LSU (28-20, 12-12 SEC) is still very much on the bubble and scratching just to secure a bid to the NCAA tournament.

The Tigers will host Mc-Neese Wednesday night before Alabama comes to Alex Box Stadium this weekend. LSU closes the regular season at Auburn the following week.

“I think the Tigers are ready to fight until the end, like we always do,” the coach said. ““We’ve laid the groundwork now to make these next eight games mean something. Hopefully we’ll keep this going and have a good week coming up.”

The Tigers are tied for fourth with Texas A&M in the SEC West, but only two games behind the West-leading Razorbacks and one game out of the second-place tie between Ole Miss and Auburn.

“We’re still going to take a run at the Western Division title,” Mainieri said. “That’s what we’re shooting for. We’re within striking distance. “These guys (Arkansas) have two tough series remaining (at home against Texas A&M and on the road at Georgia).

“Who knows,maybe we’re going to save our best baseball for last.”

Two more weekends like this one, in which LSU bounced back to win two straight after a squandering to a late lead in the opener, would probably suit Mainieri.

“I thought we played three tremendous ball games,” he said. “Even the game we lost on Friday night I thought we played a terrific game.”

Mainieri said Austin Bain was the best example of the can-do spirit evident over the weekend.

Bain, who’s playing first base for the first time in his life this season, made the seventh inning error that allowed the two runs to score that pulled Arkanssas within 6-5.

But the senior led off the bottom of the inning by clubbing a double and eventually scoring a much-needed insurance run.

“He makes the error and then gets our rally going instead of hanging his head and pouting. Those are the kind of kids that you love.

“I told him don’t hang your head, you made an agressive error. You tried to come in and get that ball and got there a half-step slow and the ball ate you up.

“I’d rather him do that than hang back and then make an error.”

Mainieri said righthander Nick Storz, a highly touted freshman who has thrown only one inning this season due to injury, will pitch at some point in the game against McNeese.

Storz, 6-6, 257, won’t start the game, but will get in at some point after coaches and trainers came away encouraged by a simulated game he threw last week.