At the end of every college baseball season, Ben and I look at everything that’s coming back next season and think about who has best shot of going the distance and punching a ticket to Omaha between the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns and LSU. I’ll save the Cajuns for another day and give you my thoughts on this program headed into 2019.
We say it more often than not when it comes to LSU that they’re headed to Omaha. This is a program that at one point had the College World Series be called the “Skip Bertman Invitational”. They can still get there with that kind of regularity and can get back to the proverbial promised land of TD Ameritrade Park in Nebraska. 2019 is that year where I can say with absolute confidence that they’ll be back to Omaha. I’m talking 99.9% confident that they’ll make it over there and I’ve got three reasons why.
Those three reasons: Antoine Duplantis, Zach Watson, and a healthy Eric Walker. The first two are going to be huge for the starting nine, especially when you look at maybe the most consistent hitter that LSU’s ever had in Duplantis. Watson is also a good guy at the dish and can be a leader for this team. All this being said, having Eric Walker back and if he’s 100 percent healthy, the Tigers have their Friday ace back in the saddle is huge. The only big question is if Zack Hess is going to be a starter. I’m not in Paul Mainieri’s head but I’ll read between the tea leaves and think that he’ll have Hess penciled in as the number two starter headed into fall ball unless he sees a quantum leap from Labas or Storz.
However, Hess needs to be put in the bullpen. It’s Wild Thing and his bread is going to be buttered as a six-out or three-out closer. Yes, Todd Peterson has turned into a good hand, but I don’t expect him to be used as a bridge guy and a closer during the midweek games. Add that to the incoming talent, it’s Omaha or bust but that’s #AsExpected.
-Clint Domingue