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June 01,
2010
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LSU Baseball wins SEC Tournament
The LSU baseball team did what they were expected
to do before the season started, win the SEC.
Not the regular season,
but the post season SEC tournament.
The Tigers became the
first team in tournament history to be seeded eight
and win the whole thing.
Last week I said in this column that the season had
been a disappointment.
However, I also said,
“Now that LSU is in the tournament, what can they
do?
This past weekend
Anthony Ranaudo looked as good as he has looked all
season.
If he can throw like
that Wednesday against Florida, the Tigers could
make some serious noise in the SEC tournament.
The history of the
tournament says lower seeds win a lot of first round
games.
The higher seeds are
already guaranteed an NCAA invite.
The lower seeds are
still trying to impress the selection committee. My
guess is that LSU will squeak by Florida in a close
game.
That should guarantee
an NCAA bid if they don't already have one.
This team does have
some talent and hopefully they can put it together
in the post-season in order to salvage a very
disappointing regular season.”
The players who had been counted on this season and
had not come through before the tournament did come
through for LSU in the tournament, to the relief of
LSU fans.
Ranaudo not only looked good against Florida, but
his pitching was outstanding versus Alabama in the
championship game and saved
it.
Matty Ott saved the game versus Vandy in the second
round and looked better than he has the last couple
of months.
Blake Dean hit 8-15 for a .533 average with one home
run and four RBIs.
Yes, others also came through for the Tigers
like Ben Alsup, Tyler Hanover, and MVP Austin Nola.
However, it was the play of the Big 3 that
led the Tigers to this tournament championship.
Who did LSU make mad?
I was a little surprised
Sunday when they announced the sixteen regional
sites and LSU was not selected.
You would think that
tradition would have a little say so.
However, I wasn't too
critical for the Tigers being left out.
The Tigers did play
very poorly for four weeks in a row.
However, they did WIN
the SEC tournament.
In any case the Tigers
are traveling to a regional for the first time since
they went to Texas A&M in 1989.
I don't know whom LSU made mad, but they are being
sent all the way out west to play at UCLA as the #2
seed.
In the first game, they
will face Cal State-Irvine.
Do you thing Irvine
might have a little revenge on their minds after the
Tigers rallied to defeat them two years ago to
advance to Omaha?
Also, so much for wanting to hold down travel
costs.
LSU is sent to Los
Angeles as a #2 seed and Cal is sent to Oklahoma as
a #2 seed.
Shouldn't it be just
the opposite?
Anyway, the Tigers will have a
tough job to win this regional.
On the plus side, the
Tigers will not be in a very hostile environment
compared to venues in the SEC.
Also, right now “Big
Mo” is on their side.
The Tigers will be traveling for a regional for the
first time in many of these players' lifetimes.
We will have to see if this Tiger team
responds the way LSU responded at Texas A&M, in
winning two games in one day against an A&M team
that had only lost three games up until that time
all year. |
