After being brought to the mat in the Regional round, LSU has fought their way to a second Super Regional under Head Coach Jay Johnson, this time inviting the gritty Clemson Regional champions, West Virginia, for a battle on the bayou.
The Tigers and Mountaineers will have to battle more than each other however, they’ll also have to manage the heat coming their way in Baton Rouge. With a heat index of 103 expected at first pitch on Saturday, both teams are taking all measures to stay ready.
“We’ve kinda made it a joke, we keep saying ‘the most hydrated team is gonna win’,” Mountaineers Head Coach Steve Sabins said Friday. “The reality is this is different than what we’ve played in, it’s extremely hot and it’s humid, so you have to do things to mitigate those circumstances.”
“A lot of water, Coach [Johnson] does a good job at kinda integrating water stations,” Tiger Second Baseman Daniel Dickinson said. “A lot of rest, a lot of hydration.”
Both teams will look to stave off the heat, but they’ll also look to stay hot in their own right, especially West Virginia. Coming off a Regional sweep in Clemson, the Mountaineers look to bring their “blue-collar ball” to Baton Rouge.
“It’s very blue collar, it’s not gonna be the most flashy team in the country,” Senior Right-Hander Reese Bassinger said. “We’re gonna go in there and get the job done for the next guy.”
WVU is looking to make a little history this weekend, as they aim to punch their first ticket to Omaha in the school’s history, with the support of Mountaineer Nation behind them.
“That’s West Virginia,” Coach Sabins said. “They are so proud of the Mountaineers, and when people have success, everybody rallies behind it.”
On the opposite side, the LSU Tigers enjoy their second straight weekend of home cooking, and after being taken to their limit by Little Rock in the Regional, the Tigers are ready for battle in the Supers, with a few extra lessons.
“My biggest takeaway was the ability of the team to respond in such an appropriate fashion in a high-stakes game on Monday night,” Jay Johnson said of his team’s Regional clinching win over Little Rock.
With a second trip to Omaha under Jay Johnson on the line, LSU prepares for a WVU squad ready to knock them off.
“It’s why I came to LSU, to play in the postseason, to make a run at Omaha, to make another run at a National Championship,” Daniel Dickinson said.
The prep is now done for both squads, and both teams gear up for an exciting weekend of baseball at Alex Box Stadium. First pitch Saturday for WVU and LSU is scheduled at 1 p.m..
