Busy weekend starts tonight for LSU against Grambling State
Published 7:00 pm Tuesday, February 27, 2018
<p class="p1">If you’d asked him going in, LSU coach Paul Mainieri probably would have taken — no questions asked — a two-of-three weekend against a ranked Texas team.</p><p class="p1">After all, the Tigers, while trying to settle down a volatile pitching situation, also went into the series missing two position starters for the duration and were down another for Sunday’s game.</p><p class="p1">“I start every weekend just wanting to win one,” Mainieri said. </p><p class="p1">“But when you get the first two, you get a little greedy. You’d like to finish the job on Sunday. We’re still trying to work our way through Sundays.”</p><p class="p1">Overall, he thought it was a productive weekend, with a dominating 13-4 win on Friday followed by a 10-5 victory Saturday when LSU scored the last 10 runs after falling behind 5-0.</p><p class="p1">“But today we just didn’t have it,” he said after Texas won the final game 11-1.</p><p class="p1">He did prefer to look on the bright side.</p><p class="p1">The Tigers did get an elusive “quality start” out righthander Zach Hess in Friday night’s game — a baby step, perhaps, but it’s one more than they’ve had in their other six games early this season.</p><p class="p1">The bullpen continues to be a mixed bag.</p><p class="p1">“We’ve got to keep positive,” Mainieri said. “I knew there was going to be some growing pains. We’re trying different guys and the more they get out there, the better they’ll be.”</p><p class="p1">It will be a busy week for the Tigers (4-3), beginning tonight when they host Grambling in a game featuring throwback uniforms.</p><p class="p1">The Tigers will travel to Hammond to play at Southeastern Louisiana Wednesday, then for the weekend will host Toledo, Sacred Heart and Southeastern.</p><p class="p1">Junior college transfer Cam Sanders, who didn’t record an out in his LSU debut last week in a game the Tigers eventually won 14-6 against UNO, will get the ball again tonight.</p><p class="p1">“It’s time for Cam Sanders to step up,” Mainieri said.</p><p class="p1">“We’ve got 18 innings to play in the middle of the week and we’ve got to get through them somehow. We’re going to hope Cam can go long for us and do what we have to do to win.</p><p class="p1">“Then we’ll see what we have left for Wednesday and then try to piece it together.”</p><p class="p1">More help on the mound could be on the way, as Mainieri expects to get back Nick Storz and A.J. Labas eventually. Both are freshmen, but were two most highly touted arms in the incoming class. Both are recovering off of fall injuries.</p><p class="p1">Mainieri considered Storz a candidate for the weekend rotation before the righthander underwent surgery for a bone spur in October. Labas had back surgery in December.</p><p class="p1">“Not too, too far off,” Mainieri said of the duo. “That will provide a little bit of a boost for us when we get them. But in the meantime we’re just going to have to keep fighting through this. We’re a little short handed right now.”</p><p class="p1">LSU moved up slightly in the major polls released Monday, with their highest ranking at No. 14 by Collegiate Baseball (it was No. 15 last week). </p>
