When the No. 3 LSU baseball team battles Southern University in the Wally Pontiff Jr. Classic at Zephyr Field on Tuesday night, Tigers junior pitcher Kurt McCune will be looking for redemption.
Prior to the 2012 season, three LSU sophomore starting pitchers drew attention.
Right-handers Kevin Gausman, Ryan Eades and Kurt McCune all performed admirably during their freshman seasons, and the trio was primed to take the reins in the starting rotation.
Gausman went on to have a stellar season and was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the first round of the MLB draft. Eades maintained a rotation slot, eventually taking the lead as the top starter on the 2013 staff.
The same success didn’t translate for McCune.
He appeared in 21 games in 2012, going 3-4 with a 4.04 ERA, and he lost his rotation slot to then-freshman Aaron Nola. The misfortune only piled on in 2013, as he suffered an oblique strain during spring camp.
Now that McCune is finally healthy, LSU (30-2, 11-1 Southeastern Conference) coach Paul Mainieri will give him the start Tuesday night against the Jaguars (12-12) for his first appearance of the season.
“I’ve been working hard trying to get back in shape and trying to get healthy,” McCune said. “Right now, I feel the healthiest I’ve ever been. I’m throwing hard. I’m throwing with conviction. I’m really excited about how I’m throwing right now, and I’m just anxious to see how it works [Tuesday night].”
McCune will look to regain the form he had during his freshman season, when he went 7-3 with a 3.31 ERA and earned a 2011 Baseball America Freshman All-American Second-team selection.
“I’m pretty excited,” McCune said. “I haven’t thrown in a real game in a while, but I’ve been throwing against live hitters, and I feel like I’m ready to compete against another team.”
Meanwhile, Mainieri said he’ll be watching his starter intently at Zephyr Field. He noted his squad would still like another arm in the bullpen, but due to sophomore left-hander Cody Glenn’s inconsistency against SEC opponents so far in 2013, the No. 3 slot in the rotation could eventually be McCune’s if he throws well.
Mainieri intends to limit McCune’s work Tuesday night to ensure there are no setbacks on the mound.
“I’m hoping Kurt will go out there and pound the strike zone a lot and hopefully give us about three good innings,” Mainieri said. “We’re going to see what his pitch count is, and we’re going to be smart about it. I would expect that he’ll go out and throw the ball extremely well like he has in practice. We’ll see how it plays out, but right now that’s the plan.”
“I’m throwing hard. I’m throwing with conviction. I’m really excited about how I’m throwing right now, and I’m just anxious to see how it works [Tuesday night].”
