LSU Baseball Enters Uncharted Waters After Early Exit from SEC Tournament
Paul Mainieri doesn't know what to do with himself now that the Tigers are back in Baton Rouge. It's the first time since taking over as LSU's baseball coach that he's been sent home this early in the SEC Tournament, after the Tigers were knocked out by Georgia 4-1 in a single elimination matchup on Tuesday.
LSU and Mainieri have always had success in Hoover, winning the tournament six times and finding a way to play its absolute best, no matter the record or circumstances. But that just wasn't the case against the Bulldogs as the Tigers came up short on multiple opportunities in the loss, a recurring theme for this team all season.
LSU has had opportunities to close out game threes to win SEC series or avoid sweeps, opportunities to get back into games with runners in scoring position and solidify its position as one of the best 64 teams in the country. But for a multitude of reasons, the Tigers now stand in limbo as to whether their 2021 season will continue.
This team heads back to Baton Rouge in a tough spot. With 13 conference wins, an RPI that's No. 27 at last check and the No. 3 strength of schedule, LSU certainly has a case for a postseason bid in the NCAA Tournament. But now they're in the uncomfortable position of having to sit back and wait to see if the tournament committee thinks it's enough.
A lot depends on what happens in these conference tournaments as well. For example, if teams with lower RPI rankings are able to pull off numerous upsets in conference tournaments, it could hurt the Tigers' chances of earning a bid if their RPI continues to slip. The upset Alabama pulled on Tennesee Wednesday in the SEC Tournament is a prime example as the Tigers are battling it out with the Crimson Tide and Georgia for a potential spot in the tournament.
In his postgame remarks, it was pretty clear that Mainieri was rattled by the early exit in Hoover and that he has no idea what to expect come next Monday's selection show.
"We're going to have optimism and hope for the best and hope we get a chance and have a clean slate," Mainieri said. "If we do, we're going to be very positive and confident that we can do it, and we're just going to have to wait and see. It's not an enviable position to be in, but we're just going to have to wait and see."
"We've just gotta sit and wait right now," right fielder Dylan Crews said. "Whatever happens, happens and we'll be ready for it. We're gonna take this as a learning experience and perform and do what we do best."
The next few days will be particularly nerve-racking for the team and everyone who follows LSU baseball closely as various projections and scenarios will most certainly be tossed around. LSU was among the last five in for the latest projections out of D1 Baseball but that was before a number of upsets across the country.
Mainieri was still getting over the loss but he expects that the Tigers will stay sharp and practice over the next week, though a schedule has yet to be worked out.
"I haven't had enough time to kind of digest it and think about it and come up with a plan of action," Mainieri said. "I've got plenty of time to figure that out now unfortunately. I haven't even talked to the team yet. I have to gather my thoughts and figure out what we're going to do."