with Nola on the mound, tonight shapes up to be very special for LSU. the winner of LSU v SHSU tonight will be in really good shape...the winner tonight is the only team that doesn't have to play a double-header tomorrow

basically, if LSU wins tonite, then our Game 3 will be at 7pm tomorrow against a team that is playing their Game 4 (and playing their Game 4 right after playing their Game 3 right before that at 2pm)

if LSU loses tonight, then LSU would have to play Game 3 and Game 4 in a double header tomorrow, with SHSU only having to play their Game 3 in the night game

Mainieri on yesterday's game:
"I don’t know what adjective to use. Maybe one of the more painful wins that we’ve had in our time," LSU head coach Paul Mainieri said. "It was a rough game. Nothing went by script today. ... There were a lot of things that didn’t go so great today"

Jackson State coach on yesterday's game:
“We left too many out there. We left too many runs on base...If you look at the eighth or ninth inning when we had the tying run on deck that is a testament to these guys that they are not going to give up and they will keep battling...(Kurt) McCune made some key pitches when he had to. When McCune struck our player with the bases loaded that was a big time play in the game. If he does not strike that player out right there with the bases loaded we possibly go up two. Because really, you take away the four errors, it is a tie game. You take away the homerun from (Mason) Katz we win. That is wishful thinking, but at the same time that is how a baseball game is played out. You cannot make mistakes (like 4 errors) and expect to beat the No. 1 team in the country.”


here's what Jackson State did to our pitchers yesterday:

Newman -- hit him for a 1.000 batting avg, got 2 walks, 0 hit-by-pitch, 2 runs in 0.0 inning (3 batters faced)

Berry -- hit him for a .667 batting avg, got 2 walks, 1 hit-by-pitch, 3 runs in 0.1 inning (6 batters faced)

Eades -- hit him for a .444 batting avg, got 3 walks, 2 hit-by-pitches, 2 runs in 2.1 innings

Bourgeois -- hit him for a .333 batting avg, got 0 walks, 0 hit-by-pitches, 0 runs in 1.0 innings (3 batters faced)

McCune -- hit him for a .235 batting avg, got 0 walks, 0 hit-by-pitches, 0 runs in 4.2 innings

Fury -- hit him for a .000 batting avg, got 0 walks, 1 hit-by-pitch, 0 runs in 0.2 innings (3 batters faced)


Mainieri on the pitchers:

"Hunter Newman didn’t do a good job...Hunter Newman walked the first batter and gave up a homerun and walked another batter."

"Kevin Berry didn’t do a good job...[Berry] got the first out and looked like he was throwing the ball pretty well and all of a sudden just kind of lost it.

"Obviously Ryan [Eades] had a tough time with his command"

"Joey [Bourgeois] I thought did a great job...he did a good job"

"Kurt [McCune] came in and saved the day for the Tigers. He was phenomenal – just absolutely outstanding. This was the longest he’d thrown in a long, long time.

“[Nate] Fury came in and I thought he did a really good job – got us out of the inning. ... Fury did a good job, I thought"


McCune on the great job he did:
“I am just really happy that I could help my team out today. I went in with the mindset to just get out of the inning. I never expected to go as long as I did. I am glad did because we were running low on arms. I am just thankful I could do that.”

McCune on pitching so many innings…
“I loved it. Being able to be out there for a couple innings helped me get into a groove and figure out what was working. I was able to see what pitches were working for me. I think I figured out a lot today.”

Mainieri on Rhymes:

"Rhymes...had a laceration on his lip and needed some stiches. He took a good blow to the nose so he might have a couple of black eyes"


Mainieri on Bregman:

yesterday when Bregman was in hospital: "He’s at the hospital right now and getting some tests done on the bones in his face."

then last night, Mainieri said "that LSU shortstop Alex Bregman was examined by doctors Friday afternoon, and it was determined that he did not suffer a fracture in his face."

Bregman will be checked again by doctors Saturday morning, and his playing status for Saturday’s 7 p.m. game vs. Sam Houston State will be determined at some time prior to first pitch.

Kendall Rogers on his experience watching LSU yesterday:

...
While Eades struggled, the Tigers were able to lean on veteran right-handed pitcher Kurt McCune. McCune hadn't thrown more than four innings this season before Friday. But against JSU, he was a savior for Mainieri's club, striking out five batters, walking no one and allowing just four hits in 4 2/3 innings of work. McCune was the lone bright spot for the LSU pitching staff, which combined for seven walks and three hit batters.
...
It's safe to say the past 24 hours haven't been too kind to the fourth national seed LSU Tigers. But they've got a win in the Baton Rouge Regional, and at the end of the day, that's all that really matters.
Tomorrow is a new day in Baton Rouge. Look for LSU to be ready to answer the call with sophomore right-handed pitcher Aaron Nola on the mound.

Kendall Rogers of Perfect Game:

"As for SHSU, some scouts in the State of Texas, who have seen Sam Houston State, Texas A&M, Rice and plenty of others inside the state many times throughout the season, have maintained all along Sam Houston State was the best team in Texas. ... SHSU certainly put on a good show Friday night against ULL with Dickson fighting his way through some command issues. Now comes the ultimate trump card, beating LSU on Saturday."


Aaron Fitt of Baseball America:

May 13: "Indeed, SHSU is 6-2 against Texas, Texas A&M, Rice, Houston and Baylor...When Dickson and Smith pitch like they did this weekend, Sam Houston State is very tough to beat...not many teams have back-to-back power lefthanders of that caliber."


Comments from SHSU fans:

(after linking to a thread on an LSU forum, said) -- "Some are starting to figure out who we are. Some will hopefully start to wonder what just happened after the game is over tonight."

"Haha.. They're a confident bunch!"

"I'm pumped about the game, tonight."

"I like our chances."

"We win. 4-3. Stone. Cold. Lock."

"I have a good feeling....moments like this is why they bust their arses all year."

"Kats are a program on the rise"

former SHSU pitcher who now pitches in the minor leagues (Twins): "I feel like @SHSU_Baseball has more momentum than LSU does at their own stadium #worried? #youshouldbe #EatEmUp #itsGOnotGEAUX"

this guy, Smith, is the guy SHSU is throwing at us tonight. more on him from Aaron Fitt of Baseball America:

--Smith has a good chance to be drafted between the fifth and 10th rounds of the upcoming draft
--Smith works at 88-92, owns a power slider in the low 80s and a plus changeup with serious sink when it’s on.
--Smith has power stuff, with an 88-92 mph fastball, a slider that reaches 82, and a changeup with filthy sink when it’s on.
--his coach: “He absolutely commands the fastball, and he’s got a plus changeup, when he needs it,” (head coach) Pierce said. “He probably threw less than 10 changeups (Sunday), but they were all plus, and at the right time. He was able to get ahead with the slider early. They didn’t have a chance against him—he was really that dominant today. The good thing is he threw a complete game, threw 95 pitches. He got some groundball outs, got a groundball double play when he needed it.

as for their bullpen:
"Sam Houston State gives hitters a much different look in the late innings, relying on a pair of low three-quarters sinker/slider guys—lefthander Alan Scott (1-0, 0.44) and righty Jason Simms (2-1, 3.16, eight saves). Both have funk and deception, and both work down in the zone and get plenty of ground balls. Pierce called them a “two-headed monster,” allowing the Bearkats to shorten games significantly."

as for their defense:
"All of those pitchers have benefited from a defense that has solidified after some shuffling"

Yes...............