LSU fighting to continue season

LSU Coach Paul Mainieri is a big fan of the drama that surrounds the opening day knockout round of the Southeastern Conference baseball tournament.

In a rare change, the Tigers will be part of it this year.

LSU has struggled this season — especially by its lofty standards — and is the No. 8 seed at this week’s SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama. The Tigers face No. 9 Mississippi State today in what might be a must-win game for their NCAA Tournament chances.

Mainieri said his team must embrace the high stakes of today’s game without feeling the pressure. LSU was the national runner-up last season and has made the College World Series in three of the past five seasons.

“It’ll be an exciting ballgame,” Mainieri said. “And that’s all we’re going to do — we’re going to play a baseball game. Nobody knows the postseason ramifications so I’m not even going to try to speculate.”

The SEC has used the opening-day knockout round format since 2013 when the tournament expanded to 12 teams. The No. 5 through No. 12 seeds play a single-elimination game on Tuesday and the winners advance to a double-elimination format that begins on Wednesday.

The other games on knockout Tuesday No. 6 Vanderbilt vs. No. 11 Texas A&M, No. 7 Auburn vs. No. 10 Kentucky and No. 5 South Carolina vs. No. 12 Missouri. Kentucky and Texas A&M are among the programs in a similar position as LSU, teetering on the edge of an NCAA Tournament invitation.

The four teams automatically earning a spot in the double-elimination round are No. 1 seed Florida — which is the defending national champion — No. 2 Ole Miss, No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 Arkansas.

The tournament format goes back to a single-elimination format for Saturday’s semifinals and Sunday’s final.