J. EDMUND BARNES

PHOTO 1: The LSU Tiger baseball team waits out a rain shower during Thursday’s practice at Zephyr field. (Staff Photo by J. Edmund Barnes) Storm clouds gathered over Zephyr Field Thursday afternoon, both literally and figuratively, as LSU and Tulane gathered for their final practices before the Super Regionals. The skies opened over LSU, raining out their practice, but not before Skip Bertman and Rick Jones had a chance to answer some questions about the upcoming best of three series. With the biggest college baseball crowds in Louisiana history expected to start packing the shrine on Airline around 6p.m., Bertman stated that the two previous loses to Tulane earlier in the regular season didn’t matter. “It doesn’t make a difference. On Friday night, one team will be better that night. That’s what makes sports so great. They have to play the game,” said Bertman. “Two losses is not a factor. It is almost an advantage because they have to beat us again.” In what has become the most sought after ticket in the state, the hundred-plus-year old rivalry between Tulane and LSU will play out this weekend with braggin rights, pride, and a College World Series berth at stake. For LSU, winning this weekend means evening the score after two unexpected regular season loses to Tulane. It also means keeping the drive to give Skip Bertman a sixth national championship alive. For Tulane, it means a trip to Omaha, the first in the school’s history. “Tulane swings the bat like us,” said LSU short stop Ryan Theriot. “They’re hot. They’ve got good pitchers, older guys, who know what’s going on.” “Its a wonderful thing. Two Louisiana teams, 12,000 seats, and no one’s able to get a ticket. There’s no region in the nation that can beat that,” said Bertman. Tulane head coach Rick Jones assessed the ticket crunch that saw a sellout in a matter of hours. “I’ve turned off my voicemail. I only got one ticket – for my wife,” said Jones. Coach Jones was able to comment on his team’s attitude towards the long road to Omaha. “I don’t know how they (LSU) do what they’ve done in ten years and still get called the underdog. I do think we feel very conficdent in these situations. Being here (at Zephyr Field) is a plus. The team feeds off of the fan’s energy.” “You know their tendencies whether you play them in Febuary or June,” said Tulane short stop Andy Cannizaro. “But a trip to Omaha and the College World Series on the line magnifies it.” “The key will be three things. You can win with two, and sometimes even one, but generally you have to have all three things to win: good pitching, hitting, and defense,” said Jones. Pitching will be espically important to LSU, and Bertman admitted a lack in his bullpen’s depth. “We’ll be at a disadvantage if the (starting) pitcher can’t go into the fifth inning. Our pitching beyond the starters has been questionable,” said Bertman. Tulane pitcher Michael Aubrey kept it simple. “You concentrate on the job, you don’t pay attention to the crowd. Every game is big, but you’re going after the W.” Bertman said that he’d been reflecting on his career, at the regional, at Alex Box stadium and on how kind and warm the fans and other teams have been. The most tiring and taxing part for Bertman has been dealing with the media. Bertman said the media has been besieging him, even though he really isn’t leaving LSU. Ryan Theriot and Lane Mestepey admitted to being under pressure initially to win the College World Series for coach Bertman. “In the beginning, you’re initial thought is to send him out on a high note, but coach makes the point to win for the team, the state, the college, but not for him,” said Theriot. “To send him out on a high note would be great, but each person has to want to win it.”