Of all the talks of which game is LSU’s biggest of the season, it certainly would be Thursday’s. The playing field is now even. With a win, LSU will move onto the College World Series finals against Florida. With a loss, the Tigers’ season will come to an end. The same goes for Wake Forest.
The Tigers and the Demon Deacons will square off one final time on Thursday at 6 p.m. C.T. from Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska. The game will be aired on ESPN2.
Wednesday night, LSU was the only team playing for the sake of continuing its season. But the Tigers came away with a 5-2 win to give Wake Forest its first loss of the tournament.
Of LSU and Wake Forest’s three matchups in the College World Series, Thursday’s game has the most hype and anticipation. Not because of the teams themselves, but who each team may see on the mound.
Paul Skenes has been the most dominant pitcher in the country this season. The statistics Skenes has recorded this season are almost straight from a video game. Skenes leads the nation in strikeouts by 42 strikeouts, as he currently has 200. He also leads the nation in WHIP at 0.78, sits second in the country with a 1.81 ERA, and has a 12-2 record on the season.
Skenes last pitched on Saturday in the team’s 6-3 win over Tennessee in the College World Series opener. In that outing, he pitched 123 pitches, as he went 7.2 innings, struck out 12, and gave up two runs on five hits.
This being said, if Skenes were to pitch on Thursday. He’d be losing two days of rest. After Wednesday’s game, Jay Johnson was asked if Skenes would be available for Thursday’s matchup. Johnson said he has to go through a process Wednesday night into Thursday before determining his availability.
“We’ll talk to him [Skenes] tonight, see how he feels,” Johnson said. “It’s a pretty thorough process.”
Skenes is a leader both on and off the field. Coming from the Air Force Academy, he naturally embraced the role of a leader as he not only pitched, but also hit, played catcher and played first base at times. It’s hard not to believe that if it were solely up to Skenes, he would be a go for Thursday. The stakes are as high as they’ve been all season, and Skenes would want the opportunity to lead his team to the College World Series finals.
But on the other side, Wake Forest could have its No. 1 answer on the mound ready as well. If there was anybody that could hold a flame to the season Skenes has had, it would be Rhett Lowder.
Lowder, who is the back-to-back ACC Pitcher of the Year, is fifth in the country with a 1.99 ERA. He sits at sixth in the nation for strikeouts at 137, ninth in the country with a 0.96 WHIP, and has a 15-0 record through 18 starts.
But just like Skenes, Lowder pitched on Saturday in Wake Forest’s College World Series opener against Stanford. In that game, he pitched 100 pitches, went 5.1 innings, struck out six, and gave up two runs on seven hits. It wasn’t Lowder’s best performance, but looking at his statistics makes it known what he’s capable of. Like Skenes, Lowder is also projected to be one of the first pitchers taken in this year’s MLB Draft.
When asked if Lowder will be available for Thursday’s matchup, Wake Forest head coach, Tom Walter, had a similar approach to how Johnson is treating Skenes. But similar to Skenes, if it were up to Lowder, he would most likely be ready to go.
“I’ll have to talk to Rhett tomorrow and see how he feels,” Walter said. “But knowing Rhett, he’ll probably be on the board.”
It would be the matchup everyone wanted coming into the College World Series. Yes, LSU and Wake Forest played twice, but without Skenes and Lowder, the hype didn’t reach its full potential. Although it isn’t official, the mere fact it’s now possible makes the much wanted matchup the most talked about it’s been.
However, the practicality of Skenes pitching Thursday, or at least starting, is the most common debate amongst LSU fans. If Skenes were to not throw on Thursday, he could be saved for game one of the College World Series finals on Saturday. Or if he were limited in his pitch count Thursday, he could be available for Sunday’s game, a game that would either force a game three, or give the Tigers a national championship.
But planning for a game that is by no means guaranteed may not be the smartest option. If using Skenes Thursday meant the Tigers would make it to the national championship, many would think it’s worth it. But if LSU loses Thursday without using Skenes with the intention of saving him for the finals may seem like they didn’t do everything necessary to win. At that point, however, Johnson may bring Skenes out of the bullpen to help limit damage so the offense can get back in the game.
The much-wanted Skenes vs. Lowder matchup is certainly a possibility, but seeing the two on the mound Thursday may not come in the headline fashion many expect it to be. If LSU has success without Skenes on Thursday, using Skenes Thursday may have seemed wasteful. Johnson is likely to either play the game by ear with Skenes, or give him the start to put the tempo of the game in their own hands.
Regardless of what form it comes in, or what order they come in, LSU fans should be ready to see their ace on Thursday, at some point.
