College World Series: Tennessee-LSU Pitching Matchup For Elimination Game
A reporter thinking he was onto something asked LSU coach Jay Johnson a question after the Tigers lost 3-2 to No. 1 Wake Forest on Monday at the College World Series.
These things happen at the CWS, Final Fours or College Football Playoff games. Not everyone knows a lot about all the teams, and there were eight in Omaha to start.
"I was sort of curious. Were you managing this game in part, thinking of the possibility of maybe there being extra games and having to save a couple arms for later in the tournament at all?"
No, young reporter, it was more like that was all he had. After ace Paul Skenes, Johnson does not have enough arms to begin to think about saving them or picking and choosing when to throw them.
"We were trying to win tonight with the best two guys we had available," Johnson answered.
Tennessee Has The Arms That LSU Doesn't
That's not exactly true. This would have been:
"We were trying to win tonight with the best two guys we had available, and there are not a lot of other guys that I feel comfortable putting out there."
No. 2 starter Ty Floyd allowed two hits in five innings, which is usually about all he can go. He went to the mound in the sixth, but walked the bases loaded and left. Wake Forest scored two runs to tie the score 2-2 charged to him off No. 3 starter Thatcher Hurd. He allowed the winning run in the eighth for the loss.
"They both pitched fantastic," Johnson said. And more than well enough to win, considering LSU has one of the best offenses in the nation. But the Tigers managed only five hits. Dylan Crews, projected to be the No. 1 or No. 2 pick in the Major League Baseball Draft on July 9, went 0 for 3.
LSU Facing Omaha Elimination
And now, LSU is 1-1 in the College World Series with an elimination game Tuesday against Tennessee (7 p.m., ESPN). And it has already gone through its top three starters.
Johnson started junior left-hander Nate Ackenhausen (2-0, 3.63 ERA) in the first start of his major college career against the Vols. He is a transfer from East Oklahoma State. Ackenhausen has made 15 relief appearances this season and thrown just 22 and a third innings. He pitched in the SEC Tournament last month, holding South Carolina to one hit over three and two-thirds innings with six strikeouts and three walks. He last threw in the NCAA Regional finale win over Oregon State. He threw an inning and two thirds. Ackenhausen allowed two runs on two hits with a walk and a strikeout.
"Nate statistically has been one of our best pitchers," Johnson said. "When he pitches, we usually win."
LSU is 13-2 when Ackenhausen pitches.
"Over the next few days, we're going to have to use a lot of guys," Johnson said.
He plans on using mainly left-handers like Ackenhausen against the Vols, who came in hitting .261 against lefties and .294 against righties. LSU's other lefties are sophomore Javen Coleman (1-2, 6.39 ERA), freshman Griffin Herring (4-2, 4.55 ERA) and Riley Cooper (4-3, 4.89 ERA).
Cooper started the last time LSU played three games in such a short span as three or four days like now. That was against Oregon State above. He went a solid three and two-thirds innings. And Johnson used three relievers (Ackenhausen, Herring and Gavin Guidry) to get through the game for a 13-7 win.
LSU ace Paul Skenes throws during the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama, last month.(Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
LSU roughed up Beam for eight hits in four innings on April 1. He allowed just one earned run, though, and struck out four in a 14-7 Tennessee win.
After Skenes (13-2, 1.81 ERA), who beat Tennessee on Saturday, Johnson basically has two starters, a few relievers and a couple hybrids. He has no closer. Guidry and Hurd lead the team with three saves.
LSU Just Trying To Survive At College World Series
So, no, Johnson is not "saving" anybody. He's just trying to survive post-Skenes - the greatest pitcher in college baseball who could pitch tonight in Major League Baseball. But he can't pitch tonight for LSU on just two days rest after throwing 123 pitches Saturday night. LSU lost highly-regarded pitchers Chase Shores, Garrett Edwards and Grant Taylor before the season or early on to injuries.
If LSU can get by Tennessee tonight in an elimination game, the Tigers will play Wake Forest on Wednesday (7 p.m., ESPN). Just who Johnson would throw then will be interesting. That would be LSU's fourth game in five days - something it has not done often. Skenes would be on only three days rest. Hurd would be coming off just one day of rest after throwing 65 pitches on Monday. Could he go one or two? It would be several guys for an inning or two.
"Yeah, we have nine guys available to pitch tomorrow," Johnson said Monday night. He didn't name the nine. I don't think he could have.
"And we'll choose one of them," he said. "And he'll get guys out for as long as he can. Then we'll go to the next guy, and we'll go to the next guy until we figure out how to get 27 outs against a really good team."
Tigers Do Not Have A Lot Of Pitchers
Doesn't sound like much of a plan.
Should LSU beat Tennessee, then beat Wake Forest on Wednesday, it would have to beat Wake Forest again on Thursday (7 p.m., ESPN) to reach the national championship series. That starts on Saturday - barring bad weather. Skenes could pitch Thursday. He would be coming off four days rest. He usually takes six days off between starts, but he could handle it.
The question about saving arms would have been much better for Tennessee coach Tony Vitello. He has much more pitching depth than LSU. The Vols are No. 2 in the nation in team ERA at 3.62 and in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 4.06. LSU's ERA is No. 32 nationally at 4.50.
Vitello's team is 1-1 in the CWS, and he hasn't even thrown one of his best pitchers yet - sophomore right-hander Drew Beam (9-4, 3.78 ERA). He starts tonight.
Tennessee's Tony Vitello Has Wealth Of Pitching Options
"I want to see Drew Beam pitch again," Vitello said after losing to LSU on Saturday. "I probably have as much confidence in that guy as anybody else on the staff. And we've got a bullpen that's basically has gotten us here."
High first round projection Chase Dollander (7-6, 4.75 ERA) was off Monday against Stanford and left after just three innings and 58 pitches while down 4-0.
If Tennessee beats LSU, Dollander could come back maybe on Wednesday or Thursday.
"Dole will bounce back, be one of the best pitchers in the whole thing," Vitello said. "And trust me, I know the guy the other night we faced - how good he is (Skenes)."
Volunteers Beat Stanford With Gem By Chase Burns
Tennessee came back to win without Dollander as reliever/starter Chase Burns came on and looked like Skenes for a 6-4 win. He shut out Stanford through six innings on two hits with nine strikeouts on 73 pitches in an historic performance.
Should he get by LSU, Vitello may start senior right-handed reliever Camden Sewell (4-0, 4.12 ERA) on Wednesday. There is also junior right-hander Set Halvorsen (3-3, 3.83 ERA) and junior left-hander Zander Sechrist (0-1, 2.05 ERA, 12 starts).
If Tennessee gets to Thursday, Vitello has his starter from Saturday. That would be junior right-hander Andrew Lindsey (3-4, 2.90 ERA). He would have had four days rest after throwing 72 pitches against LSU.
College World Series All About Pitching Depth
Burns (5-3, 4.25 ERA, 2 saves) could throw Wednesday or Thursday in relief.
"We're fortunate enough that we've got a guy that people call our closer in Chase Burns, but he's really a starter that we're fortunate enough to use in a bunch of different situations," Vitello said. "And there's a lot of other guys that contributed, too."
Tennessee's pitching is as good and as deep as Wake Forest's. Do not be surprised if it's Tennessee and Florida in the national championship series starting Saturday.
"Fortunately, we have the arms to keep going," Vitello said. "We've kind of short-changed some of those guys (Dollander, Lindsey) by taking them out of games early. But it might benefit us in the long run."
Just curious, was that Vitello's plan? Perhaps.