If you're ready to turn the page on this LSU baseball season, you're not alone. The Tigers dropped Game One of their series against Florida on Thursday night in a slugfest that ended 11-8—a score that tells the story of a team that just can't seem to catch a break.

Florida (35-18, 16-12 SEC) came out swinging, putting up six runs in the first inning alone. The big blow came from Ethan Surowiec, who launched a grand slam to left field. By the time LSU recorded its first out, the Gators had already pushed four runs across the plate. It was a hole too deep for the Tigers to climb out of.

"Florida is a good offense with good players, and you can't give them opportunities to score," LSU coach Jay Johnson said. "We essentially gave them four runs without swinging the bat with the free bases."

And there it is—the recurring theme of LSU's 2025 season. Tiger pitching issued 13 walks and threw three wild pitches. Starter Danny Lachenmayer didn't make it out of the first inning. It was the same script we've seen all year: an offense that can score in bunches, but a pitching staff that can't seem to find the strike zone when it matters most.

There was one bright spot on the mound. Freshman Reagan Ricken delivered the best outing of his young career, tossing 4.1 innings of relief. He allowed just four hits and two runs while striking out five. Even more impressive? He didn't walk a single batter (though he did hit one). At one point, Ricken retired eight straight Gators before plunking Hayden Yost. It was the kind of performance LSU desperately needs to build on.

If the Tigers (29-25, 9-19 SEC) want to salvage this series—or make any kind of improbable run to the SEC Tournament in Hoover—they'll have to lean on their offense. And lately, the bats have woken up. The top five in LSU's lineup—Braun, Serna, Curiel, Arrambide, and Milam—combined for 10 of the team's 12 hits. Steven Milam had a three-hit day, including a home run in the sixth. Serna added a double and his ninth homer of the season.

"We feel like the strength of our team is the offense at the top of the order," Johnson said, "and the first five guys in the lineup did the job again tonight with 10 of our 12 hits."

Game Two is set for Friday at 6:30 P.M., with Marcos Paz expected to get the start. Whether LSU can turn things around remains to be seen—but if you're a fan, you might want to keep a lucky jersey handy.