| PING!BASEBALL SPOTLIGHT TEAM
Louisiana state tigers
Southeastern Conference |
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In the words of Gabe Kotter, "Welcome
back"! LSU makes its way back to the College World Series
for the first time since 2004. And it was in dramatic fashion
as the Tigers were down to the UC-Irvine Anteaters one game
to none and down to their final three outs in game two.  In
an amazing game for the ages, LSU ripped out the 'Eaters'
hearts akin to the nefarious Mola Ram in Indiana Jones and
the Temple of Doom, and staged a ninth inning comeback erasing
a three run deficit and setting up a decisive game three that
eventually sent the Tigers packing for Omaha!
LSU has long been a local favorite in Omaha,
and things should be expected to be the same for their 14th
CWS appearance. The fourth ranked Tigers come into Omaha winning
25 of their last 26 games, including a 23-game win streak.
The win streak also enabled LSU to win its seventh SEC Tournament
Championship and first since 2000. The Tigers begin play on
Sunday at 6pm as the 7th seed and open against the #2 seed
North Carolina Tar Heels.
Paul Mainieri has led LSU to an impressive
48-17-1 record in just his second year at the helm. Mainieri
is no stranger to success.
The former LSU outfielder spent 12 seasons as the Head Coach
of Notre Dame where he won 533 games and made nine NCAA Tournament
appearances. If that didn't impress the LSU faithful, this
should. Mainieri was sought out and hired by Skip Bertman,
who won an AMAZING five national titles in his 18 years as
LSU head coach.
The 2008 version of LSU isn't necessarily
reminiscent of their glory days of "gorilla ball",
but they do have a powerful offense that will leave any opposing
pitchers shaking in their stirrups. Probably the most feared
LSU hitter is outfielder Blake Dean. The sophomore from Crestview,
Florida is hitting .359 with 16 doubles, 3 triples, 20 home
runs, and 70 RBI. The Tiger offense doesn't stop there, however.
Junior infielder Matt Clark (.346 26 HR 61 RBI) and sophomore
outfielder Ryan Schimpf (.321 12 HR 54 RBI) are just part
of the reason the LSU offense has hit 97 home runs so far
in 2008.
On the mound, the Tigers feature some of
the best, including junior transfer Ryan Verdugo. The southpaw
from Lake Stevens, Washington boasts a 9-3 record with a 3.90
ERA in 17 starts. Junior Blake Martin also has 17 starts and
has posted a 5-3 record with a 4.83 ERA. Arguably, the most
valuable pitcher for the Tigers has to be Jared Bradford.
The senior out of Hueytown, Alabama has given LSU quality
innings as both a starter and a reliever. Bradford has made
25 appearances with 8 starts. In those appearances he posted
a 10-4 record with a 4.50 ERA and 5 saves. Junior Louis Coleman
has also been a force out of the bullpen with a 7-0 record
and 1.30 ERA in 20 appearances. It's the pitching staff as
a whole, however that's been the biggest surprise for Coach
Mainieri. Five pitchers have combined for 16 saves and nine
different pitchers have started at least one game.
Things are looking good for LSU as they will
be one of the favorites to win the CWS and bring back the
trophy. They will start a new era of Tiger baseball in 2009
as they open up the NEW 17 suite Alex
Box Stadium. What better way to open up the 2009 campaign
than the defending National Champs!
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