The start of career at wasnโt sharp, to say the least.
After his first four outings, the right-hander had more walks (seven) than innings pitched (5โ
). Fastball command was a problem, and breaking balls were flying out of his hand and landing in places that werenโt near the strike zone. It wasnโt pretty.
His struggles didn’t come as a shock. Despite his high standing as a draft prospect — last summer, he was the No. 103 player in ’s draft rankings — he missed his entire senior year to Tommy John surgery. He was a young arm that needed extra time to develop.
Thatโs why few couldโve guessed where Paz finds himself now, starting against South Carolina and allowing one hit in five innings on Saturday, leading the Tigers to a 7-3 win โ and a series victory โ in Game 2 of a doubleheader at Alex Box Stadium. They won the first game of the doubleheader 6-1.
โHeโs a stud,โ LSU coach Jay Johnson said. โJust trying to bring him along the right way. Iโve said this a few times: he hadnโt pitched in a real game in 18 months. We were still rebooting him in the fall and even early in the season.
โAnd then thereโs an adjustment to this. Itโs not high school baseball in Texas. Itโs just not.โ
Paz surrendered a solo home run in the first inning to center fielder Tyler Bak, but he allowed just three baserunners for the rest of his outing. He struck out eight batters and consistently fooled South Carolinaโs right-handed heavy lineup with breaking balls low and away.
His development hasnโt been a straight line, but Pazโs improvement has been undeniable since LSU began conference play. He has a 4.50 ERA and 25 strikeouts in the 18 innings heโs thrown since LSUโs SEC-opening series at Vanderbilt.
โJust landing the offspeed, I think, is a big thing for me,โ Paz said. โWhether itโs the slider or curveball, just stealing strikes or getting weak contact and then, once you get ahead in the count, just finish the batter when you can.
โI feel like I did that pretty well today.โ
For all his promise, finding a spot in the rotation for Paz next season may be difficult. Sophomore right-handers Casan Evans and William Schmidt are on track to return. Junior right-hander Cooper Moore, due to his season-ending injury, may come back for another season as well.
But any freshman progress is a good sign for LSU, given its subpar record and the amount of turnover set to take place with the roster this offseason. Pazโs improvement is a major development for the Tigers, regardless of his role next season.
โItโs all there,โ Johnson said. โAnd I think the last two weeks you can clearly see that.โ
As Paz continued to post zeroes, LSUโs offense started chipping away at the South Carolina lead in the middle innings. The Tigers scored a run in the third and fourth innings, but broke it open in the fifth. They put three runs on the board thanks to a two-run home run from freshman Mason Braun and a bloop single from fifth-year senior Seth Dardar that drove in another run.
LSU led 5-1 after Dardarโs hit, allowing the Tigers to cruise to the finish line. Braun drove in three runs by the end of the night. Freshman Omar Serna went 3 for 4 with a double, and sophomore Cade Arrambide was 3 for 5 with a solo homer in the seventh inning that traveled 401 feet.
LSU and South Carolina finish up their three-game series on Sunday at Alex Box Stadium. First pitch is set for 2 p.m., and the game will be available to stream on SEC Network+.