LSU Baseball opens SEC play against #23 Mississippi St. in the Box Tonight

I can't make it to the game tonight...:cuss:


Anybody volunteering for PBP duty?

 

i haven't decided what i'm doing for the game tonight. it's on TV. i'll try to update the score and such as much as i can

 

Miss State is considering throwing their senior preseason All-America closer and team captain Caleb Reed at us as the starter tonight.

last year he was #3 in the SEC with a 1.55 ERA. this season his ERA is 1.15, opponents are only batting .157 against him, and he has 25 Ks in only 15 innings pitched, with only 4 walks

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Baseball America wrote this about him yesterday:

Reed (1.15 ERA, 5 saves, 25-4 K-BB in 16 innings) is a fearless bulldog with a heavy sinker, a wipeout slider and the ability to pitch multiple innings. Cohen likes using Reed as a closer, a role that allows him to influence the outcome of multiple games over the course of a weekend, but he also appreciates the importance of getting off to a good start on Fridays.

if they decide to keep him at closer, then they will go with junior RHP Chris Stratton (6-3, 200). this season, he is 4-0, has a 2.57 ERA, .186 opposing batting avg, and 27 Ks in 21 innings

Baseball America wrote this about him yesterday:

With a low 90s fastball that reaches 94-95 whenever he needs it to, a power slider at 84-86 and an improving changeup, Stratton has overpowering stuff

 

Thanks for all those stats.

I'm not that into them in football, but baseball...is a stat lovers game.

I am reminded of two smells by baseball...the smell of leather gloves and the bubble gum smell of baseball cards.


They ought to make and sell SEC baseball cards at the games. Alleva is missing out on a revenue stream here.

(probably thinking of parking fees for football too much)

 

Baseball America yesterday wrote that this is a "showdown between two SEC West powers with loaded pitching staffs."

some more quotes...

SEC pitching doesn't get much better than LSU's. The Tigers have a pair of flame-throwing righthanders who regularly reach the mid-90s in Friday starter Kevin Gausman (4-0, 1.32) and Saturday starter Ryan Eades (3-1, 2.13).

In McCune's place, the Tigers will turn to heralded freshman righty Aaron Nola (3-0, 1.80). Because of his low three-quarters arm slot and ability to pound the strike zone, Nola has garnered comparisons to former LSU star Louis Coleman in the past, but Mainieri said he reminds him more of big leaguer Aaron Heilman, whom Mainieri coached at Notre Dame. He said Nola throws a little harder than Coleman did, sitting in the 90-92 range while Coleman worked mostly at 88-91. His changeup is also more advanced at this stage than.Coleman's was.

"He's a unique talent: it's three pitches for strikes in any count, a good arm, a strike throwing machine," Mainieri said of Nola.
"There's no question he'll be an outstanding pitcher in the SEC. With Gausman, Eades and now Nola, I think that's a pretty formidable rotation."

It's a rotation that has produced 79 strikeouts to just seven walks through 73 innings. The Tigers don't give away bases via walks or errors, as their athletic, experienced defense has fielded at a .978 clip.

 

Miss State went with Stratton

LSU scores after lead off walk by Sciambra followed by RBI double by Jones. apparently we made him mad because he then went K, K, K against Rhymes, Katz (our two best hitters), and Nola (one of our 5 good hitters). that is only 3rd time anyone has K'ed Rhymes this year

1-0 LSU

 

1-1 tie after double later followed by hit off Jones' glove with 2 out scored the runner

 

Bottom of the 2nd:

*Hanover grounded out
*Ross struck out
*Dozar struck out

MSU 1-2-0
LSU 1-1-1

Headed to the top of the 3rd...

 

and now he followed that right up by knocking down our other 3 best hitters (Hanover, Ross, Dozar) 1 2 3, K'ing two of them