One Top-10 opponent — Arkansas — left Gainesville last weekend having lost the last two games of the weekend series with the Florida Gators. Instead of breathing a sigh of relief, No. 6 Florida now has to increase its focus to avoid a letdown. This weekend, another Top-10 opponent, the defending national champion Louisiana State Tigers, comes to town.
The defending national champion Tigers come to town with a reputation. Every college baseball fan watched last season as they dominated the final game of the College World Series, bringing the national championship back to the bayou.
This season must have seemed like a roller coaster. At this stop in the ride, the Tigers are experiencing a fall through the standings in the SEC West. The Tigers come to Gainesville Friday night riding a four-game losing streak. Ole Miss swept the Tigers in Oxford last weekend, and the feeling around the LSU program wasn’t great. Then they lost at home to New Orleans, a program heading for non-scholarship level Division Three, on Tuesday night.
It’s the lowest point for coach Paul Mainieri’s program in the past two seasons. The question now is how the Tigers will respond. They couldn’t have a better pitcher on the mound for a big game than the right-handed junior they will throw on Friday. Anthony Ranaudo has been the ace over the past two seasons for the Tigers. The 6-7, 230-pound pitcher has a 2-1 record with a 6.35 ERA. The numbers aren’t what would be expected from a pitcher with a mid-90s fastball and pinpoint control of a curveball and changeup.
He was hit hard last weekend at Ole Miss, lasting only 1.1 innings, giving up nine hits and nine runs. It was his worst start since he became a weekend starting pitcher for LSU at the beginning of the 2009 season.
Ranaudo dealt with an arm injury earlier this season, but he is now healthy and has no pitch count holding him back. Florida saw how good he is last season at LSU, when the junior went seven innings, allowing six hits and one run while recording seven strikeouts.
“He’s a really good pitcher,” Florida outfielder Jonathan Pigott said. “Everything he throws has movement to it. You never feel like he you see the ball out of his hand well.”
The Gators will counter Friday night with sophomore left-hander Alex Panteliodis. The ace is 6-2 with a 3.18 ERA and also coming off a loss last weekend to Arkansas. The loss wasn’t as much his fault as it was a credit to how well Arkansas ace Drew Smyly threw the ball. First pitch Friday is scheduled for 8 p.m.
Saturday is when the questions on the LSU pitching staff begin. There are no certainties out of their starting pitchers after Ranaudo. They have not announced a pitcher for Saturday, but the likely candidate is sophomore left-hander Chris Matulis. He is 5-1 on the season with a 4.18 ERA. In 47.1 innings, Matulis has allowed 42 hits, 25 runs and 23 walks. He has also recorded 35 strikeouts. The Gators will counter with freshman Hudson Randall. The right-hander is coming off an outing where he lasted 5.2 innings against Arkansas, giving up only two unearned runs. He is 4-3 this season with a 3.65 ERA. He has also been named SEC Freshman of the Week twice this season. First pitch Saturday is set for 2 p.m.
LSU hasn’t announced a starting pitcher for Sunday. Right-hander Joey Bourgeois is a likely candidate for the Tigers. He is 4-1 with a 6.41 ERA this year. Brian Johnson will get the ball for the Gators on Sunday. He got the weekend off two weeks ago in Lexington against Kentucky, and he responded with a dominant outing against Arkansas last Sunday. He went seven innings, giving up three hits and no runs while recording nine strikeouts. Johnson is 3-2 with a 2.91 ERA this season.
After Ranaudo, the key arm on the LSU pitching staff is closer Matty Ott. He tied with Preston Tucker after last season as the SEC Freshman of the Year. The sophomore is 1-1 with a 2.43 ERA and 11 saves in 20 appearances.
The LSU offense lost key components such as second baseman D.J. LeMahieu, right fielder Jared Mitchell and left fielder Ryan Schimpf. But the offense is the reason the team has been winning this season.
Leadoff hitter Mikie Mahtook is second on the team with 10 home runs, but his mentality is perfect at top of the order. He sees many pitches and fouls them off, helping his teammates see the pitches the pitcher throws. He is hitting .358 with an on-base percentage of .484. He leads the team with 21 stolen bases.
Austin Nola started as a freshman at shortstop for the Tigers last season and was only asked to shore up the defense with his glove. This season, he brought his bat as well. He is hitting .317 with three home runs and 36 RBI.
Before every series, each team sits down and looks at the opposition’s lineup, picking out the hitter that they cannot let beat them. That hitter for LSU is first baseman Blake Dean. He is hitting .338 with eight home runs and a team-high 53 RBI.
The key power bat for the Tigers is Matt Gaudet. He is hitting .306, but it’s his 14 home runs and 48 RBI that have teams pitching around him lately.
BASEBALL
SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
Eastern Division Conference Overall
(Rank) Team W-L Pct. GB W-L Pct.
