After winning two games on Sunday to keep their season alive, the LSU Tigers will take on North Carolina for a third time this postseason to decide the winner of the Chapel Hill Regional.
The winner of Monday’s game will get to host a super regional against West Virginia. The Chapel Hill Final will start at 5 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2.
LSU has limited options on the mound after using nine pitchers on Sunday. Nate Ackenhausen got the start against Wofford but threw just 27 pitches before being pulled for Griffin Herring who threw a season-high 89 pitches. Thatcher Hurd put in his longest appearance of the season when he went 5.2 innings against UNC Sunday evening.
Kade Anderson who has started nine games this season threw 13 pitches against Wofford and 32 against UNC. Sam Dutton has started three games this season including two in the last two SEC series of the season. He threw 14 pitches in the Saturday loss to UNC and has a 5.20 ERA on the season.
Javen Coleman has seven starts this season and hasn’t thrown at all in the Chapel Hill Regional. He started and went 2.1 innings in the SEC Tournament semifinal against South Carolina and has a 5.47 ERA on the year.
The Tar Heels used four pitches in the loss on Sunday including starter Aidan Haugh and relievers Connor Bovair and Cameron Padgett. They used starter Shea Sprague in the win over LSU on Saturday and starter DeCaro Jason in the win over LIU on Friday.
The only pitchers for UNC that have starts this season that haven’t thrown in the Chapel Hill Regional are Boston Flannery and Olin Johnson. Both players haven’t pitched since May 1 against William & Mary.
When asked about his plans for who he’ll pitch on Monday, UNC head coach Scott Forbes wouldn’t elaborate on who he’ll start, but he did say they’re throwing everything they have in the win or go home game.
“All of our horses, they’ll be ready,” Forbes said.
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