Jay Johnson Explains Reason For William Schmidt's Late Scratch In The SEC Tournament

LSU starting pitcher William Schmidt was a late scratch just 20 minutes before the Tigers were scheduled to take on Oklahoma in their first-round matchup in the SEC Tournament.

Instead of Schmidt, head coach Jay Johnson handed the ball to Grant Fontenot and spoke with the SEC broadcast crew about the decision.

According to Johnson, Schmidt's back tightened up, and he wasn't able to go.

LSU purposely did not pitch Schmidt in last weekend's SEC series finale vs. Florida so he could go early in the SEC Tournament.

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Here's what Johnson had to say about Schmidt after the game:

quote:

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"He said his back tightened up, and he couldn't go. We're always going to do what is in the best interest of the players for their health. So we had to move off of it quickly. I think it was like a spasm. I don't plan on him being available, but I have to talk to him and the trainer. He seemed pretty locked up. We'll see."

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