LSU, ULL meet in Wally Pontiff Classic
Published 6:00 pm Tuesday, March 27, 2018
AJ Labas, named SEC freshman of the week, Monday, May 7th, 2018.
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LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri has one thing to say about the lingering pettiness between his school and UL-Lafayette — leave him out of it.
For now it’s a basketball thing in the wake of some postgame posturing by the two hoops teams and head coaches following LSU’s victory over the Cajuns in the recent first-round NIT game.
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Never mind that the two baseball teams stopped playing each other for eight years following a dust-up when LSU beat the Cajuns twice in one day to win the 2002 NCAA tournament regional played in Baton Rouge.
That was long before Mainieri’s time, and he was the one who resumed the series after the hiatus — in Lafayette as well as Baton Rouge.
The Tigers were at Tigue Moore Field a month ago — a 4-3 Cajuns’ win in 10 innings — and they’ll play again tonight in Metairie for the Wally Pontiff Classic. The 7 p.m. game will be televised on Cox Sports.
Mainieri said he’s never had any problem with UL-Lafayette or head coach Tony Robichaux — and, as far as he’s concerned, the Cajuns can call themselves whatever they want.
“I’m not getting involved in the controversy of how a university is referred,” he said Monday. “I wish there wasn’t any controversy. I hope we can maintain a great relationship with them in baseball.”
He just wishes his Tigers (16-9, 3-3 SEC), who dropped two of three at No. 5 Vanderbilt over the weekend, were a little healthier going into the game.
Freshman AJ Labas (2-0, 2.25) will start on the mound tonight with the idea of extending him as far as he’s effective. Labas had been on strict pitch counts in other appearances while recovering from a fall injury.
The rest of the injury report is not so encouraging.
The latest was No. 2 hitter and second baseman Brandt Broussard, who injured his thumb late Saturday just before the Tigers second game against Vanderbilt was suspended by rain.
When they returned to finish LSU’s 6-2 victory Sunday morning Broussard was out of the lineup and also missed the regularly scheduled (7-inning) game that followed which Vanderbile won 1-0 to claim the series.
Mainieri said the thumb as black and blue and “I’m concerned he might have a fracture.”
Broussard was to get it checked out Monday afternoon.
Versatle Austin Bain, the pitching closer who has also played first base and DH, played second in Sunday’s final game.
But Mainieri hasn’t decided what he’ll do there yet, noting that Jake Slaughter, who started the season at third base before a prolonged slump, might be an option.
Shortstop Josh Smith, who’s been out almost a month with a back ailment, had something of setback last week, Mainieri said, and his return is now at least two weeks away.
Also, Nick Storz, another freshman pitcher getting late start due to a fall injury, has had some shoulder sorenss after his debut inning of work last week in a start against Tulane. He hasn’t thrown since, but Mainieri is hopeful he’ll be back on the mound soon.
Overall, Mainieri came away pleased with the trip to Vanderbilt, even though to close losses sandwiched around the line victory kept his personal streak alive of never winning a series in Nashville.
“We’re disappointed that we didn’t win the series,” he said. “But we’re not disappointed in the way we played.”
The Cajuns are 10-13, 2-4 in Sun Belt Conference play.
LSU vs. ULL
Wally Pontiff
Classic
Metairie, 7 p.m.
