Now that baseball season is over, and SEC media days aren't for another month, it’s time to look back at the best storylines and moments from the 2017-2018 LSU sports year. I am sure you all have your favorite moments so feel free to comment if I missed any. At the end, make sure you vote for your favorite story in the poll.
First up, Todd Peterson. On May 24 against South Carolina, Todd Peterson stole the show. After Peterson had already pitched four innings, it was his turn to bat. Daniel Cabrera had just singled up the middle to give LSU a one-run lead. Peterson came to the plate with two outs, with runners on first and third. Then with a 1-2 count, Peterson clubbed a double into the left-field corner. Both runs scored in what would be the difference in LSU’s 6-4 win.
The story got even better when Peterson was interviewed postgame by ESPN.
College baseball interview of the year pic.twitter.com/r4TB7DY9EH
— Kent (@RealKentMurphy) May 25, 2018
Then this exchange in the postgame press conference between Mainieri and Peterson caused the story to go viral. Peterson even got the attention of Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter that night.
LSU’s pitcher, Todd Peterson hasn’t had an at-bat since eighth grade, but he told his coach he hit in high school so he could bat. That AB, he roped a 2-run double pic.twitter.com/ZXzkwfdhqx
— Kent (@RealKentMurphy) May 25, 2018
On the basketball court, Will Wade revitalized the program. In Maui, over Thanksgiving week, LSU upset Michigan 77-75. The win was a shot in the arm for a program that needed it badly. Throughout the game, Will Wade’s enthusiasm was evident. LSU finished the game on an 18-7 run. One of the more memorable plays from the season occurred when Tremont Waters went all out for a loose ball, then miraculously got the ball to Skylar Mays who proceeded to throw down a reverse dunk.
Staying with hoops, we move on to the aforementioned Tremont Waters. Tremont Waters made his name known in that Michigan game and never looked back. Waters went on to set the school freshman assist record as well as averaging 15.9 points per game. Waters gave LSU their play of the year with a buzzer beater from DEEP in three-point territory to lift LSU over the 11th ranked Texas A&M.
On September 30th, after LSU had lost to Troy, it appeared all had been lost. Two weeks later, the 10th ranked Auburn Tigers rolled into Death Valley. And when Auburn got out to a 20-0 lead over LSU, things looked bleak. With 12:40 left in the second quarter, Russell Gage ripped off a 70 yard run on a jet sweep to set up an LSU touchdown, which cut Auburn’s lead to 13. Two drives later, just before the half, Danny Etling connected with DJ Chark on a 37 yard pass. Soon after, Etling found Gage in the end-zone to make it a 23-14 game at the half. The two teams traded punts in the third, but with 14:33 left in the fourth, DJ Chark returned a punt 75 yards for a touchdown, cutting Auburn’s lead to two points. The LSU defense would come up huge in the second half giving Connor Culp a chance to hit two field goals, to give LSU the 27-23 victory. The win was LSU’s largest SEC comeback ever in Tiger Stadium.
⬆️ for "The Comeback" pic.twitter.com/mHNMBXp2sW
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) October 17, 2017
In the gym, LSU was led by the lights out performances of Sarah Finnegan and Myia Hambrick. All year, Finnegan and Hambrick were the definition of consistency. Sarah Finnegan, a junior, throughout the year racked up weekly awards and got the honor of SEC gymnast of the year. Finnegan was top in the SEC on bars, beam, and in the all-around. Though Hambrick’s numbers were not as gaudy as Finnegan’s, Hambrick’s senior season was still one to remember. Hambrick earned two SEC gymnast of the week honors on her way to earning All-American honors for the second consecutive year. Finnegan and Hambrick led LSU to a fourth-place finish at the Super Six in April.
On the softball diamond, who could forget the 19-inning battle between Ole Miss and LSU in early April. 19 innings tied the mark for the longest game in SEC history. Allie Walljasper was marvelous. Walljasper battled through all 19 innings, all while not surrendering an earned run. By the end of the night, Walljasper had thrown 237 pitches. Kaitlin Lee, the Ole Miss starter, tossed 261 pitches. In the bottom of the 19th, Amanda Doyle walked it off by driving in Taryn Antoine on a bloop single to left. 19 innings was the longest game in LSU history.
Before there was Todd Peterson against South Carolina, there was Daniel Cabrera’s walk off grand slam against Tennesee. When the inning began, LSU was trailing 7-3. By the time Cabrera came to the plate, the Tigers had cut the lead to just one run. Facing a 1-0 count, with runners on second and third, Cabrera turned on a 97 mph fastball, putting the ball six rows deep, and completing the comeback on a walk-off homer. The home run gave the Tigers a much-needed sweep against Tennesee.
Poll
What was the greatest moment/story of the 2017-18 LSU Year?
This poll is closed
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35%
Todd Peterson heroics vs South Carolina in Hoover
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0%
LSU’s upset over Michigan in Maui
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9%
Will Wade/Tremont Waters bringing excitement back to the basketball program
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46%
LSU’s comeback win over Auburn in Death Valley
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3%
Sarah Finnegan and Myia Hambrick’s dominance in the Gym
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2%
LSU and Ole Miss’ 19-inning duel on the softball field
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0%
Daniel Cabrera’s walk-off win over Tennessee at the Box