Why LSU baseball will — and won’t — win Hattiesburg NCAA Regional
BATON ROUGE - LSU baseball is heading to Hattiesburg.
The NCAA announced on Monday that the Tigers (38-20) will head to Mississippi to face Southern Mississippi, Kennesaw State and Army for their regional.
LSU heads into the regional coming off back-to-back losses in the SEC Tournament to Kentucky and No. 1 Tennessee. The Tigers finished the regular season with a three-game road sweep over Vanderbilt.
Here's why LSU can and can't win the Hattiesburg Regional.
Why LSU baseball will win in Hattiesburg
LSU had one of the best offenses in the SEC and the country this season.
The Tigers finished the regular season and SEC Tournament second in the conference in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage and runs scored, only falling behind Tennessee, the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, in each category.
LSU has two future first-round picks in its lineup, sophomore outfielder Dylan Crews and sophomore third baseman Jacob Berry. Berry has been projected to go as high as No. 1 overall in this summer's draft. Crews isn't eligible for this summer's draft but is considered to be the top player in the 2023 draft.
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The lineup also has plenty of depth behind those two, as LSU has seven other hitters who have started at least 30 games with on-base plus slugging percentages above .800.
According to coach Jay Johnson, Berry and second baseman Cade Doughty, who both missed the SEC Tournament due to injuries, are expected to return for the Hattiesburg Regional.
Additionally, between Army, Southern Miss and Kennesaw State, the Tigers received a relatively good draw. Southern Miss, despite being the host, lost in the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament. Kennesaw State finished 10 spots behind Ole Miss in RPI. And Army went just 1-7 against Power 5 conference teams.
The close proximity of the Hattiesburg Regional may also help the Tigers. Hattiesburg is only about a 2½-hour drive from Baton Rouge.
Why LSU baseball won't win in Hattiesburg
All season, LSUs had trouble filling out its starting pitching staff.
The Tigers' No. 2 starter for most of conference play, sophomore Blake Money, was dropped from the rotation late in the season despite starting the year as their No. 1 option.
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Sophomore Ty Floyd, the new No. 2 starter, has made just three starts against SEC teams this season. And the No. 3 starter role is up for grabs after freshman Samuel Dutton struggled to end the season, allowing 11 earned runs in his last five appearances (6⅓ innings pitched).
LSU's No. 1 starter hasn't exactly been an ace either. Fifth-year senior Ma'Khail Hilliard only has a 4.04 ERA while he's also allowed more hits (80) than he has innings pitched (71⅓).
Koki Riley covers LSU sports for The Daily Advertiser and the USA TODAY Sports South Region. Email him at kriley@theadvertiser.com and follow him on Twitter at @KokiRiley.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Why LSU baseball will — or won't — win Hattiesburg regional
