This time last year, Michael Braswell was wearing a South Carolina jersey in Hoover. On Thursday night, Gamecock fans wish he was still in the program as he hit the game-winning RBI to beat them for LSU. A full-circle moment for Braswell, he continues his great run in Hoover at the SEC Baseball Tournament.
Chris Veach was on the mound at the time for South Carolina, somebody who nearly exclusively threw changeups. Everybody in the LSU lineup was sitting on the pitch, waiting for their moment. Veach maybe lost the play on the pitch before Braswell’s hit, throwing the lone fastball of the at-bat.
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“We knew it was all changeups,” Braswell said during a postgame interview with SEC Network. “I think it was 100% changeups the whole time he was pitching, I was looking for it the whole time. He tried to sneak me with a fastball. As soon as he threw that, I said ‘There’s no way he’s throwing that again.’ He threw me the changeup, he threw it up, and I got the barrel to it.”
Braswell connected with the pitch and sent it down the left field line. Jake Brown was able to score easily from third base and gave LSU an 11-10 lead in what wound up being the final score.
The offensive numbers have not always been great for Braswell. Nonconference opponents were able to carve him up in the worst way possible. Braswell has come a long way since SEC play began and is a huge reason why LSU is trending in the right direction.
In three games in Hoover, Braswell has five hits and four RBIs. He gave credit to head coach Jay Johnson for helping his approach as the season progressed, making sure the right pitch was coming before swinging away.
“A lot of that is due to Coach Johnson,” Braswell said. “When I decided to transfer here, a lot of it was about my approach and about my hitting… I struggled early. I hit like one something in nonconference. And then once we got to conference, it was about swinging at the right pitches and not swinging at pitcher’s pitches. If you make pitchers throw you your pitch, you’re going to be successful more times than not.”
Thanks to Braswell, LSU will now get to enjoy their Friday at the SEC Baseball Tournament. No game will be played as they are through to the semifinal round, awaiting their opponent.
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