LSU pulls off back-to-back-to-back attack

The LSU baseball team entered the Southeastern Conference Tournament with a spot in the NCAA Tournament still uncertain.

But there’s no doubt now — the Tigers will get a chance to defend their national title.

LSU took its fate out of the hands of the selection committee this weekend and punched a ticket to the big dance, winning four-straight games in the SEC Tournament to lock up their third-straight conference title and, most importantly, an automatic berth into the tournament.

The Tigers defeated Alabama 4-3 in the finals in a thriller that needed 11 innings, two rain delays and more than five hours before being decided.

The victory comes at what seemed like the most unlikely time for the team who battled a miserable mid April and early May and entered the SEC Tournament as the No. 8 seed (the last time to get in).

The Tigers battled through a seven-game losing streak and were 2-13 from April 24-May 18, to drop the team from a sure-fire Regional host to possibly not making the NCAA Tournament.

But LSU coach Paul Mainieri never gave up the faith — even though he may have been the only person that optimistic.

“We’re thrilled with our third straight championship here in Hoover,” he said. “I never lost faith in our players, and they played so well and I’m so proud of every one of them.”

LSU will return to the diamond this weekend at the NCAA Regionals.

But for the first time since switching to the 64-team format, the Tigers will not host the opening round of the playoffs, but will rather travel to Los Angles in the UCLA Regional.

LSU will play their opening game against UC-Irvine. UCLA and Kent State will also join the Tigers in the Regional.

The Tigers will enter the weekend hoping to rely on the strong pitching they got in the conference tournament.

After struggling on the mound all season, LSU allowed just 14 runs in the four games they played in the SEC Tournament, including just three runs combined in the semifinals and finals against Ole Miss and Alabama.

Junior Anthony Ranaudo returned to form after battling health and confidence all season. The 6-foot-7-inch righty started the Tigers’ opening round game against Florida and pitched into the eighth inning, keeping the Gators off balance throughout the game.

He followed that performance up with three innings of no-hit baseball in relief to close the Crimson Tide out in the championship game.

“I feel good,” Ranaudo said. “Anytime you can go out there and control three different kinds of pitches, it builds your confidence.”

Mainieri agreed and said the pitcher looked like his old self on the hill for probably the first time this season.

“It seemed like old times with Anthony out there reeling, us swinging our bats well and playing here in the park that we love so much,” the coach said.

A ballpark his team “loves so much” is probably an understatement.

LSU has won 13 of their past 14 games in Hoover dating back to 2008, and became the first team to win back-to-back-to-back titles.

The SEC Championship has usually come as a good omen to the Tigers. Each of the past three times they did it, they later advanced to the College World Series, including in 2000 and 2009 when the team won the national championship.

That kind of language was unheard of in Tiger nation a few weeks ago, but it may be a reality if LSU closes their season the way they closed their stay in Hoover.

“You can’t give up on kids that have done good for you all year, you have to keep believing that one day they are going to figure it all out,” he said. “You might as well believe in the kids that have proven that they are committed already … Things haven’t gone well for us all year, but we’ve never given up.”