Jay Johnson provides status update on Tommy White ahead of CWS regionals

The LSU Tigers baseball team was without one of their key bats, first baseman Tommy White, in their final game in the SEC championship tournament. White is the nation’s RBI leader and could have definitely been a factor in their tough 5-4 loss in the third round against Texas A&M.

Following Selection Monday for the College World Series, Tigers head coach Jay Johnson provided an update on White’s availability for their opening regional game on Friday.

“I anticipate him being able to play on Friday. He was a little bit banged up, beat up, (and) needed that rest,” said Johnson. “We gave it to him; it was hard to do. Trust me, in a game, you lose by one run. And the amount of guys we had on base, you would like the national RBI leader coming up in that game. So that was some temporary pain for me. But I think it was the right thing for Tommy and, ultimately, the right thing for our team.”

White ready, Johnson on the rest of LSU’s health

In addtition to White, Johnson also addressed the health of a handful of other position players for LSU that are dinged up or currently on the mend.

“Relative to the rest of the position players, I think we’re in a good spot. I think a couple of days off was not the worst thing in the world. You look at Jordan Thompson; he’s played every game since I’ve been the coach here. Dylan Cruz played every game since I’ve been the coach here. And those guys played two of the most demanding positions on the field. So, for them to get a rest, to get their legs underneath them, mental rest the last few days, I think, was positive. We feel like we have a good plan in preparing for the week and doing the things we need to do to get ready. And then accentuate some of that rest also. But I feel like we’re in a good spot.”

In sitting White, one could summarize that Johnson prioritized rest and health over his team, capturing the SEC tournament title. The Tigers entered the season as one of the top teams in the nation with the expectation of playing for a championship this season. And they displayed that all throughout the regular season with stout consistent play. And because of that, LSU earned the right to host a regional.

LSU had a few bumps and bruises along the way, but with the team getting roughly a week’s worth of rest ahead of their regional, the Tigers should be ready to take on the rest of the field in their home stadium of Alex Box, in Baton Rouge.