LSU Tigers

With media gathered at LSU's Alex Box Stadium Tuesday wondering who would get the nod on the mound for the Tigers in Friday's Baton Rouge regional opener against Louisiana-Monroe, the giveaway answer was down the right field line.

Freshman right-hander Aaron Nola was getting his bullpen work in with pitching coach Alan Dunn during a time when it's usually Friday night starter Kevin Gausman getting the work.

Indeed, it will be Nola (6-4, 3.93 ERA), and not staff ace Gausman, who will get the start when No. 7 LSU (43-16) opens the regional against No. 4 seed Louisiana-Monroe (31-28) at 7 p.m. CT on Friday. Nola, who pitched a pre-planned two innings in a Wednesday start against Mississippi State at the SEC tournament, should be fresh and ready to go, head coach Paul Mainieri said.

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College Football Live's panel of experts discuss the upcoming season for the LSU Tigers.

HOOVER, Ala. -- For the LSU Tigers, the descent was gradual against Mississippi State on Friday afternoon. The three-run lead the Tigers clung to for eight innings slipped away inch by inch.

In the ninth inning, the grip that looked so firm loosened. LSU's ordinarily reliable closer Nick Goody came on in what was to be the final frame of the game and was helpless to hold the lead. A double, a pair of singles and a sacrifice fly pulled the Bulldogs from Starkville, Miss., even at 3-3.

In the bottom of the 10th, the pressure became too much. With one out and Goody still on the mound, Mississippi State coach John Cohen walked up to the home plate umpire and spent several minutes looking over the lineup. LSU coach Paul Mainieri fumed as Goody was forced to wait. And then, after standing around for several minutes, the next batter hit a double, followed by a single off the glove of second baseman JaCoby Jones that sealed LSU’s fate, bringing home the game-winning run for Mississippi State, 4-3.

“It’s a very tough loss for us,” Mainieri said. “It was a game we seemingly had in hand. ... Unfortunately, it just didn’t go our way.”

Mainieri said he wasn’t pleased with the layoff his pitcher faced in the 10th inning.

“John had made some changes and somehow the umpire was confused about what changes were actually made,” Mainieri said. "He didn’t want somebody batting out of order, and quite frankly I was a little irritated.

“Our pitcher is out there trying to pitch and all of a sudden he’s got to stand there on the mound for several minutes -- like icing a free throw.”

The fifth-year coach of the Tigers admitted, though, that it was somewhat the fault of his offense for failing to score from the second inning on.

LSU starting pitcher Ryan Eades walked the tightrope for six innings, walking four batters and giving up four hits without surrendering a single run. While designated hitter Ty Ross praised Eades work on the mound, Mainieri was bullish about his erratic performance.

“He looked good and he was definitely pounding the zone better,” Ross said. “He just seemed more confident.”

Mainieri rebuffed him, saying, “I wasn’t as upbeat about Ryan’s performance as they were. His command was not very good.”

As down as Mainieri and the rest of the team was, being bounced from the SEC tournament is not the end of the Tigers’ road. Mainieri said the loss is a tough pill to swallow, but it was important to remember the trip to Hoover was just the beginning.

“We’ll analyze it, put it in the rear-view mirror, and get ready for next week,” Mainieri said. “Obviously, next week is what really matters as we go forward.”

LSU will learn where it will play in the NCAA tournament on Monday.

HOOVER, Ala. -- Maybe the bats had jetlag. The LSU Tigers rebounded form a sleepy offensive performance in their first day at the SEC baseball tournament to recover and jolt the Ole Miss Rebels less than 24 hours later, 11-2.

“There was a pretty determined group of kids in our dugout today,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri, who told his players yesterday that it was their decision whether they wanted to go home or stay in Hoover to play another day.

Despite the early start, with first pitch coming at 9:30 a.m., the Tigers came out ready to play at Regions Park against Ole Miss. LSU struck for two runs in the first inning and held the lead from then on. Three players had multiple runs batted in and eight batters combined for 17 hits.

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With the 2013 ESPN 150 released and thoroughly dissected, it's time to take a look at this year's ESPN 100, which was released on Thursday.

After the disappointment of seeing only four Louisiana prospects on the ESPN 150, this year's list of elite basketball prospects offers up some tantalizing possibilities for LSU. Two of the 100 players listed -- No. 17 prospect Jarrell Martin and No. 71 Damian Jones -- don't just hail from Louisiana, but from the Baton Rouge area.

With talent like that located at such a close proximity to LSU, it seems like a no-brainer that Johnny Jones needs to have his eyes on his area this summer and fall. Martin will begin his second high school season with Madison Prep this fall, while Jones is at Scotlandville. Both players have enjoyed a big upswing in exposure this past spring, and that looks likely continue as basketball season approaches.

The full ESPN 100 is here. The ESPN 60 for the class of 2014 also came out Thursday, as did the 2015 ESPN 25.

HOOVER, Ala. -- The way Mississippi State starting pitcher Chris Stratton threw from the hill at Regions Park, LSU getting two runs was an accomplishment. But a pair of runs in the fifth inning wasn’t enough for the Tigers as they fell to Mississippi State in the second round of the SEC baseball tournament, 3-2.

“Stratton is really good,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “He’s clearly not only one of the best pitchers in the SEC, but one of the best pitchers in the country. I have a lot of respect for the kid. He’s very good.”

Stratton has faced LSU a number of times in his career and came out on top more often than not.

“I’m about ready for him to go into professional baseball so we don’t have to face him anymore,” Mainieri.

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It should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with Louisiana high school football, but big things are expected from John Curtis Christian heading into 2012.

The Patriots feature heavily in this week's FAB 50 Offseason Primer from ESPNHS writer Mark Tennis. It's hard to raise the expectations on a team that went 14-0 on the way to a Class 2A state title while racking up head coach J.T. Curtis' 500th career win, but the Patriots return a lot of talent. The program sends plenty of players to major college football - Joe McKnight, for one. Curtis tight end and 2012 prospect Dillon Gordon will join LSU's roster this fall.

I covered Curtis on multiple occasions in 2011, and regardless of the losses, the Patriots return essentially their entire devastating backfield.

Tennis has the full scoop here, where he also highlights Class 4A runner-up Edna Karr.