As of now, LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri’s regular pitching rotation is junior left-hander Jared Poche’ on Fridays, sophomore right-hander Alex Lange on Saturdays and senior left-hander John Valek III on Sundays.
Despite the way it will look in a three-game series against Fordham University at Alex Box Stadium, that hasn’t changed.
Following Poche’s 7 p.m. start Friday, Valek will throw in the first contest of Saturday’s split doubleheader against the Rams (3-4) at 2 p.m. Mainieri’s rationale for saving Lange for Game 3, scheduled for 6:30 p.m., isn’t complicated.
“Just one simple reason, really” Mainieri said. “I just wanted Alex Lange to have a night game.”
Mainieri isn’t even asking Lange to come to the stadium for Game 2, wanting him to go about his usual pregame routine for an evening start. From what time he wakes up to when he eats, the 10th-year coach wants it to be as normal as possible, gearing him up for Southeastern Conference matchups that begin after the sun goes down.
The only reason LSU has a doubleheader scheduled is because Fordham couldn’t get a flight back to New York City late enough for a Sunday game.
Of course, playing doubleheaders isn’t uncommon for Mainieri, as inclement weather sometimes forces back-to-back games. LSU played three doubleheaders last year, sweeping Boston College and Princeton in the nonconference slate and winning both games against Georgia before the third game was cancelled due to a rain out.
Mainieri said it’s easier to play doubleheaders at home because the host team is able to return to its locker room, which offers more comfort and accommodations. Not only that, the Tigers (6-2) will have one of their first full days off on since returning from Winter Break, before playing five games in seven days next week.
“It’s rare to have a full day off,” Mainieri said. “Even when you give them off, like on Monday, they still have to go to class. Sometimes, they opt to lift weights. So, they don’t really ever get a total day off, whereas this Sunday will be a total day off for them — physically, as well as mentally.”
In LSU’s first ever meeting with Fordham, which is starting three right-handed pitchers, the Tigers will continue four-game infield experimentation with junior Kramer Robertson at shortstop and junior Cole Freeman at third base. Mainieri said he will “probably” start sophomore Bryce Jordan at first base for the third consecutive game but is still considering sophomore Greg Deichmann for the position.
The Tigers were errorless in a 9-4 win against Nicholls State, and Robertson, Freeman and Jordan each had a notable defensive play on an infield dirt Robertson and Jordan said was tricky.
While Mainieri said Jordan’s backhanded scoop to minimize damage in the bottom first was the “key play in the game,” Freeman’s jump throw in the eighth after backhanding a ball up the middle possessed the most flare. But Robertson never had any reservations about Freeman’s capabilities at a position he played before coming to LSU.
“I never had any doubts that he could play second because he’s a great athlete, and he can play anywhere on the infield and play it at a high level,” Robertson said. “So, I wasn’t doubting him at all. The more that both of us play there, the more comfortable we’ll get with each other, turning double play, and just the hops.”
To match the mistake-free fielding, LSU turned in 12 hits against the Colonels, including three hits from Freeman and four RBIs between Bryce and twin brother Beau Jordan. Part of the offensive success was LSU’s ability to get on base in numerous ways, including Robertson’s 12-pitch walk to leadoff the top of the first.
With table setters like Robertson and freshman right fielder Antoine Duplantis topping the new-look lineup, Bryce said he’s more comfortable when there’s pressure to produce runs.
“I’d rather hit with runners on,” Bryce said. “It makes me focus more to just get the job done even more. We feed off of what everybody else does.”