They’ll play Monday – and LSU isn’t happy about it.
The NCAA made the decision to postpone the championship game late Sunday night – a ruling that had LSU athletic director Joe Alleva livid at the athletic association. The announcement came at about 9 p.m. as the elimination game between Tulane and UNC-Wilmington was winding down.
The Seahawks (41-17) beat the Green Wave 8-2 to advance to the championship round against the Tigers, who must get beat twice Monday not to advance to a best-of-three super regional. LSU and UNC-Wilmington could have started after 10 p.m. Sunday, an incensed Alleva said in an impromptu news conference Sunday night.
“Frankly, it’s a ridiculous decision,” he said. “A terrible decision by the NCAA. Period.”
LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri declined comment Sunday night, and Alleva said, “He’s not real happy.”
“I feel really bad for our fans, more so than anything,” Alleva said. “I also feel bad for our team. Our team has been here all day waiting to play, and now they’re not going to play.”
Tickets for Sunday night’s regional championship game will be honored for the noon game Monday.
The No. 2 national seed in the NCAA tournament, LSU (50-10) is still expected to start sophomore left-handed pitcher Jared Poché (7-1, 3.85). UNC-Wilmington will start freshman right-hander Justin Crump (1-1, 2.70), making just his third start of the season.
LSU needs just one win in the possible two games Monday to advance to a super regional, which it would host against the winner of the Houston regional.
UL-Lafayette is in the driver’s seat of that regional. The Cajuns, like LSU, would have to lose twice Monday against Rice or Houston not to advance to the super regional round.
The Baton Rouge regional title game had been scheduled for 7 p.m. Sunday, but, for a third straight day, rain affected this regional.
The Tulane-UNC Wilmington game, scheduled for 3 p.m., did not begin until 6:15. It ended at 9:22 p.m. The NCAA mandates 55 minutes between games. An NCAA game cannot begin after 11 p.m.
Alleva said LSU wanted to move early games up Saturday and Sunday to avoid rain delays, but the NCAA denied those requests.
“That would be too logical,” he shot back at a reporter’s question.
UNC-Wilmington would be playing a third game in the last 24 hours if the two squads were to have played Sunday night – an advantage, Alleva said, built into the NCAA regional bracket.
“It hurts from the standpoint that when you’re in the winner’s bracket, you have a competitive advantage,” Alleva said. “That competitive advantage has been negated by this decision.”
Alleva said he received a call from Damani Leech, the NCAA administrator overseeing baseball, with the final decision at about 8 p.m. In earlier talks with NCAA officials, Alleva said he “tried to talk them out of it.”
“I personally hold him responsible,” Alleva said of Leech. “I’m sure he consulted with other members of the committee.”
Via– Ross Dellenger, the advocate