After a heart-breaking loss to UNO Tuesday night, the LSU baseball team hits the road again when it travels to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to face the Crimson Tide at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in a three-game series and complete its seven-game road trip.
After a sluggish start in which the Tigers were standing at 6-6 after 12 games, they have found their stroke and have posted a 10-2-1 record since then, including a 5-0-1 record in the Southeastern Conference.
Junior shortstop Aaron Hill has led the charge for the Tigers and currently owns a 13-game hitting streak. During the streak he is batting .440 with eight doubles and 14 RBIs and has raised his overall average 100 points to .368.
Hill is not the only Tiger getting it done at the plate. As a team, the Tigers are batting just under .330 during the 13-game turnaround and are averaging more than seven runs a game while yielding only three.
“I don’t like to use the word ‘hot'”, said head coach Smoke Laval. “We’ve just got to play consistent. Are we getting better? Yes. Are we getting more consistent? Yes. Are we playing together? Yes.”
No. 12 LSU (16-8-1, 5-0-1 SEC) is the lone team in the SEC without a loss in conference play after beating Florida in the first two games before tying the third game and pulling off the sweep at Georgia last weekend.
“We’re only two weeks into the SEC season,” Laval said. “I like the way we’re playing right now, but if we are going to get hot, I hope it’s the last two weekends.”
The Tigers swept Alabama in Baton Rouge last season, which denied the Tide of the SEC overall championship. The sweep was the second in a row for the Tigers over the Tide. LSU also swept the Tide in Tuscaloosa in 2001.
“It is very rare to sweep a team in the SEC,” Laval said. “And its even harder to sweep them on the road. We were able to catch Georgia last week at a time when they had some injuries. It’s very difficult to do.”
No. 20 Alabama (19-5, 4-2 SEC) opened its conference play by sweeping Georgia at home. Last weekend the Crimson Tide won the first game against Florida but dropped the next two.
Sophomore Taylor Tankersley (4-0, 2.41 ERA) will start on the mound for the Tide in Friday night’s game, and Brent Carter (4-2, 2.42) will start Saturday.
Alabama head coach Jim Wells is uncertain who he will start Sunday, but it will likely be either Jeffrey Norris (2-1, 6.04) or Allen Ponder (2-1, 3.00)
Laval said the Tigers will keep the same starting rotation that led them to a sweep last weekend.
Right-handed pitcher Brian Wilson will begin on the mound for the Tigers Friday night.
Wilson is 5-2 on the season with a 3.14 ERA. In his first SEC game of the season, Wilson went the distance, pitching a complete game shutout against Florida.
Senior Bo Pettit is the probable starter for Saturday’s matchup. Pettit continues to baffle hitters at the plate.
Since returning to the team from an illness that prevented him from playing the first three weekends, Pettit is 3-0 with a 2.32 ERA and one save.
After struggling in the starting role, senior Jake Tompkins returns to the bullpen, where he received All-SEC honors a year ago as the Tigers’ closer.
Nate Bumstead (2-1, 4.81) will start the final game of the series. Bumstead made his first SEC start of his career last weekend in Georgia and struck out a career-high eight batters through eight innings pitched.
The Tide have a team batting average of .314 and lead the SEC with 32 home runs, led by Adam Pavkovich (.393).
The Tigers return to Alex Box Stadium Wednesday when they host Nicholls State and continue SEC play next weekend when they host defending SEC Champions, South Carolina.