There's no sugarcoating it, LSU baseball's title defense had about as rough a start as you could imagine. But could things still turn around into something special?
There's been hints of something like that over the last month with the Tigers finally taking down some Southeastern Conference opponents with regularity, starting with back-to-back series wins over Missouri and Auburn. But it was their third straight series win with back-to-back wins over top-ranked Texas A&M that really shifted things into gear.
"Just like The Godfather, just when you’re ready to pull away from LSU baseball, they pull you right back in," said WWL's Mike Detillier this week on SportsTalk, recapping the weekend series.
The Tigers, spurred by timely hitting and impressive performances from starters like Gage Jump and Luke Holman, along with strong outings from relievers in Christian Little and Griffin Herring, took down the first two games from the Aggies 6-4. LSU also got out to a 3-0 lead in Game 3, but things unraveled and Texas A&M took out some frustration in a 14-4 throttling.
Listen to the full breakdown of LSU's weekend series on SportsTalk in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
Still, after a 3-12 start that left the Tigers well away from NCAA Tournament consideration, wins in 6 of their last 9 conference games have pushed them squarely back onto the bubble. The Tigers will likely need to get to 13 wins in conference for a legitimate shot for an at-large bid to the NCAA bracket, and that would require 4 wins over the final 6 games, with series against Ole Miss and Alabama.
“Let’s see if they can continue to build upon that, because I’ve never believed in momentum. I’m not a momentum believer," Detillier continued. "Momentum lasts as long as you get beat quickly, but I do believe if you can build confidence in what you’re doing, you’ve got something, and this team for the first time this year, I think you’re seeing that they’re playing with some confidence.”
The Tigers have gained that confidence through a formula that's included Jump's resurgence in the second half of the year, along with an uptick in efficiency with runners in scoring position. One example came in Game 1, with Josh Pearson slicing a bases loaded double down the left field line to blow the game open, and the bullpen closing it out. Those were the type of hits that weren't coming in big moments earlier in the year.
Oh, and if LSU can fight its way into the NCAA bracket, they won't be a welcome sight anywhere.
“I don’t think any team, any host in the top 16 seeds wants to see a hot LSU team entering their regional,” said WWL's Charlie Long.
Next up for the Tigers will be a mid-week game against Northwestern State at Alex Box Stadium, followed by a trip out to Tuscaloosa for a matchup with the Crimson Tide and an Alabama team that's sitting squarely on the bubble themselves with a 10-14 record in conference play.
