Perfect Game Baton Rouge Regional Preview

quote:

---

LSU is riding an eight-game winning streak into the postseason and stormed through the Southeastern Conference tournament last weekend. The Tigers have the nation’s elite starting pitcher in righthander Aaron Nola, who’s likely to be a top five or six pick in the Major League Baseball draft. Nola has a 1.49 ERA in 109 innings, along with 127 strikeouts and 26 walks in 126 innings. He has a fastball that sits 92-95 with immaculate command, along with a 79-81 curveball and high quality changeup. Meanwhile, freshman lefthanded pitcher Jared Poche sits 86-89 with his fastball and has a quality curveball, while Alden Cartwright (1.87, 33.2 IP) and Kyle Bouman (2.34, 57.2 IP) are quality starting options. In the bullpen, the Tigers have a good one in hard-nosed righthanded pitcher Joe Broussard, who can get up to 94-95 with his fastball, while Zac Person (2.77, 36 IP), Nate Fury (2.82, 22.1 IP) and Kurt McCune (3.00, 33 IP) are good bullpen options, with McCune providing an especially veteran approach … Offensively, don’t be fooled by Alex Bregman’s .301 overall batting average. He’s been very productive the past few weeks and leads that offense with an advanced approach. Meanwhile, Conner Hale (.314/4/27) and Jake Fraley (.385/3/29) have some pop in their bats, while C Kade Scivicque and OF Sean McMullen each have six homers on the season. Also watch for Mark Laird and Andrew Stevenson, who both have the ability to hit well, while also bringing a lot of athleticism to the table.

---