STARKVILLE — The Louisiana State baseball team”s 11-16 record in the Southeastern Conference record doesn”t reflect how dangerous a threat it poses to Mississippi State”s chances of winning the Western Division title or making the SEC tournament.
The Tigers (34-19) enter tonight”s final SEC regular-season series last in the Western Division, but they have won four in a row and are just two games out of first place. First-pitch for Game 1 is scheduled for 6 p.m. (CSS) at Dudy Noble Field.
LSU started the season 16-1, including a sweep of then No. 6 Cal State Fullerton. The Tigers then dropped five of their first six league games and had their inexperience catch up to them, until recently. LSU earned sweeps in two of its past three SEC series, and has won seven of its last nine league games.
The Tigers” late-season form mirrors that of MSU, which has won eight of its past nine games and is in a four-way tie for first in the division.
“I don”t think LSU has issues; I think the SEC has issues,” MSU coach John Cohen said. “The issues with the SEC is its good, real good. The margin of error from being the number one team in the country to getting beat up in the SEC a little bit is about the size of a human hair.”
LSU”s offense hasn”t been an issue, as the Tigers have five players batting well over .300. Junior Mike Mahtook is hitting a team-high .373 with 51 RBIs.
As a team, the Tigers lead the SEC with 355 runs scored and 315 RBIs.
“If you look at Mike Mahtook, he might be the best player in our league,” Cohen said.
LSU”s young arms — the Tigers have two freshman starters — also draw praise from Cohen, who last year saw his team play 35 games with a freshman starting on the mound.
The Tigers” freshman pitchers haven”t faltered lately, as Kurt McCune, Friday”s starter for this weekend series at Dudy Noble Field, leads the team with a 7-3 record and 3.30 ERA.
LSU is the only team that will start three freshmen in the final week of the regular season.
In Game 2 of the Tigers” series sweep at the University of Tennessee, three freshman pitchers combined to earn the 8-1 win.
Tigers coach Paul Mainieri opted to go with three freshmen last week.
“I”m not trying to prepare for next year. All I care about is beating Tennessee,” Mainieri said. “But I do envision (Saturday”s starter) Ryan Eades being a candidate to be a starter for us next year. He hasn”t started an SEC game, and if he starts a couple at the end of this year, it can help him as we go on to next year.
“Kevin (Gausman) has the stuff to be a Friday night starter in the league. I think this is the time to make the move with him.”
Despite watching their freshman pitchers struggle last season, MSU first baseman Ryan Collins isn”t surprised LSU has regrouped with first-year players on the mound.
“LSU never rebuilds; they just reload,” Collins said.
Players keep focused on LSU
No matter where they go on the Internet or how many ways they calculate it, MSU”s players know there”s myriad ways to make win the SEC”s Western Division and/or clinch a spot in the league tournament.
Breaking it down and analyzing the possible scenarios will only distract the Bulldogs from the easiest way to realize both goals: Sweep LSU.
“We”ve tried looking at it and thinking about it, but we know we”ve got to win these three games against LSU,” MSU shortstop Jonathan Ogden said. “There”s a chance for us to not even get into the tournament, but we”re fighting for first place in the West, and that”s all that”s on our mind. We”ll think about the postseason after that.”
MSU is in a four-way tie for first in the Western Division. Should it sweep LSU and have one of the other three teams lose at least one game, it would win the division for the first time since 1984.
MSU”s last league crown of any kind came in 1989 when it won the SEC regular-season title.
“This is a well-known program. It is surprising (MSU”s title drought),” Ogden said. “I really hope we can pull this weekend off and get back to where we need to be.”
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