By Chris Marler
Putting Paw-Paul out of his misery?
LSU heads to beautiful Columbia, South Carolina, and the state of the Gamecocks baseball program has arguably never been lower. South Carolina is 27-26. They are most likely going to lose their last four games against No. 1 LSU and whoever they get in the first round of the SEC Tournament of Hoover.
If that happens, South Carolina will finish the season with their second fewest wins in the last 50 years. They would also finish the season with a 5-25 record in conference play. That would not only be the fewest conference wins since they joined the SEC 34 years ago, but it would be just the second time in program history that they failed to reach double digit wins in SEC play.
Losing a series to LSU isn’t necessarily a nail in the coffin. Getting swept by LSU isn’t either. However, if South Carolina gets swept in the same fashion they have in their last two series, losing by a -31 run differential in each, then yes, Mainieri’s time in Columbia might be over.
Can lightning strike twice?
Regardless of what happened in College Station last weekend, Missouri is not making the NCAA tournament. That is unless they win the SEC tournament in Hoover, which would be a bigger upset than my drunk aunt getting through Thanksgiving dinner without bringing up politics. God bless her, but we are like 0-for-our-last-22 Thanksgivings Aunt Danielle.
Anyway, Missouri’s sweep of Texas A&M was one of the craziest things to happen in college baseball this season. It all but ended the Aggies’ chances of getting to the NCAA tournament. Now, they host Mississippi State who is seemingly in the field as of today and even projected as a 2-seed by most national publications. However, if lightning were to strike twice and Missouri swept the Bulldogs, would that keep State out of the postseason?
Spoiler alert – it won’t happen either way.
Sliding doors in Norman
Texas and Oklahoma will face off in the last regular season series for each team. Texas is the overwhelming favorite and is still projected as the top national seed for the field of 68. They’re facing an Oklahoma team who had been playing well until they were unexpectedly swept by Kentucky a week ago.
The most interesting part of this series is game one. Both teams need a win badly. And while Texas has been the best overall pitching staff in the conference this season, there is arguably no better game one/Friday night starter in the country than Kyson Witherspoon and his 9-3 record accompanied by his 2.45 ERA.
If Oklahoma is able to win game one, they obviously have a great chance to win the series against their arch-rival. That wouldn’t necessarily be shocking for them to win the first of three this weekend. What would be shocking would be the fact that that would be Texas’ sixth loss in their last seven games in SEC play. Where would the Longhorns be mentally if that were to happen not only the rest of the weekend but starting in postseason play as well?
