Tigers may not be done at Alex Box

• By RANDY ROSETTA
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: May 20, 2008 - Page: 1C - UPDATED: 12:15 a.m.

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It’s likely that Alex Box Stadium isn’t done yet, according to one of the foremost experts on college baseball.

Somebody with as strong a connection to the old stadium as anyone else thinks so, too.

LSU’s 16-game winning streak to close the regular season has vaulted the Tigers back into the national consciousness in a lot of ways, most notably as a probable host for the first round of the NCAA tournament.

In fact, when LSU (39-16-1) opens the 2008 SEC tournament against South Carolina (37-19) at 10 a.m. Wednesday in Hoover, Ala., the Tigers could be in position to state a serious argument as a super regional host.

On Monday, LSU surged up in the national rankings, ascending to No. 8 in the Collegiate Baseball poll and No. 10 in the Baseball America rankings after standing 16th in both polls last week. The Tigers also jumped up eight spots in both the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll (21 to 13) and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association rankings (24 to 16).

“One of the top criteria the committee uses is the last 15 games and right now, there’s obviously nobody better than LSU in that category,” said Mark Etheridge, publisher of SEbaseball.com. “Even if they went 0-2, that would be 13-2, mostly against the best competition in the country.

“If they stay hot and run the table in Hoover, they’re probably a national (top-8) seed. Their RPI isn’t as high as some others, but with that hot streak, nobody is playing better than LSU right now.”

The LSU athletic department has done its part, submitting bids to the NCAA as a host for the regional round as well as for the super regional round. Associate athletic director Herb Vincent said the school made a lucrative bid for both rounds, though the super regional hosts are determined by seeding and not financial considerations.

“We planned on submitting a bid as long as we were in contention for the SEC tournament and once we got hot, we really put an emphasis on doing everything we could to be in the mix,” Vincent said.

Of course it doesn’t hurt to have one of the most recognizable names in college baseball as the athletic director in the final days of his tenure.

Former LSU coaching legend Skip Bertman was on the baseball selection committee in the past and is still friendly with many of the members, including Mississippi State Athletic Director Larry Templeton.

“I haven’t spoken to anybody on the committee, but my guess is we should at least host a regional regardless, especially since we’re in the top 10 now,” Bertman said.

“I think the Box will be revisited again. I’m real proud of (LSU coach Paul Mainieri).”