The last time LSU faced Tennessee, coach Paul Mainieri couldn’t help but mention after the series the team was a little snake bitten.
It left a sour taste in the Tigers’ mouths because they knew the record didn’t reflect the way the team had played that weekend.
LSU has proven it can go on the road and not be flustered as the Tigers did win four SEC series, a number of midweek games and most recently the Oregon regional in road settings.
So even with crowds expected to be much larger than the first go around, the mindset of this team doesn’t change which is a positive.
“I would just say we go there and take it one game at a time,” Bianco said.
The Volunteers have one of the toughest pitching staffs in the entire country with a team ERA of 3.42, top 10 overall.
“We went up a really good pitching staff but when we went against them, the ball park was small and they had home run hitters,” Mainieri said of the first Tennessee series.
LSU outfielder Gavin Dugas remembers the bad taste that series against the Volunteers left in the team’s mouth and doesn’t want to experience it again.
“It helped us realize it’s really hard to win SEC games and I think that’s where a bunch of guys were able to understand.
LSU does and should feel very confident in its chances this weekend if it plays like it did in Eugene.
The Tigers will have to do it without the services of outfielder Giovanni DiGiacomo, who pulled his hamstring in the Oregon regional and will miss the weekend.
“I think as a whole our team was able to come together a little bit more,” Dugas said.
Glen West has been with LSUCountry for over a year now, covering the Tigers 2019 championship run.