It will be a somber weekend to open SEC play as LSU coach Paul Mainieri will coach his first weekend series since the death of his father early Wednesday morning. LSU (12-5) opens SEC play against Kentucky (13-4) on Friday night.
After defeating Texas Southern on Wednesday, the Tiger players talked about the resilience and toughness it took for Mainieri to coach after such a difficult day. That toughness will guide Mainieri and his team through the weekend.
Kentucky has a strong record but has yet to play a ranked team. LSU will be the first test for the Wildcats, and it will be a proving ground for LSU’s freshmen. The Tigers have struggled to find a consistent rotation because of injuries and the inability to throw strikes consistently.
During the weekend series against California, junior Zack Hess and freshman Cole Henry pitched well in their starts, while sophomore Eric Walker allowed four runs in three innings. The weekend rotation will remain the same — Hess, Henry and Walker.
Hess completed five strong innings in his last start. He finished with over 100 pitches, but limited the damage to two earned runs. It seemed like Hess figured out what he need to do with his breaking ball as all five strikeouts came off of that pitch.
Walker’s start didn’t go as well. He finished after three innings, and Cal was able to put the ball in play consistently. Walker put three runners on – which Mainieri is trying to limit – and allowed five hits.
Henry was somewhat of a revelation for the staff. The freshman showed in his first start against Cal that the ability is certainly there. He threw strikes throughout his four innings not allowing a run. He buckled the knees of Cal hitters with his breaking ball and looked sharp for a young player. The experience against Kentucky will be very different for Henry.
Kentucky has put up six runs in 10 of its 17 games. The Wildcats start off with their most dangerous hitter at the top of the order, senior Ryan Shinn. Shinn is hitting .368 with a .702 slugging percentage. He is also a threat to steal with five stolen bases on the year. This has been a problem LSU has faced all season.
The Wildcats have 46 stolen bases on the year. This could be a potential issue for the Tigers. During Hess’ last start, he varied his timing to the plate and threw back to first base more often. Mainieri said the pitchers need to do that to keep runners closer to the bag. The defensive side isn’t the only problem LSU could face.
The offense could also face a problem with two of Kentucky’s starting pitchers - juniors Zack Thompson and Grant Macciocchi. The left-hander has a 2.78 ERA in his four starts and hasn’t allowed a home run this season. LSU struggled against Cal’s left-hander in the series opener and relies heavily on the long ball – like it was the Gorilla ball of the ‘90s.
In Macciocchi’s two lone starts he has thrown five-and-two-thirds innings and six-and-one-third innings allowing only one earned run. He has appeared in four games amassing a miniscule 1.32 ERA.
The LSU lineup was cold until it blew up for 15 runs against Texas Southern on Wednesday. The competition will be much tougher when Kentucky comes to town.
The free-swinging, hit the ball over the fence, approach has the potential to backfire for the Tigers this weekend. Kentucky is just a glimpse of what LSU has to face the rest of the season. The road only gets more difficult as the season progresses.
