Baseball Hosts Vandy

BASEBALL

LSU faces Vanderbilt this weekend in the most pivotal series of the weekend.  The Dores have a solid 10-9 SEC record.  As usual, Vanderbilt has an outstanding pitching staff, and they lead the SEC with a 3.31 ERA.  That compares to 5.40 for LSU.  

Vandy is no slouch at the plate either with a team batting average of .317, good for fourth in the league.  They also lead the league in on base percentage. However, Vanderbilt doesn't hit a lot of home runs.  In fact, they rank last in the SEC in with only 36 round trippers on the season.  So while a lot of people get on base, they stay away from the big inning.  That should prevent Vanderbilt from jumping out to a big lead. 

While LSU and Vanderbilt match up well on paper, I get the sense that this series has everything to do with LSU and how they respond after losing six straight games.  With their backs against the wall and their season on the line, it's gut-check time.  Will LSU fold if they face some adversity?  Or will they respond and come out swinging?  My bet is on the latter. 

RECRUITING

As high schools across the country begin their spring practices, college coaches are hitting the road and attending as many as possible to evaluate prospects.  A number of schools will be issuing new offers right now.  Otherwise, recruiting will likely be pretty slow until the summer camp circuit heats up.