It was a tough way to lose a game. 4-1, LSU was bounced from the SEC baseball tournament by the Georgia Bulldogs. This matchup was filled with missed opportunities by the Tigers. In the first inning the Bayou Bengals had the bases loaded with one out and only plated one run.
Again in the 5th inning LSU had the bases loaded with nothing to show for it at the end of that inning. Should we be surprised? Not at all. The Tigers struggled to cash in on big opportunities all season long. Why would it change in the SEC tournament?
In baseball your identity, either good or bad, will follow you throughout the season. Most of the time, if your identity is dubious, like leaving a ton of runners on base, that identity will show up at the most inopportune time.
The Purple and Gold had a golden chance to get out of the bottom of the first inning unscathed, but Collier Cranford couldn't turnover a would be double play ball, and UGA made the Tigers pay for it with four runs in the bottom half of the first inning.
So what now? Wait! That's all Mainieri's club can do. Over the next five days, they'll pray to the baseball gods. The Tigers will hope the NCAA baseball selection committee will deem LSU's resume worthy of a tournament bid. In the meantime, Mainieri and his team are going to play and replay this season in their minds over and over again.
What if we swept Kentucky? What if we swept A&M and Bama? Reflection is good, but what if I played the No. 8 in the lottery instead of 88? Would I be rich?
It doesn't matter. This LSU baseball team didn't do enough to be unquestioned about a possible shot at the NCAA baseball tournament. We'll find out if the Tigers will be heartbroken or a team still with a heartbeat.
Let me be clear, I'm not absolving skipper Paul Mainieri of blame. He's the head coach and blame should fall on him...to a degree. Even if LSU doesn't qualify for post-season, I believe Mainieri has earned the right to clean up the mess he helped create. Laugh if you wish. But, I'd be willing to bet a sizable amount of money that LSU will compete for a trip to Omaha next year and a national championship the year after that.
Fire Mainieri? Sure, if you want to derail the program down the road. Go right ahead.
