Without the suspense it endured last season, LSU learned its fate for the NCAA Baseball Tournament on Monday, one day after it was confirmed Alex Box Stadium would host a regional for the second consecutive year.
Surrounded by a subdued crowd of family, friends and supporters at Walk-On’s Bistreaux and Bar, the Tigers (52-9) were named the No. 4 national seed and will welcome UL-Lafayette, Sam Houston State and Jackson State to Baton Rouge.
One day removed from a gritty, 11-inning victory against Vanderbilt to claim the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship, the Tigers were content with the draw.
“We don’t really care who we play,” said senior first baseman Mason Katz. “We’re not going to be intimidated by anybody, we’re not going to overlook anybody.”
Seeded behind North Carolina, Vanderbilt and Oregon State, LSU’s positioning in the bracket places it and the regular season’s consensus No. 1 Vanderbilt on opposite sides, meaning the two could possibly face off in a three-game set to determine a national champion in Omaha.
But, as has become his trademark, LSU coach Paul Mainieri scoffed at speaking of a rematch against the Commodores.
“We look at it that we’re five wins away from getting to Omaha,” Mainieri said. “There’s no gimmies, no cupcakes. You just have to play as well as you can each day.”
With defensive stalwart JaCoby Jones sidelined for the entire tournament and freshman speedster Mark Laird out for the final two games, the Tigers got contributions from every corner of the dugout to capture their tenth tournament title in school history.
Seldom used senior Casey Yocom filled Jones’ shoes at second base admirably in the title game victory while sophomores Jared Foster and Chris Sciambra delivered key plays in the field and with a bat to propel the Tigers’ 5-4 victory.
And even with the meat of the Tiger order – freshman shortstop Alex Bregman, Katz and senior outfielder Raph Rhymes – hitting a meager .237 in the tournament, LSU and the bottom of its order scratched and clawed to nab the title.
“That’s what makes this team so special,” Rhymes said. “When guys don’t do the job, we’ve got guys that can come up and do the job.”
With last season’s abrupt end still fresh in their minds, Katz and Rhymes couldn’t fathom looking beyond anyone, especially the SWAC champion Jackson State Tigers – who the Tigers open regional play against on Friday at 2 p.m.
The message has spread even to Bregman, who was still in high school watching as the Stony Brook Seawolves shellacked the Tigers in Alex Box Stadium to bring the road to Omaha to a crashing halt.
“We get a lot of crap from people about it,” Bregman said. “We just have that in the back of our minds that we’re not going to let that happen again.”
LSU players react after defeating Vanderbilt in the Southeastern Conference NCAA college baseball tournament championship game at the Hoover Met in Hoover, Ala., Sunday, May 26, 2013. LSU defeated Vanderbilt 5-4 in 11 innings. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
