Abbreviated version today as there is a bit to cover and I'm short on time. Game 2 of the Must-Sweep series is tonight at 6:30pm. There is no TV coverage.
Another stellar outing by Kevin Gausman (1 run on 4 hits, 7Ks 1BB in 7.2 IP) is overshadowed by a 6-hit 10-run 6th inning that turned a comfortable 7-1 game into a 17-1 beating. However, the pressure remains high as a sweep is still needed to get to Hoover. Here are the rest of last night's SEC scores and what they mean for us.
SCar 1-Bama 2 (Meh, though it does secure Bama a spot in the tourney)
Vandy 4-UGA 5 (Bad for NCAA hopes, UGA now 2 games over .500)
UK 6-UF 9 (Meh)
OM 2-ARK 1 (Bad for SEC hopes, need ARK to win series)
AU 2-UT 5 (Good for SEC hopes, I think; completely unexpected)
The standings board on the side keeps the 6/7/8 split for now because the tiebreakers are down to the coin flip.
Shame on me for neglecting to mention LSU's SEC Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship victory over the weekend. Highlights from the Women's and Men's meet is after the break.
LSU SportShop's annual one-day sale of used jerseys and helmets is today on the west side of Tiger Stadium. I will pay top-dollar to whom ever can secure me a Drake Nevis or Danny Graff (or even the now collectible #14 Tyrann Mathieu rookie jersey)
Men's Basketball won their first Italian exhibition game yesterday against Virtus Frusino, 106-70. They play again today against a team sponsored by Armani Jeans. Also, pairings for the SEC/Big East Challenge were announced yesterday, with LSU drawing a trip to Rutgers on Dec. 3rd, which is a horrible schedule choice as it's the same day as the SEC football championship game.
NCAA 12 will allow, among other things, full control of conferences, including adding teams and realigning divisions. The first thing i'm going to do is add TAMU, Tulane, WVU, and Sewanee to the SEC and move the champ game to NOLA.
Finally, congratulations to all of the graduates going through commencement exercises this weekend. I haven't seen the usual list of current and former Tiger athletes who are earning their degrees, but I do know that RB Justin Vincent is among them.
Track and Field SEC Championship