LSU coach Paul Mainieri fully expected his team to be in this position at the beginning of the season.He knew this team had what it would take to get to the biggest stage in college baseball and have a shot at winning a sixth national championship for LSU.But he’s not quite ready to call Monday night’s matchup against Texas in game one of a best of three series a “national championship game.” To Mainieri, either game two or three will be the Tigers’ shot at winning it all.Game one, to both him and the players, is just another bump in the road to their shot at making history.”We can’t win the national championship Monday,” Mainieri said. “All we can do is win one game.”Texas, the No. 1 national seed entering the tournament though LSU is ranked No. 1 in most college baseball polls, will pose a great threat to the Tigers’ chance to be the first team to waltz through the NCAA tournament undefeated since the best two of three championship series was introduced in 2003.The Longhorns boast an efficient pitching staff reminiscent of the Rice pitching staff that eliminated LSU from postseason play twice earlier this decade.Texas enters the series with the nation’s lowest team ERA at 2.88.Texas’ four main starting pitchers — Taylor Jungmann (2.10 ERA), Cole Green (3.08 ERA), Chance Ruffin (3.27 ERA) and Brandon Workman (3.45 ERA)  — all boast sub-3.50 ERAs, along with one of the best closers in the nation in Austin Wood (15 saves and a 2.27 ERA) and three other Longhorn relievers.As a team, Texas is also No. 1 in the nation in hits allowed per nine innings (7.34).Their defense helps out the pitchers with the No. 4 fielding percentage in the nation at .979.”Texas is known for their pitching,” Mainieri said. “It will be a great matchup.”While their offense may lack the power numbers of LSU — the Longhorns have 42 homers compared to the Tigers’ 103 — it was a pair of ninth-inning solo shots that carried Texas past Arizona State into the championship series.However, the Longhorns have relied on small ball this season to manufacture their runs. Namely, they have 100 sacrifice bunts this season, including an NCAA-record seven in one game against TCU earlier this season.”The best way to combat small ball is to score a lot of runs,” Mainieri said.Texas coach Augie Garrido was less specific regarding the threats LSU poses to his team, crediting the Tigers with the high level of balance Mainieri said he wanted from his team.”[LSU] is hitting on all cylinders right now,” Garrido said. “They have played the best, most consistent baseball of anyone in this tournament so far.”The Tiger will rely on the same thing they have all season — a balance of solid starting pitching and timely hitting.While much has been made of the Tigers’ new-found “gorilla ball” approach in the tournament thanks to nine long balls through three games, the Tigers know they will have to rely more on spraying the ball around the field to beat the Texas pitching staff.They also will have to have another outstanding outing from senior Louis Coleman in game one.The Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Year is coming off a solid performance in the Tigers’ 9-1 victory against Arkansas and will look to quiet the Longhorn bats early and often in the game.He will be facing Texas’ ace, Ruffin, in game one.”That’s what you go to LSU for,” Coleman said. “You come here to play the best, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”But being “the best” might not necessarily be in Texas’ favor when taking recent history into account.”You know,” Garrido said during a Sunday morning press conference, “the last time a No. 1 seed won here was in 1999.”Said Mainieri: “Well there’s no reason to break that streak now.”—–Contact Andy Schwehm at [email protected]