By the end of the weekend, the Southeastern Conference schedule will be halfway complete.
Not much has been decided.
In fact, it’s quite a traffic jam.
LSU (23-11, 7-5 SEC), which opens a series with Ole Miss (21-12, 6-6) tonight in Alex Box Stadium, is in fourth place in the SEC West.
But that’s not as far down as it sounds.
The Tigers are one game behind the trio of teams — Arkansas, Auburn and Mississippi State — tied for the SEC West lead with 8-4 records.
LSU is also one game out of the overall SEC lead, as Kentucky leads the East, also at 8-4.
Ole Miss is fifth, a game behind the Tigers.
The Tigers have a whole new outlook after a coming off a remarkable turnaround last weekend at Arkansas, in which they lost the first game and were tailing 8-1 in the second game before rallying to win that game in the final two innings and getting a four-hit shut out from freshman Eric Walker on Sunday to claim the series.
“We turned it around Saturday, then Walker went out and pitched a gem … won the series,” LSU coach Paul Mainieri said. “It’s hard to believe.”
The Tigers went from having lost five of seven SEC games to going into the Ole Miss series on a three-game winning streak, including a 3-2 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette Tuesday in the Wally Pontiff Classic in Metairie.
It didn’t go unnoticed.
Heading into last weekend, Baseball America’s projections didn’t have LSU hosting an NCAA regional. This week the same projections not only have the Tigers hosting, but as a national seed that could lead to a super regional host.
Those same projections have McNeese in LSU’s regional as the No. 2 seed, one of two Southland teams in the field along with Southeastern Louisiana.
LSU will go with its usual pitching rotation, with Alex Lange (3=4, 3.77 ERA) tonight. He’ll be followed by Jared Poch?, (6-1, 2.32), who was bailed out of one his roughest career starts by last Saturday’s comeback. Then Walker (4-0, 2.45) will put his 16-inning scoreless streak on the line in Saturday’s final game.
Lange could use a little run support.
In his last three starts, all in the SEC, the Tigers have been shut out twice, against Florida and Texas A&M, and didn’t score any of their three runs last Friday night against Arkansas until after Lange had left the game.
Lange has given up five earned runs in those three starts, but hasn’t pitched with a lead in any of them.
Go figure. In his other SEC start, the Tigers beat Georgia 22-9 — but Lange wasn’t around long enough to qualify for the win.
Ole Miss goes to Baton Rouge on a five-game winning streak, which includes a 6-2 comeback at Southern Mississippi Tuesday night on the heels of last weekend’s home sweep of Alabama.
Ole Miss at LSU
6:30 p.m. Today
LSU, Jr. RH Alex Lange (3-4, 3.77 ERA, 45.1 IP, 16 BB, 62 K’s) vs. OM, So. RH James McArthur (2-1, 1.85 ERA, 34 IP, 12 BB, 36 K’s).
7 p.m. Friday
LSU, Sr. LH Jared Poch? (6-1, 2.32 ERA, 50 IP, 12 BB, 33 K’s) vs. OM, Jr. LH David Parkinson (4-2, 2.85 ERA, 47.1 IP, 12 BB, 48 K’s).
3 p.m. Saturday
LSU, Fr. RH Eric Walker (4-0, 2.45 ERA, 45.1 IP, 12 BB, 47 K’s) vs. OM, Fr. LH Ryan Rolison (4-1, 1.99 ERA, 31.2 IP, 9 BB, 36 K’s).
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