Tigers could be down two starters
Published 6:00 pm Tuesday, March 10, 2020
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LSU’s bats showed some mild signs of coming to life over the weekend, but the Tigers could be without two key hitters with back injuries when they open SEC play this weekend at Ole Miss.
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Outfielder Maurice Hampton, who is also a safety on the football team, will definitely be out — for an extended period, LSU coach Paul Mainieri said.
He’s more optimistic about designated hitter Saul Garza, who pulled up sore in Friday’s 11-2 win over UMass-Lowell, the first of a three-game sweep over the Riverhawks.
“I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the weekend,” Mainieri said of Garza. “But we don’t know at this time.”
It’s a little dicier for Hampton, whose play was encouraging before he injured his back last week against Baylor during the LSU trip to Houston.
Mainieri described it as similar to the stress reaction of the back that two years ago sidelined shortstop Josh Smith for virtually the entire season.
“I don’t think it’s going to be anything that’s going to hamper his career going forward in football or baseball,” Mainieri said of Hampton. “He may be back before the year is over but for now he needs rest and rehabilitation.”
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Hampton, per his agreement with football coach Ed Orgeron during recruiting, was not going to participate in spring football anyway this season.
LSU (11-5) will host South Alabama Wednesday before heading to Oxford for the SEC opening weekend against Ole Miss.
The Tigers, who had struggled for runs early in the season, showed some encouraging signs with an added emphasis on hitting to the opposite field and cutting down on strike outs against UM-Lowell.
They had double-digit hit totals while scoring 11 and 12 runs in the first two games.
But they managed only five hits in Sunday’s final game, and needed Gavin Dugas’ 2-run homer in the bottom of the eighth to rally for a 6-4 victory.
Dugas, who will likely replace Garza in the order, also homered in the second inning.
S. Alabama at LSU 6:30 p.m.
