LSU head coach Paul Mainieri can’t quite wrap his head around the rivalry with Ole Miss, wondering why the Rebels “seem to be a little more of a rival” than other schools.
Junior outfielder Mason Katz was quick to dispel any of his coach’s doubts.
“They don’t like us, and we don’t like them,” Katz said. “That goes in all sports, really.”
Regardless of the animosity, Mainieri knows the series is a pivotal one in the Southeastern Conference Western Division race, where the No. 24 Rebels (30-16, 10-11 SEC) trail the No. 4 Tigers (35-10, 14-7 SEC) by four games.
Coupled with LSU’s recent struggles on the road, Mainieri was hesitant to rest on his team’s accomplishments.
“People seem to want to coronate us already,” Mainieri said. “We’ve got nine [SEC] games remaining.”
Friday’s opener will be a matchup of premier sophomore starting pitchers, with LSU ace Kevin Gausman pitted against Ole Miss right hander Bobby Wahl, both of whom were named to the Golden Spikes Award watch list Wednesday.
Wahl’s 2.09 ERA, five wins and .211 opposing batting average have stymied some of the country’s best teams, including No. 7 Florida and TCU. He was also recently named to the National Pitcher of the Year watch list.
Gausman said he doesn’t need any extra motivation after surrendering six hits and six runs in just 2 1/3 innings in last season’s 16-3 loss to the Rebels.
“They beat me up pretty good,” Gausman said. “That’s something I’m definitely taking into account.”
The Tigers will need more than just Gausman and junior closer Nick Goody if they want to capture the series. Sophomore Ryan Eades has been shaky in the Saturday starting role and freshman phenom Aaron Nola has shown some vulnerability in his last two outings.
Kentucky rocked Eades for six runs and nine hits in only 3 1/3 innings two weeks ago in the Tigers’ 8-1 loss. He followed with a four-inning outing in the Tigers’ 8-4 win against Georgia, where he never looked comfortable while surrendering seven hits.
A stellar bullpen has saved the rotation from much ridicule, but Mainieri said it must be consistent in order to hold the tenuous leads that LSU customarily holds.
Katz and fellow junior outfielder Raph Rhymes will pace the Tigers at the plate, with Rhymes’ nation-best batting average still an astronomical .503.
Mainieri said junior outfielder Arby Fields will remain in the leadoff spot for the time being, after sophomore infielder JaCoby Jones missed two study halls, prompting a demotion to ninth in the order.
“This is the time where all that discipline you want your players to have all year comes into play,” Mainieri said.
The most entertaining part of the series will not be the games themselves, but what he hears from the Ole Miss students in the right field bleachers, Katz added.
He pointed to last season’s berating of now-senior Alex Edward at Swayze Field as something he looks forward to and is ready to absorb.
“It makes me have a good time out there,” Katz said. “They come up with some good stuff. I love hearing it.”
Mainieri said his team is playing loose at the right time, especially with this pivotal series on the horizon. He told his team to play with a “reckless abandon” in order to play to the top of its capabilities.
“The bigger the series, the looser I want them,” Mainieri said. “If they’re tense and feeling the pressure, they’re not going to play to their capabilities.”
 
____ Contact Chandler Rome at [email protected]