Coaches and players hate the term "must win," but it's never been more accurate for LSU baseball starting with game one of a pivotal three game SEC series against Texas A&M. The LSU Baseball Tigers are trying to punch their ticket into the NCAA baseball tournament with two wins over the Aggies this weekend. LSU lost their only midweek contest of the year Tuesday to Northwestern State. The defeat cost the Tigers four spots down in the RPI (ratings power index). Big deal? Not really.
If the Bayou Bengals take two out of three from TAMU, LSU will have 13 conference wins on the season. That win total should be good enough to qualify for post-season play. If LSU can sweep the series, that would almost guarantee the Tigers a berth in the NCAA tournament. Obviously, if LSU loses the series to A&M, it's all but over for the season.
While LSU is fighting for a playoff spot, I would argue this is the post-season for Paul Mainieri's club. This is their Super Regional before the actual Regional and Super Regional. The Tigers would likely be a No. 3 seed in the tournament, but hey, in the playoffs your record is 0-0 and seeding doesn't matter all that much, unless you are the host site. Freshmen Tre' Morgan and Dylan Crews have to remain hot at the plate. Left Fielder Gavin Dugas heated up at the plate over the last week. If those three hitters can continue to hit in clutch moments, LSU will beat the Aggies.
The biggest thing to feel good about if you're a Tiger fan is their ability to win on the road in the SEC. Mainieiri's squad won three conference tournaments on the road. Maybe, just maybe, the young Tigers prefer to be away from the pressure of playing in front of their home fans at Alex Box. Believe it or not, that's a real thing with a young team.
Let's also address the rumors swirling around Paul Mainieri's possible retirement after this season. Spare me! So far this speculation has no merit. I think it’s largely wishful thinking among some fans who want him out. I don't see Mainieiri walking away after this year. Here’s why. The skipper signed a four-year extension in 2019; that keeps him under contract through 2024. By the way, Mainieri’s contract escalates with pretty significant increases each year. His base salary is a tick over $1 million dollars. Do the math. Even if Paul Mainieri wasn't going to get increases every year, would you walk away from $3 million dollars?
Plus, look at it from the administration’s perspective. If you’re Athletic Director Scott Woodward, would you want to buy out a contract of at least $4 million dollars then turn around and hire another elite coach for roughly $4 million additional dollars? Sorry, but $8 million dollars to make those moves is too costly even for LSU. If I had $8 million dollars to play with, I'd bet every penny that Mainieri remains at LSU through next season at the minimum.
