Tournament time for Tigers
Published 6:00 pm Tuesday, May 21, 2019
LSU in win-or-go-home situation against South Carolina
On Monday, LSU right-hander Landon Marceaux became the third Tiger pitcher this season to be named the co-SEC freshman of the week.
It kind of sums up the Tigers’ year that Marceaux, who missed time earlier in the season, was the only one of the trio available for the Auburn series last weekend.
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But that is changing as the Tigers (34-22) head to this week’s SEC tournament, beginning tonight when No. 5 seed LSU faces No. 12 seed South Carolina (28-27).
Cole Henry, who hasn’t pitched since he earned the honor following a superb outing against Florida on April 19, will be back on the mound starting against the Gamecocks tonight.
Henry was the Tigers’ most consistent pitcher and was set to move into the Friday night starter role before he went on the shelf with elbow soreness that forced him to miss the regular season’s final four weekends.
The news wasn’t as good for fellow freshman Jaden Hill, who hasn’t pitched since winning the honor in February. Mainieri had hoped he might also return, but he had a minor setback while throwing a simulated game last weekend.
But Henry was fine after a similar test drive.
“I think he’s ready to compete and do the job,” LSU head coach Paul Mainieri said, although he added that Henry will be limited to no more than three innings.
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With the SEC tournament format, tonight’s elimination round game is win-or-go-home. The winner advances to play No. 5 seed Mississippi State on Wednesday, when the tournament becomes double-elimination.
LSU wants to stick around to insure itself of being to play at home again when the NCAA tournament starts. Most prognostications have LSU hosting a regional after taking two of three from Auburn over the weekend.
Mainieri evidently isn’t so sure.
“We will need to have success in the (SEC) tournament in order to be considered as an NCAA Regional host site,” he said. “We have a lot of impressive elements in our resume … We’re going to do our best to bring postseason baseball back home to our fans next week.”
LSU and South Carolina, which had to beat Mississippi State in its final game to reach the tournament, did not play in the regular season.
After Henry’s limited start, Mainieir is hoping to get through the rest of the game with “just a couple of pitchers,” which he’ll play by ear.
“But it’s important that (Henry) get out there this week as a precurser to the NCAA tournament,” Mainieri explained. “If he can go out he and throw three really good innings then pernaps next week in the NCAA tourney he can throw five innings. That gives us three bona fide starters.
If LSU wins, it will have regular starters Eric Walker and Marceaux for the Wednesday and Thursday games rather than piecing together a third start like its been doing in recent weeks.
That was working fine in Saturday’s third game until Auburn avoided a sweep with a two-run, ninth-inning homer against closer Zack Hess led to a 5-4 loss in 11 innings.
It was the fourth home run that Hess has allowed in his five appearances since returning to the bullpen.
But Mainieri still believes in Hess, who first made his name at LSU as a “wild thing” like closer at the College World Series two years ago.
“If we’re in that same situation 100 times again, I’ll put Hess in 100 times,” said of the blown save Saturday. “I have all the confidence in the world in him.”
The shocking loss put a damper on what had been one of LSU’s most impressive weekends of an up-and-down season, suggesting the Tigers were peaking at the right time.
Hess took the blame and said he told his teammates “Don’t let my failure keep the momentum from going forward from here on out. We’re playing really good baseball right now. That one is 100 percent on me.
“I’m going to get it figured out, but our team is really close to where it needs to be.”
Pitching matchup
LSU RH Cole Henry (4-2, 3.26, 49.1 IP, 60 SO, 12 BB vs. USC TBA.
LSU’s Antoine Duplantis runs to third base on a hit by Greg Deichmann against Auburn during the first inning of an NCAA college baseball game Thursday, May 11, 2017, in Baton Rouge, La. (Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate via AP)
