LSU baseball needs a bounce-back weekend.

Still smarting from being swept in three games last weekend at Arkansas, the Tigers will get that chance after consecutive weekends on the road tonight when Missouri (22-12, 5-10 Southeastern Conference) visits Alex Box Stadium.

The Tigers (24-12, 7-8) did break the skid with an 8-4 win over Louisiana-Lafayette Tuesday night.

But LSU needs a lot of things if it is to catch fire and break out of a muddled pack in the mid-section of the treacherous SEC standings.

Long term, head coach Jay Johnson said this week, the Tigers need talent upgrades at several key positions.

Not much he can do about that at the moment — the NCAA transfer portal does have some restrictions.

But for now, the Tigers could use more timely hitting and an occasional cleanly played defensive game.

Even without a dominant series-opening ace — Johnson mentioned former Tigers like Aaron Nola, Alex Lange and Ben McDonald as the type players on his wish list — he said the Tigers pitching has been plenty good enough to win.

“We do have to get those caliber of pitchers back here,” Johnson said.

Senior right-hander Ma’Khail Hilliard (3-0, 3.83 ERA), who’ll start tonight, doesn’t really fit the profile Johnson is looking for, more of a wiley-veteran type with a penchant more for wiggling out of trouble with a hard breaking ball than mowing down batting orders with the heat.

Johnson said he would prefer those Nolas and Langes of the world, but that isn’t helping much right now.

“That is no indictment on him,” Johnson said of Hilliard. “We can win every game Ma’Khail pitches and that’s a good place to be. Ma’Khail is doing an awesome job. He’s giving us a chance to win and that’s the one piece I don’t expect to change … (but) If we want to get to where we want to get, there’s no pathway without getting those types of players.”

Johnson said he’s been pleased with Blake Money (2-3, 4.78) in the middle games of weekend series and, most likely, Samuel Dutton (0-1, 1.90) in the third games. A deep bullpen has been the strength of the team.

“Pitching for the most part (has been) good,” Johnson said. “They just have to continue to throw strikes and put us into position.”

Missouri took two of three at home against Kentucky last weekend.

“There are some good things,” Johnson said. “That’s why I go back to how we play, not who we play. In this league, we can beat anybody and we can be beat by anybody. Keeping our players in the right frame of mind is the only path towards success.”