By Chris Macaluso
LSUsports.net
(4/26/01)
Baseball seasons are long. LSU Baseball coach Skip Bertman has referenced this fact at least three times every season since he took over the Tigers’ program in 1984.
According to Bertman, that length gives coaches time to juggle lineups, change batting orders and set a pitching rotation.
With the long 2001 season heading into its final stretch and seniors Jason Scobie and Tim Nugent taking the roles of LSU’s second and third pitchers in the rotation, Bertman said he hopes he’s juggled his lineup for the last time.
“It would be nice if these two guys could carry us through the rest of the year,” Bertman said. “We’ve haven’t had the same guys make the same starts in back-to-back weekends yet this year.”
Bertman has also been heard uttering a phrase in the past about peaking at the right time being the key to winning in the tough Southeastern Conference and in the post-season.
Both Scobie and Nugent earned victories last weekend over Vanderbilt to keep the Tigers in a three-way tie for the SEC lead with Ole Miss and Mississippi State with 14-7 conference records.
Scobie, a junior college transfer from Austin, Texas in his second year at LSU, pitched what Bertman described as, “his best game so far this year,” holding the Commodores to just two earned runs while striking out eight in his first career complete game and a 7-2 LSU win. The win boosted his record to 3-1.
He said his recent success is a result of work in the bullpen with Tiger pitching coach Dan Canevari. Scobie said he shortened the curve ball he’d been throwing into a slider which has made his fast ball and his change-up much more effective.
“The change has helped me to get more strikeouts and ground balls,” Scobie said. “More guys are chasing my fast ball and chasing the slider in the dirt, which is something they weren’t doing before.”
Saturday, 23 of the 27 Vanderbilt outs were either ground balls or strikeouts.
Nugent, a four-year letterman from Metarie, La. who has been both a starter and reliever, finished out the series Sunday allowing just one run in five innings for his fifth win of the season.
Bertman said Nugent doesn’t throw overpowering pitches but does a good job of keeping hitters off balance with his curve ball and change-up.
Nugent said he’s glad the team and the coaching staff have the confidence to give him the ball on Sundays in what could be a series-deciding game.
“We’ve got a bunch of great live arms on this team,” Nugent said. “So, it really doesn’t matter who grabs the ball at this point. We’re all just trying to go out there and throw for as many innings as we can before turning it over to another guy.”
But finding “another guy” is something that has been difficult for Bertman at times this season. Injuries to starters Billy Brian and Bo Petit and reliever Justin Hill have limited Bertman’s choices. Even Scobie missed a couple of potential starts because of arm soreness.
Though the injuries have been frustrating, Bertman said they have also allowed other players to display their talents.
Scobie and Nugent join freshman sensation Lane Mestepey, who has anchored the Tiger pitching staff all season on his way to a 7-1 record and 3.32 ERA. All three will be soundly tested this weekend as LSU travels to Alabama to take on Jim Wells’ Crimson Tide squad. Alabama is ranked in the top 20 in the country and fighting for a good spot in both the SEC and NCAA Tournaments. Mestepey is slated to throw Friday night with Scobie and Nugent to follow in games two and three.
“I think Alabama is real good and they compete real hard,” Bertman said. “They’re not as good as some of the teams they’ve had there in the past but they’re going to give every effort to beat us.”
The Tigers then travel to Arkansas the first weekend in May before returning to Baton Rouge to take on Auburn in the last SEC series of Bertman’s career.
The next three weeks could be the toughest stretch of the season for the Tigers but Scobie said he and his teammates are up to the challenge.
“Me and Nugent and Mestepey, we’ve decided to put this team on our backs,” Scobie said. “We are still sort of looking for our identity and looking to really put it together. Hopefully this weekend we can get on a roll that will carry us through the end of the season.”