It’s now or never for the LSU baseball team. The Tigers began the season ranked in the top five, fresh off a national championship. But this LSU team has not lived up to preseason expectations and find themselves in jeopardy of not making the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011.
There are ten regular season games left and third year head coach Jay Johnson says these ten games will determine the Tigers postseason fate.
“I want us to play well, because playing well can lead to winning,” Johnson said. “If we can do that, it changes our position instantaneously. We’re in a ten-game playoff.”
LSU has played better in its last nine games, because they have pitched well. In the Tigers’ last nine games, they’ve allowed just 23 earned runs, walked 23 and struck out 91 in 76 innings. Opponents are also hitting just .197 against LSU during that nine-game span, which includes series victories over Missouri and Auburn.
But Mizzou and Auburn are two of the worst teams in the SEC and LSU faces a much tougher task this weekend as they host top ranked Texas A&M.
“They are a complete team, offensively, they hit with power, they get free bases, run the bases well, from the mound very left-handed, and couple of good right-handed relievers sprinkled in there, throw strikes, not a lot of holes,” Johnson said.
Texas A&M’s line-up features two hitters who have each clubbed 23 home runs. Braden Montgomery has been magnificent in the number three-hole of the Aggies’ order. He’s slugged 23 home runs and leads the league with 73 RBIs.
Jace LaViolette bats right in front of Montgomery, and he’s also hit 23 home runs and has 61 RBIs and scored 68 runs.
Lead off hitter Gave Grahovac has 16 home runs and 52 RBIs.
The series opener on Friday night features a great pitching match-up. Gage Jump for LSU against Ryan Prager for Texas A&M. Prager is 8-0 with 2.59 ERA and he’s only walked 9 hitters in 59 innings, and he’s struck out 80. But Prager has had a couple of rough starts on the road against Alabama and Florida. He pitched a combined 5.1 innings in those two games and allowed ten earned runs.
Jump has allowed just one run on five hits in his last two starts.
The Aggies bullpen has been very strong. Closer Evan Aschenbeck leads the SEC with seven saves, and he’s held opposing hitters to a .180 batting average.
Brad Rudis, Shane Sdao, and Josh Stewart have also been effective with an ERA of 2.45 or lower.
Despite the difficult task this weekend, Johnson would not want it any other way.
“I think it’ s opportunity, I think that’s the most important part about it, when you are where we are, it’s a benefit to have a team with as good record as they have on your schedule still, I look at it that way and it’s great the series is at home.”
If LSU gets swept, the Tigers will watch the NCAA Tournament from their own homes, but a couple of wins could be a springboard to a hot streak that results in a regional berth.
