Where LSU baseball stands heading into NCAA Regionals following SEC Tournament

HOOVER, Ala. – LSU baseball's SEC Tournament run has ended in heartbreaking, if not disappointing, fashion.

The Tigers (43-15) were eliminated in the fourth round of the SEC Tournament on Friday, falling 5-4 to Texas A&M after going just 3-for-20 with runners in scoring position and stranding the game-tying run at third base in the ninth inning.

But the SEC Tournament isn't the NCAA Tournament. And as coach Jay Johnson and the Tigers prepare for the NCAA Regionals next weekend, they'll be thankful for that.

"Congratulations to Texas A&M on the game," Johnson said. "And for us, we're looking forward to the NCAA Tournament."

Here's where LSU baseball stands entering the NCAA Regionals.

LSU should be a shoo-in to host an NCAA Regional and NCAA Super Regional

Regardless of the loss to Texas A&M, LSU will be hosting an NCAA Regional and a Super Regional if it were to advance.

The Tigers are still No. 5 in the RPI rankings and hold a 12-7 record against top-25 RPI teams, even after Friday's result. They have just one loss against teams outside the top-100.

LSU's resume also includes series wins over Arkansas (No. 2 in RPI), Kentucky (No. 3) and Alabama (No. 10) and two wins over South Carolina (No. 7). It only lost two three-game series all season and just one on the road.

The Tigers have not played up to their lofty standards as of late, going just 7-7 over their last 14 games. But there's no question that this team deserves to host an NCAA Regional and Super Regional as a top-8 seed.

LSU's pitching should be ready to roll

Johnson didn't over-extend his pitchers to win games during the SEC Tournament.

He held Paul Skenes to under 90 pitches and Ty Floyd to south of 100. The only relievers who threw more than 30 pitches were Nate Ackenhausen (67) and Riley Cooper (68). But Ackenhausen has only made 14 appearances this season and Cooper already had starter-level stamina.

Thatcher Hurd, who started on Wednesday, also threw a season-high 100 pitches. That was still more of a good sign than bad for LSU since Hurd has rarely thrown well enough against SEC competition to warrant going that deep into games.

Regardless, LSU's bullpen and rotation should be fully ready to go in the NCAA Regionals.

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A lack of hits with runners in scoring position has become a big issue

LSU's inability to drive in runners when they were in scoring position cost them the win on Friday.

But it was also a problem for the Tigers against Arkansas on Thursday (2-for-9 with runners in scoring position), against Georgia last Saturday (0-for-10), vs. Mississippi State on May 13 (1-for-10) and at Auburn on May 7 (1-for-6).

For a club that leans on its offense, this latest development is far from a welcoming sign. LSU has the talent to hit its way out of it – and its worth noting that Tommy White didn't play on Friday – but the Tigers can't afford to leave runs on the table in the NCAA Tournament.

Koki Riley covers LSU sports for The Daily Advertiser. Email him at kriley@theadvertiser.com and follow him on Twitter at @KokiRiley.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU baseball: NCAA Regional standing after SEC Tournament