, and UCF on Sunday, with all three games being carried exclusively through D1 Baseball. Streaming access may be purchased over at D1 Baseball for $30. Next stop, Jacksonville Next stop, Jacksonville