Houston Classic: Huskers v LSU

I was lucky enough to get to toss around some Q & A’s with the editor for LSU’s Death Valley Voice, Eric Slater regarding the Sunday game against Head Coach Paul Mainieri the LSU Tigers. I asked him a few and he asked me a few. This is how it went….

Jun 7, 2013; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Paul Mainieri looks out as the Tigers are introduced prior to the first pitch agains the Oklahoma Sooners during the Baton Rouge super regional of the 2013 NCAA baseball tournament at Alex Box Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports

1. LSU will play a BIG revenge game on Friday. Is there a chance there will be a let down after that, be looking past the Huskers and the rest of the competition in the field?

DVV: Friday certainly is a revenge game for LSU. Losing to Houston in the Super Regionals last year at Alex Box was quite an upset and quite frankly, was a huge surprise. It was hard for Tiger fans to take as LSU, on paper, was the more talented team. I suppose that’s why they play the games. Seems like the momentum in that series shifted to the Cougars after the long delay when Tyler Moore’s ball got stuck under the outfield wall. For whatever reason, Houston was able to turn things around after that. I have no doubt LSU will be focused throughout the entire weekend and will take it one game at a time. Coach Mainieri won’t allow them to look past any opponents.

2. Defensively there have been uncharacteristic errors this year. Is that the early season rust or a trend?

DVV: I think it is mostly early season rust, although the number of errors that occurred during those early games was alarming. Danny Zardon, (LSU 3b) made three early errors, and he has now been shifted over to first base, with Conner Hale moving to third. Zardon is a great kid and perhaps he felt some pressure over at the hot corner having to replace Christian Ibarra, one of the all-time great Tigers. It would be difficult for anyone to replace Ibarra, so maybe there were some jitters there. I mentioned the word pressure here, as Mainieri has compared Ibarra to Brooks Robinson — that’s tough to live up to. In any case, bad defense will NOT be a trend on this team.

N (Photo Credit Kelli Anne)

3. Jake Godfrey comes up on the mound against the Huskers. What should Nebraska want to do to rattle him?

DVV: Godfrey is a freshman, so perhaps there is an opportunity for opposing veteran players to try and rattle him. I would think if Nebraska can consistently get guys on base, try and run on him, or at least give the impression that you’re going to steal, it may work. Staying active on the basepaths might be enough to distract him and keep him out of sync. It won’t be easy though, Godfrey has looked terrific in the early going — he’s 2-0 in his first three starts with a 1.26 ERA, and .207 batting average against. He has walked 9 batters in 14.1 innings. so there may be a propensity for some wildness. If he’s walking guys, the Cornhuskers might be able to take advantage.

4. Who is the “sleeper” on the LSU team? someone who wasn’t expected to contribute this year but is doing just that?

Thus far, the “sleeper” or at least the most pleasant surprise has to be senior outfielder Jared Foster. He began last year as the starting right fielder, but a season-long slump (to the tune of a .115) relegated him to the bench. What a difference a year can make. Foster has been on fire through LSU’s first games. He’s hitting .346 with two homers, 4 doubles and ten RBIs. It really looks like he has been able to get his head on straight and to overcome last season’s difficulties. Coach Mainieri has always said he’s probably the best athlete on the team and continues to throw out runners who are dumb enough to run on his arm.

May 26, 2013; Hoover, AL, USA; LSU Tigers baserunner Jared Foster (17) crosses home plate in the top of the eleventh inning scoring the go ahead run against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the championship game of the SEC baseball tournament at the Hoover Met. LSU defeated Vanderbilt 5-4 in 11 innings. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

5. LSU will most likely lose 12 players to the draft and graduation. Only 3 of those players are pitchers, 5-7 of those 12 players are typically starters. In looking ahead, does this become a “make or break” year in getting to the CWS because they will lose many significant contributing players at the end of the season?

I hate to think of particular years as being “make or break,” but this looks like such a year. LSU last won the CWS in 2009, and there have been several surprising postseason exits for the Tigers since then. LSU was eliminated from Super Regionals by Stony Brook and Houston, both at Alex Box where one would think LSU’s home field advantage would be difficult to overcome. There was also the poor offensive showing in Omaha in 2013, where LSU seemed to be “small-balled” to death by UCLA and North Carolina. It’s no secret that LSU’s star player, junior Alex Bregman will be drafted and enter the MiLB after this season (barring some strange twist of fate). He will be VERY tough to replace. There are several other seniors on the squad that will be tough to replace. It’s possible (very likely) 3 out of the 4 outfielders will be gone. The one positive is that Mainieri recruits well (LSU has the top recruiting class coming into this year) so he can reload relatively quickly. The key is getting these younger guys enough experience now, so they can seamlessly step into staring roles next year.

Husker Baseball: Q&A with LSU’s Death Valley Voice

By Kelli Anne | Mar 6, 2015