(8) South Carolina 14-4 .778 — 32-8 .800
(10) Florida 12-6 .667 2 28-11 .718
(21) Vanderbilt 9-9 .500 5 32-12 .727
Kentucky 6-12 .333 8 23-18 .561
Tennessee 6-12 .333 8 22-20 .524
Georgia 3-15 .167 11 13-29 .310
Western Division Conference Overall
(Rank) Team W-L Pct. GB W-L Pct.
(7) Arkansas 13-5 .722 — 34-8 .810
(13) Louisiana State 11-7 .611 2 32-10 .762
(16) Mississippi 11-7 .611 2 30-13 .698
Auburn 10-8 .556 3 28-14 .667
Alabama 8-10 .444 5 28-15 .651
Mississippi State 5-13 .278 8 20-20 .500
Rank) Ranking in the GatorCountry.com Top 30
SCHEDULE
FRIDAY / April 30
Kentucky (Jr. LHP Logan Darnell 3-3, 5.31 ERA) at Tennessee (Jr. LHP Bryan Morgado 2-5, 6.83 ERA), 5 p.m. (ESPNU)
Alabama (Jr. RHP Jimmy Nelson 5-1, 3.86 ERA) at South Carolina (Sr. RHP Blake Cooper 8-0, 2.67 ERA), 7 p.m.
Georgia (So. RHP Michael Palazzone 4-4, 8.26 ERA) at Vanderbilt (Jr. RHP Taylor Hill 3-3, 3.23 ERA), 7 p.m.
Auburn (So. LHP Cory Luckie 5-2, 6.64 ERA) at Arkansas (So. LHP Drew Smyly 6-0, 2.22 ERA), 7:35 p.m.
Louisiana State (Jr. RHP Anthony Ranaudo 2-1, 6.35 ERA) at Florida, So. LHP Alex Panteliodis 6-2, 3.18 ERA) 8 p.m. (CSS)
Mississippi (Jr. LHP Drew Pomeranz 6-0, 1.90 ERA) at Mississippi State (Sr. LHP Tyler Whitney 0-1, 5.72 ERA), 8 p.m. (FSN)
SATURDAY / May 1
Alabama (So. LHP Adam Morgan 4-2, 5.91 ERA) at South Carolina (Jr. RHP Sam Dyson 4-2, 4.35 ERA), 1 p.m. (CSS)
Louisiana State (So. LHP Chris Matulis 5-1, 3.86 ERA or TBA) at Florida (Fr. RHP Hudson Randall 4-3, 3.65 ERA), 2 p.m. (ESPNU)
Auburn (TBA) at Arkansas (Fr. LHP Randall Fant 3-0, 2.80 ERA), 3:05 p.m.
Kentucky (Fr. LHP Taylor Rogers 4-5, 5.26 ERA) at Tennessee (Sr. RHP Stephen McCray 4-3, 2.43 ERA), 4 p.m.
Georgia (Jr. RHP Sonny Gray 6-4, 2.22 ERA) at Vanderbilt (So. RHP Sonny Gray 6-4, 2.22 ERA), 7 p.m. (CSS)
Mississippi (Sr. RHP Aaron Barrett 6-2, 3.36 ERA) at Mississippi State (Fr. RHP Chris Stratton 4-3, 4.97 ERA), 7:30 p.m.
SUNDAY / May 2
Louisiana State (So. LHP Chris Matulis 5-1, 3.86 ERA or TBA) at Florida (Fr. LHP Brian Johnson 3-2, 2.91 ERA), 1 p.m. (ESPN)
Alabama (TBA) at South Carolina (Sr. RHP Jay Brown 2-0, 4.22 ERA), 1:30 p.m.
Georgia (TBA) at Vanderbilt (So. RHP Jack Armstrong 5-1, 3.83 ERA), 2 p.m.
Auburn (Jr. LHP Grant Dayton 4-2, 5.14 ERA) at Arkansas (Jr. RHP Brett Eibner 3-3, 4.04 ERA), 2:05 p.m.
Mississippi (TBA) at Mississippi State (Fr, LHP Luke Bole 2-1, 6.89 ERA), 2:30 p.m. (CSS)
Kentucky (TBA) at Tennessee (TBA), 3 p.m.
RESULTS
TUESDAY / April 27
Tennessee 13, Belmont 5
Georgia Tech 6, Georgia 4
New Orleans 7, Louisiana State 4
Mississippi 11, Murray State 10 (10)
Austin Peay State 5, Vanderbilt 4
Alabama 7, Mississippi Valley State 4
Auburn 11, Samford 4
WEDNESDAY / April 28
Georgia 13, Western Carolina 10
Alabama 5, Mississippi Valley State 1
Mississippi 15, Tennessee-Martin 6
Louisville 10, Kentucky 9
Arkansas 5, Missouri State 4
RANKINGS
April 26, 2010
GATORCOUNTRY.COM TOP 30
The GatorCountry.com Top 30 college baseball teams for April 26, with first-place votes in parentheses, record and total points. The GC Top 30 is a cumulative of four polls – the USA Today / ESPN Coaches, Baseball American, Collegiate Baseball and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association polls.
