LSU Loses Super Regional Host Site To USM, Which Will Play Ole Miss; All 5 SEC TV Times

HATTIESBURG, Mississippi - It was all there for first-year LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson.

A Super Regional host site was waiting at Alex Box Stadium this coming weekend in Baton Rouge, where LSU has won five times since 2008 to reach the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.

"Honestly, I was not prepared to lose this game," Johnson said after losing, 8-7, to Southern Mississippi in front of 5,256 at Pete Taylor Park Monday night. "I had full belief we were going to win. I wanted to take these guys to Omaha so bad. It just hurts because I wanted to do it with this team."

LSU would have hosted with a win because it the Hattiesburg Regional was paired with the NCAA Regional in Coral Gables, Florida, where better seeded Miami was eliminated, leaving the host site up to the next best seed - No. 1 seed Southern Mississippi or No. 2 seed LSU. But Johnson didn't care where.

"I knew we'd host if we won, but that had nothing to do with it," he said. "I would've gone to Europe to play in a Super Regional with these guys."

LSU TWICE WON IN DRAMATIC FASHION

Southern Mississippi (47-17) will do the honors instead and host a Super Regional for the first time in its history this weekend, and it will be against none other than in-state rival Ole Miss (35-22). The No. 3 seed Rebels won the Coral Gables Regional on Monday night with a 22-6 win over No. 2 seed Arizona, which was less of a seed than LSU and USM. It was the Rebels' first NCAA Regional title on the road in program history.

Southern Mississippi and Ole Miss open the Super Regional in Hattiesburg at 4 p.m. eastern time Saturday on ESPNU. A second game follows at 4 p.m. Sunday on ESPN2 or ESPNU. A third game - if necessary in the double-elimination format - would be at a time and station to be determined.

"The atmosphere is going to be just like this weekend with LSU's passionate fans," Southern Mississippi coach Scott Berry said. "The baseball fans in the state of Mississippi are the most passionate in the country. It's not even close. This state is passionate about baseball."

Ole Miss and Southern Mississippi drew a Pete Taylor Park record crowd of 6,346 for a 4-1 Rebels win on May 11. The two teams drew 4,530 to Trustmark Park in Pearl, Mississippi, on April 5 as USM beat Ole Miss, 10-7. Mississippi State, which won the 2021 national championship, and USM drew 6,387 to Trustmark Park on March 2 for a 7-1 win by USM.

"The state of Mississippi this weekend - that will be national exposure for us," Berry said.

Southern Mississippi took the 8-7 lead in the top of the ninth when Chris Sargent and Slade Wilks singled to open the inning off LSU's seventh pitcher - Eric Reyzelman, who took the loss to fall to 1-3. Danny Lynch's sacrifice fly to left field scored the run. Tyler Stuart shut down LSU in order in the last of the ninth for the win to go to 4-0.

"It's hard to put into words right now," said LSU designated hitter Gavin Dugas, whose solo home run in the bottom of the eighth tied the game 7-7.

"You can't prepare for anything like this," Dugas said.

It was LSU's second straight loss to USM, which prevailed Sunday night, 8-4.

"I'm kind of lost for words," LSU slugger Dylan Crews said. "Never thought in my mind we were not going to win that game. It sucks. It just wasn't our time, I guess."

Another SEC team to reach the Super Regional round Monday was Auburn, which beat UCLA, 11-4, in the continuation of a suspended game from Sunday. Auburn will play at Oregon State, which beat Vanderbilt, 7-6, on Monday. Auburn and Oregon State start at 10:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2, which will also carry the Sunday game at 10 p.m.

A third SEC team to reach Super Regional play on Monday was Arkansas, which beat host Oklahoma State, 7-3, and will play at North Carolina at 11 a.m. Saturday on ESPN with a 1 p.m. game Sunday on ESPN or ESPN2.

The SEC has put five teams in Super Regionals in all as Tennessee and Texas A&M reached the next round with wins on Sunday. Tennessee will host Notre Dame at 6 p.m. Friday on ESPN2 with the second game at 2 p.m. Saturay on ESPN. Texas A&M will host Louisville at 8:30 p.m. Friday on ESPNU and play the second game at 3 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2.

Florida missed its Super Regional host chance with a 5-4 loss to Oklahoma on Monday.

LSU drew within 7-6 in the seventh after two outs on RBI singles by Tre Morgan and Jordan Thompson.

USM trailed 4-3 after six innings, but it broke the game open with a four-run seventh inning to take the 7-4 lead off four LSU relievers, who allowed only two hits in the inning, but gave up two walks and hit a batter.

LSU's first five relievers, by the way, started off by allowing runners in this way - walk, walk, hit batsman, RBI single, two-RBI single with a fielding error thrown in for good measure. USM finished with 12 hits in all to 11 by LSU.

"It's a simple game really," Johnson said. "They're infinitely better on the mound than us. We have work to do."

Carson Paetow led off the disastrous LSU seventh for USM by walking off new Tiger pitcher Jacob Hasty, who promptly exited. Reliever Devin Fontenot then hit Dustin Dickerson, and Reece Ewing reached first to load the bases when Fontenot mishandled his bunt. Sargent tied the game 4-4 with a sacrifice fly to center field.

Wilks then greeted LSU reliever Bryce Collins with an RBI single for a 5-4 lead. After Collins walked Will McGillis, LSU's fourth pitcher of the inning - Trent Vietmeier - replaced him and allowed a two-run single to Gabe Montenegro for USM's 7-4 lead.

LSU's bullpen allowed seven hits and four earned runs with five walks in relief of starter Ma'Khail Hilliard, who allowed two runs on five hits with no walks and three strikeouts in three innings.

"We've got to pitch better. End of story," Johnson said.

Cade Doughty hit his 15th home run of the season and third in three days for a 4-1 LSU lead in the bottom of the third.

LSU jumped on Southern Mississippi starter Tanner Hall for a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the first with four hits and a throwing error. Morgan singled in the first two, and Jordan Thompson followed with a bunt single for a 3-1 lead.

Paetow led off the game for USM with his 16th home run of the season for a 1-0 lead off Hilliard.

"When I said, 'painful,' this is deep pain," said Johnson, who left Arizona after last season following a trip to Omaha. "I didn't want to let myself think that we're not playing this weekend. I want to win the national championship. That's why I came to LSU - to make a bunch of runs at winning the national title. We'll get there."