When the Tigers welcome the University of South Alabama to Alex Box Stadium tonight, LSU coach Paul Mainieri will have a crucial evaluation to perform.
For LSU’s first Southeastern Conference series, Mainieri constructed a rotation consisting of juniors Aaron Nola and Kyle Bouman and freshman Jared Poche’, but thanks to an unexpected injury, that trio could look a tad different when LSU battles Georgia in Alex Box starting Friday.
Mainieri announced Tuesday that Bouman could miss his next weekend start after rolling his ankle during warm-ups. He said Bouman jumped to catch a ball and landed on a baseball on the ground, resulting in a “pretty nasty sprained ankle,” meaning junior southpaw Cody Glenn could be counted on to take his slot in the rotation if Bouman’s injury remains a concern.
Mainieri will send Glenn to the mound against South Alabama for his first start since giving up two runs in four innings during the series finale against Purdue on March 9, and the Houston, Texas, native is expected to toss two innings.
Glenn is 1-1 with a 4.50 in four starts this season.
“I feel fortunate to have another opportunity,” Glenn said. “Every opportunity that’s thrown my way, I’m just going to take it and run with it. I just have to get back out there and try it again.”
Because of inconsistencies on the mound, Glenn was moved to the bullpen for the beginning of SEC play.
His first conference outing was one to forget.
In Saturday’s second game against the Commodores, Glenn entered the contest looking to limit the damage already dealt to the Tigers’ pitching staff — both Poche’ and senior Kurt McCune surrendered eight total runs.
Glenn didn’t fare much better. He tossed 1 2/3 innings, surrendering two hits and one run while walking one with the bases loaded and hitting a batter.
Because of Bouman and Poche’s struggles Saturday, Glenn could find himself being a mainstay in the weekend rotation if he performs well in his upcoming outings.
His start against South Alabama will be his first chance to reclaim a weekend slot.
“I don’t need him to prove anything to me,” Mainieri said. “I just need him to pitch well so we can win games. We want him to pitch well. We need him to pitch well. This Wednesday, he’s the most important pitcher on our staff because he’s the one who’s going to be out there on the mound.”
Last season, South Alabama finished with a 43-20 record, including a win against Mercer University in the NCAA Starkville Regional.
The Jaguars are only 10-8 this season, but they enter their series against LSU after winning five of their past six contests. They won two of three contests against Arkansas in early February.
South Alabama will throw senior right-hander Matt Bell, who enters tonight’s contest with a 2-2 record and a 5.13 ERA in five starts.
“This is the first time we’ve played them since I’ve been at LSU, but we’re scheduled to play them in future years. It should be a really good game,” Mainieri said. “They’re pitching a guy that was their Opening Night starter and was an All-Conference pitcher last year, so it’ll be a great battle.”