GAMETHREAD: Baseball vs South Alabama, 6:30, SECN+

While the Fightin’ Will Wades try to grab a postseason win against the Southwestern Louisiana Institute of Liberal and Technical Learning, baseball will be across the street for it’s final midweek tune up before the start of conference play. The big story of the night will be the home debut of Fr RHP AJ Labas, who will be asked to go deep for the first time, with a scheduled pitch count around 70. LSU’s starting pitching is hardly set in stone, and with the daunting 10 weekends of SEC baseball ahead, every option will need to be explored and tested in case a rip cord needs to be pulled. Labas has done all right in his brief midweek appearances so far, but tonight will be a much tougher test against a well regarded foe.

South Alabama (9-7) has had one helluva schedule this season and is a much tougher out that their near .500 record suggests. The Jaguars have some big names on the wall, with wins over VT, Oklahoma, K State, and a series win over the Cajuns last weekend. unfortunately, they also ran into a buzzsaw in Lubbock and were swept in a 4 game series against Texas Tech, a Red Raider squad that might be the best team in the country. USA’s big threat is Mandeville’s own Jr OF Travis Swaggerty. A legit first rounder this coming summer, he leads the Jaguars statistically, hitting .340/.642/.551 with four homers. USA will be starting Jr. LHP Caleb Yarborough (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7.1 IP, 4 BB, 4 K), but based on his stats, it’s likely we’ll see a few arms out of their pen this evening.