No. School Rcd Pts
1. Texas (3) 34-7 99
2. Arizona State 33-5 94
3. Virginia (1) 34-9 93
4. Georgia Tech 34-7 82
5. Coastal Carolina 36-5 78
6. UCLA 29-7 76
7. Arkansas 33-8 73
8. South Carolina 32-8 73
9. Florida State 31-10 72
10. Florida 28-11 69
11. Texas Christian 30-8 62
12. Louisville 32-7 53
13. Louisiana State 32-9 52
14. Miami, Fla. 29-11 49
15. Cal State Fullerton 24-13 45
16. Mississippi 28-13 42
17. Oklahoma 29-11 32
18. Connecticut 33-7 30
19. Arizona 28-11 26
20. Stanford 21-13 20
21. Vanderbilt 32-11 17
22. Oregon 27-13 16
23. Virginia Tech 28-14 14
24. Kansas State 27-10 12
25. California 23-14 9
26. Clemson 25-16 4
27. Rice 26-16 3
28. San Diego 23-15 2
29. Pittsburgh 30-10 2
30. North Carolina 25-17 1
USA TODAY/ESPN COACHES
1. Texas (34-7); 2. Arizona State (33-5); 3. Virginia (34-9); 4. Georgia Tech (34-7); 5. UCLA (29-7); 6. Coastal Carolina (36-5); 7. Arkansas (33-8); 8. South Carolina (32-8); 9. Louisiana State (32-9); 10. Florida State (31-10); 11. Texas Christian (30-8); 12. Florida (28-11); 13. Louisville (32-7); 14. Miami, Fla. (29-11); 15. Mississippi (28-13); 16. Oklahoma (29-11); 17. Vanderbilt (32-11); 18. Cal State Fullerton (24-13); 19. Arizona (28-11); 20. Kansas State (27-10); 21. Connecticut (33-7); 22. Oregon (27-13); 23. Stanford (21-13); 24. Rice (26-16); 25. Clemson (25-16).
BASEBALL AMERICA
1. Virginia (34-9); 2. Texas (34-7); 3. Arizona State (33-5); 4. Florida State (31-10); 5. UCLA (29-7); 6. Florida (28-11); 7. South Carolina (32-8); 8. Georgia Tech (34-7); 9. Arkansas (33-8); 10. Coastal Carolina (36-5); 11. Texas Christian (30-8); 12. Louisville (32-7); 13. Cal State Fullerton (24-13); 14. Mississippi (28-13); 15. Louisiana State (32-9); 16. Miami, Fla. (29-11); 17. Oregon (27-13); 18. Virginia Tech (28-14); 19. Arizona (28-11); 20. Connecticut (33-7); 21. Stanford (21-13); 22. Oklahoma (29-11); 23. California (23-14); 24. San Diego (23-15); 25. Rice (26-16).
COLLEGIATE BASEBALL
1. Texas (34-7); 2. Arizona State (33-5); 3. South Carolina (32-8); 4. Coastal Carolina (36-5); 5. Virginia (34-9); 6. Georgia Tech (34-7); 7. Florida (28-11); 8. Arkansas (33-8); 9. UCLA (29-7); 10. Florida State (31-10); 11. Miami, Fla. (29-11); 12. Cal State Fullerton (24-13); 13. Connecticut (33-7); 14. Louisville (32-7); 15. Texas Christian (30-8); 16. Mississippi (28-13); 17. Louisiana State (32-9); 18. Stanford (21-13); 19. Oklahoma (29-11); 20. California (23-14); 21. Arizona (28-11); 22. Kansas State (27-10); 23. Oregon (27-13); 24. Pittsburgh (30-10); 25. Virginia Tech (28-14); 26. Portland (27-9); 27. Auburn (27-14); 28. Rice (26-16); 29. UC Irvine (24-13); 30. Texas State (24-14).
NATIONAL COLLEGE BASEBALL WRITERS ASSOCIATION
1. Texas (34-7); 2. Virginia (34-9); 3. Arizona State (33-5); 4. Georgia Tech (34-7); 5. Texas Christian (30-8); 6. Coastal Carolina (36-5); 7. Arkansas (33-8); 8. Florida State (31-10); 9. UCLA (29-7); 10. Florida (28-11); 11. Louisiana State (32-9); 12. Louisville (32-7); 13. South Carolina (32-8); 14. Miami, Fla. (29-11); 15. Oklahoma (29-11); 16. Cal State Fullerton (24-13); 17. Mississippi (28-13); 18. Vanderbilt (32-11); 19. Arizona (28-11); 20. Connecticut (33-7); 21. Virginia Tech (28-14); 22. Stanford (21-13); 23. Clemson (25-16); 24. Kansas State (27-10); 25. North Carolina (25-17); 26. Oregon (27-13); 27. Western Kentucky (30-14); 28. Rice (26-16); 29. UC Irvine (24-13); 30. Oregon State (21-13).