Austin Nola

LSU travels to Columbia, SC this weekend for what is probably the biggest regular season series in the last three years.  The Tigers sit just one game back of Kentucky in the SEC standings and a half game back of South Carolina.  With a series win, LSU is all but assured a National Top Eight seed.   With a series loss, their hopes for getting one are nearly squashed.   With the SEC Tournament next week, all weekend series across the league start on Thursday this weekend. 

LSU is coming off a 9-6 victory over Nicholls on Tuesday.  The team is in tact, with the exception of catcher Ty Ross who continues to be out after having an emergecny appendectomy over the weekend.   So expect Jordy Snikeris to work behind the plate once again.  Snikeris has been fine at the plate recently, but he really struggled defensively against Vanderbilt.  They stole bases at will, and he'll have to do a better job of throwing out runners against Carolina.

Newest LSU Commitment Quantavious Leslie

LSU picked up their 10th commitment for the Class of 2013 when junior college wide receiver Quantavious Leslie decided to become a Tiger.  Leslie will provide some much needed size to LSU's receiving corps, as he checks in at 6'4" 185.   Leslie looks to have strong hands and plus speed, routinely showing the ability to create separation down the field.  He reminds me a bit of Terrance Toliver, but perhaps  slightly smaller and with a bit more top end speed.  Originally from Georgia, Leslie signed with West Virginia out of high school but was forced to go the Junior College route due to academics.  He landed at Hinds Community College in Mississippi where he caught 28 passes for 523 yards and 10 touchdowns in his freshman season. 

DT Greg Gilmore

LSU's run as one of the top producers of NFL defensive linemen does not appear to be slowing down anytime soon.  ESPN's Mel Kiper recenty released his "Big Board" for the 2013 draft and he has Barkevious Mingo as the #3 overall NFL prospect in the nation with Sam Montgomery not far behind at #5.   Kiper also has defensive tackle Bennie Logan on his "Just Missed" list.  This comes on the heels of guys like Glenn Dorsey, Tyson Jackson and most recently Michael Brockers as recent first rounders.   Other recent draft picks include Drake Nevis (3rd round, 2011), Pep Levingston (7th round, 2011), Al Woods (4th round, 2010) and Ricky Jean-Francois (7th round, 2009).  

As always, the Major League Baseball Draft will have an enormous impact on the immediate future of LSU's program.  While the current team is battling through the postseason, the Majors will hold their draft in early June, which will determine the fate of a number of current LSU players as well as a number of signees.  So even though the team is in the middle of a race for another SEC Championship, I thought it a good time to take a look at the draft and how LSU might fare.  

One thing to keep an eye on this year are the new rules of the MLB Draft that heavily penalize teams who pay over "slot".   In the past, teams were encouraged to offer salaries to their draft picks that were indicative of where they were picked.  However, some big market teams, or teams that just invest heavily in the draft, would often overpay and would, for example, sign a sixth round pick to a second round salary to ensure they don't go to college (or go back to college).   Now, teams face a pretty hefty penalty in the form of taxes and lost draft picks if they pay over slot.  This should benefit the college game quite a bit.  If a player slides further than expected in the draft, he could actually make it to college now.  

We said last week that LSU Hoops was still in search of a big man to add to next year's roster, and it looks like they found one.  News leaked on Monday that LSU signed junior college power forward Calvin Godfrey, who comes from Howard Community College, the same place as LSU signee Shavon Coleman.   Godfrey is an athletic big guy who goes 6'8" 230 and looks like a prime candidate to step right into the starting lineup alongside Johnny O'Bryant.