STARKVILLE, Miss. — The last three weeks have been historically poor for LSU baseball.

For the first time in program history, the Tigers have been swept in back-to-back-to-back three-game series. It’s also the first time they’ve been swept in three consecutive series of any kind since 1966, when they dropped three straight two-game sets to Ole Miss, Tulane and Mississippi State.

This weekend, Mississippi State completed the trio of sweeps over LSU by winning 10-8 in 11 innings on Friday, 9-8 on Saturday and 13-8 on Sunday.

Here are five takeaways from another rough series for the Tigers.

The youth movement is here

LSU coach Jay Johnson has always played freshmen more often than most, but the last four games have been a different story.

Four freshmen have cracked the starting lineup in each of the last four games. And on Sunday, Johnson turned to a freshman to start on the mound: right-hander Marcos Paz.

Paz struggled in his first career start in Southeastern Conference play, giving up three earned runs and walking three batters in three innings. But the four positional players all showed promise throughout the weekend, and two of them were arguably LSU’s two best players during the series.

First baseman Mason Braun and catcher Omar Serna carried the Tigers’ offense on Sunday, and both sluggers were exceptional on Friday and Saturday. Serna homered in all three games and drove in six runs. Braun smacked a triple on Sunday and reached base 10 times in the series.

The duo went a combined 15 for 27 against the Bulldogs and hit first (Braun) and second (Serna) in the lineup on Sunday. They weren’t just young players getting a chance; they had earned Johnson’s trust.

“You could argue they’re our two best hitters on the team right now,” Johnson said on Sunday. “… That is a positive. That’s a silver lining.”

The two other freshmen who got their chance were William Patrick and Jack Ruckert. Patrick started in place of the injured Jake Brown in right field. An ankle injury to fifth-year senior Seth Dardar and the struggles of a trio of veterans — junior Trent Caraway, fifth-year senior Tanner Reaves and senior Brayden Simpson — opened the door for Ruckert at second base.

Both freshmen showed flashes of promise. Ruckert notched hits on Friday and Saturday while playing with more confidence on defense than he did at the beginning of the year. Patrick hit a go-ahead run-scoring single in the ninth inning on Friday.

Neither rookie was perfect. Ruckert committed an error on Saturday and Sunday, and Patrick went 0 for 7 over the last two games of the series. But there were bound to be highs and lows for two players who hadn’t started an SEC game before this weekend.

“Guys like Jack Ruckert (and) Mason Braun, they’ve hit more baseballs (in the batting cages) than I think I’ve ever seen anybody hit in my life,” redshirt junior Eddie Yamin said. “They are in there all day, every day.”

At this point in the season, they’re LSU’s best options to win games.

“It’s what we need to do right now,” Johnson said on Saturday when asked about starting so many freshmen. “I don’t think I’ve ever said that in my entire coaching career.”

Evans’ injury changed the series

Without sophomore right-hander Casan Evans, Johnson couldn’t do much to prevent Mississippi State’s bats from teeing off on LSU’s pitching.

The Tigers, which were already down a starter with junior right-hander Cooper Moore out for the year, had to scratch Evans from his start on Friday less than an hour before the game due to arm discomfort. His absence not only affected LSU that day, but it started a negative cascading effect for the rest of the weekend.

Saturday starter and sophomore right-hander William Schmidt only lasted four innings, and Paz on Sunday gave LSU even less length as the starter. That left the bullpen to throw 17 innings over the course of the series, since the Tigers’ eventual starter on Friday (redshirt junior right-hander Gavin Guidry) only lasted 2⅔ innings.

Paz and Guidry starting also took away two arms that could’ve been used later in Friday or Sunday’s games.

“It was going to be a challenge anyways,” Johnson said. “I think if (Evans) can pitch, which he would only do if he’s healthy, I think it’s a different series. I really believe that.”

The result of only having one true starter (Schmidt) during the series forced Johnson to use relievers in roles they weren’t equipped to fill. That’s how LSU blew a 7-3 lead on Friday, a five-run advantage on Saturday and two three-run leads on Sunday.

“You get in trouble when you have to ask guys to do more than maybe they should do,” Johnson said. “And we had to do that this weekend, and it didn’t help.”

What’s up with Cooper Williams and Mavrick Rizy?

On LSU’s national championship team, Williams and Rizy showed promise as freshman contributors. Williams tossed big innings in relief to help LSU survive in the regional, and Rizy led the team in appearances.

But neither arm has taken a step forward in their sophomore campaigns. If anything, they’ve regressed.

Williams gave up a game-tying grand slam on Saturday and has a 7.47 ERA. Rizy’s ERA is only 3.86, but he’s already hit three more batters than he did last season and has issued 22 free passes in 18⅔ innings. He allowed four hits on Sunday while only recording two outs.

“To be clear, I believe in those guys’ talent,” Johnson said. “I think Cooper has probably missed over the middle of the plate a little too much.

“(With) Mavrick, I think he got hit today. I think the misses are a little bigger than you want. And so when a ball gets over the plate, the velocity and stuff doesn’t play up. There’s no deception when one’s clearly out of the zone, and one’s clearly in the zone.”

Are there any other freshmen or sophomores who deserve more opportunities?

LSU has fully leaned into its youth movement, but a few young players may still warrant a closer look as the Tigers approach the final three weekends of the regular season.

Sophomore left-hander Danny Lachenmayer had his best outing as a Tiger on Saturday, tossing two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. The North Dakota State transfer hasn’t always shown the best command, but he has the lowest ERA on the team. Perhaps more opportunities are in store for him after this week.

Freshman Ethan Clauss made a critical mistake as a defensive replacement against Ole Miss last weekend, but the Las Vegas native is still a good athlete and was the No. 2 player in Nevada coming out of high school, per Perfect Game.

Finding time in the lineup for Clauss may be difficult with Ruckert at second base, but perhaps he could plug LSU’s current hole at third base.

Right-handed freshman Reagan Ricken recorded two outs on Sunday, but that was only his third appearance in SEC play. He’s had trouble honing in on his control, but Ricken clearly has talent. He was the No. 121-ranked prospect in the MLB Draft last summer, according to ESPN.

Along with Paz, Ricken could be in line for an SEC start next Sunday against South Carolina.

When will LSU break the losing streak?

The Tigers’ series this weekend vs. South Carolina couldn’t have come at a better time.

The Gamecocks have a better record in SEC play than LSU (they’re 7-14 after two wins over Kentucky), but they’re still the weakest team on the Tigers’ conference schedule, and the series is back home at Alex Box Stadium.

Especially if Evans isn’t available, a sweep over the Gamecocks seems unlikely. But if Evans returns and the bats produce as they did against Mississippi State, then LSU will have a good chance of winning the series and improving the overall morale of its clubhouse.