Every June, the LSU baseball team hunts for postseason glory, but some Tigers have other considerations that may hinder their search.

The MLB first-year player draft is annually held during the most crucial time in the college baseball season, which is something coach Paul Mainieri wishes he could change.

“I think it’s ridiculous,” Mainieri said. “Why can’t they just have it once the season is over? The kids have enough to prepare for as it is.”

This year’s draft started the evening of June 6 and carried on throughout the weekend as the Tigers defeated Oklahoma in a 2-0 series at Alex Box Stadium.

Luckily for Mainieri, many of his players were selected before the Super Regional ever started. Junior pitcher Ryan Eades was taken in the second round by the Minnesota Twins, junior second-bagger JaCoby Jones was selected in the third round by the Pittsburgh Pirates and senior Mason Katz was taken in the fourth round by the St. Louis Cardinals.

Several former Tigers experienced the same balancing act during their time at the University, including current student-coach Blake Dean who was selected in the eighth round in 2010.

“The draft is just kind of a wild animal,” Dean said. “Someone might have told you that you’re definitely going in the second round, and you end up slipping from two more rounds. It’s impossible not to think about it, but hopefully, coach has done a good enough job of preparing them for this crucial part of the season.”