Tigers in position to play for a championship

LSU’s 2-7 start in the Southeastern Conference ended all hopes of competing for the regular season championship.

At the midway point of the league schedule, the Tigers found themselves near the bottom of the standings with a 3-12 record.

Facing a lighter group of opponents during the second half of the SEC slate, LSU won 10 of its 15 games. The Tigers’ late-season surge put them in contention for a NCAA tournament berth heading into the conference tournament.

No longer is there any question about LSU playing in a regional tournament next week. The Tigers have put together a string of three victories in Hoover (Ala.) – knocking off potential top-eight national seeds Georgia and Kentucky and South Carolina.

The Thursday come-from-behind over the Gamecocks sent LSU into the tournament semifinals. The Tigers will once again play South Carolina on Saturday afternoon. LSU is now only two victories away from winning the tournament title.

Spectacular starting pitching from Gage Jump and Luke Holman propelled the Tigers to their victories over Georgia and Kentucky. Jump gave up one run and four hits in seven innings against the Bulldogs. Holman tossed six hitless innings against the Wildcats.

The other pieces of the LSU pitching staff got the call against the Gamecocks. It was a rough day for Thatcher Hurd, Nate Ackenhausen and Christian Little. They were victimized for 10 runs in 5.2 innings.

However, the LSU bats came around. Aided by a spotty South Carolina defense, the Tigers scored four runs in the last two innings to edge the Gamecocks 11-10. Ironically, South Carolina transfer Michael Braswell delivered the game-winning hit.

LSU has a .393 team batting average in Hoover – its best three-game stretch against SEC opponents this year. Braswell and Alex Milazzo have had hits in each of the three games. Steven Milam, Braswell, Milazzo and Tommy White each have at least five hits.

What has occurred this season is similar to what happened in 2010 – the year after the Tigers’ last national championship. That LSU team started off well in the SEC as it won 11 of 15 games. But, a 3-12 record in the second half put the Tigers on the NCAA tourney bubble.

LSU completed the regular season with a 36-20 overall record, including 14-16 in the SEC. The Tigers finished eighth in a 12-team league. LSU also registered a 36-20 overall record in 2024, including 13-17 in the SEC. The Tigers finished tied for seventh in a 14-team league.

Some 14 years ago, LSU needed a good run in an eight-team SEC tournament to be confident of a NCAA tourney berth. The Tigers simply went 4-0 – defeating Florida, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and Alabama, to get an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.

LSU is trying to duplicate that feat in 2024. The Tigers have taken care of three-fifths of their work on the path to a tournament championship.

LSU probably has earned itself a two-seed in a regional next week. It is important to be as high a two-seed as possible in case the top seed in the regional with which the Tigers are matched gets beat. Such a result could make LSU a super-regional host.

So, the Tigers could boost their chances in the upcoming NCAA tournament by adding on two more victories in Hoover.

 

LSU Baseball Cutter & Buck Prospect Polo