Dylan Crews, Jacob Berry Just Two Pieces of Potentially Explosive LSU Baseball Offense
As LSU begins fall ball for the 2021 baseball season, the Tigers have a chance to be a special hitting team. The names alone will make opposing SEC pitching staffs shudder.
Dylan Crews, Tre Morgan, Cade Doughty, Gavin Dugas and Jacob Berry will make for one of the most dominant cores in college baseball but it's how the Tigers fill out the rest of the lineup that will ultimately dictate the success of this group. The core four from last season were usually enough to keep LSU in most games, coming off seasons where they combined for 205 of the teams 384 total RBI and 56 of the 93 total home runs.
But the addition of Berry, who hit for .352 with 17 home runs and 70 RBI, will propel this unit to new heights.
"I really believe we're gonna have one of the best lineups in the country next year," Crews said. "Having Berry come over here usually never happens. Happy to have him be a part of this lineup. I really think having him come in really just puts the pieces together."
Berry followed Johnson from Arizona so he's in a bit of a unique situation where he already knows the system, knows the coaching style better than anyone on the roster. In the early stages he was asked by his new teammates just what to expect with Johnson and his coaching style and Berry shot his teammates straight.
"Obviously being the new kid is a little bit different," Berry said. "A lot of what coach Johnson has taught me and what everybody's been asking me is how he approaches the game. He is way prepared more than any coach I've met. I was asked how practice is ran, how is he on this? I gave it to them straight, this is how he does things and this is how he likes it and a lot of guys have bought in already.
"He brings the energy, has the right focus and brings the right mentality to where we want to be for the rest of the season," Crews added.
Johnson told LSU Country earlier this fall that the development of shortstop Jordan Thompson was one of the initial takeaways he had in terms of returning talent to the roster. LSU will also welcome transfer catcher Tyler McManus to the group, who comes to Baton Rouge as one of the better hitting catchers on the roster.
He batted .346 with 11 home runs and 53 RBI during the 2021 season, helping guide Samford to its third ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament, losing in the Starkville regional to eventual national champs Mississippi State. Returning sluggers like Cade Beloso, Brody Drost and Drew Bianco will all be competing for playing time, as will freshman Luke Leto, who's impressed in the early stages of fall.
Practice is set to start Friday and begin a series of intrasquad scrimmages that will see the hitters face live hitting for the first time. It's a time for Johnson and this staff to evaluate how players perform in a game like environment.
"Fall ball is very important for our game," Crews said. "Get to see more live pitching, more game like situations. Some personal goals I have is I want to be a better outfielder, faster. I've been working on that everyday."
There are still many of positions up for grabs, mostly catcher, centerfield and a few critical infield positions. But whoever winds up winning these battles, the offensive firepower will be there.
"You could put this upside down, flip us around. You could put this lineup however you want, it will produce," Crews said.