Paul Mainieri, Aaron Nola Talk SEC Championship and Earning National Seed in NCAA Tournament

After Monday's NCAA Selection Show, during which the LSU baseball team learned they earned a national seed in the NCAA tournament and the right to host a Regional, coach Paul Mainieri and some players spoke about the announcement and what it means to them.

LSU coach Paul Mainieri

On receiving a national seed…

“I know that the selection committee has the toughest job in the world. In my opinion, there is no doubt that we deserved that national seed. If you look at our full body of work, we were 17-11-1 in the league. When you add the four SEC tournament games, we are 21-11-1 in the toughest conference in the country. We had more overall wins and fewer losses than any other team in the league. Obviously Florida deserved a national seed. I just didn’t feel like anyone else in our conference deserved one over us. I’m not apologizing for getting it. I think we definitely deserved it and we are playing as good as anyone in the country right now. We are happy to get the national seed. I thought we had done enough for a host site, but you never know for sure. We are extremely proud and happy to have the national seed. At the same time, being awarded the national seed doesn’t matter unless you win the first weekend.”

On winning a championship…

“I just love the idea of a team going to bed at night and knowing that when they wake up they will be playing for a championship. Not many athletes get to experience something like that. It takes some experience to do that. You can get nervous when you experience it for the first time. I’m very proud of the fact that we’ve played well in tournaments. It has become a tradition at LSU for our players to rise to the occasion in the biggest games of the year.”

On LSU’s success in recent weeks…

“I think it’s a process that we go through. The season is a grind and there are bound to be some valleys. I think a coach earns his paycheck during the tough times. When we went through that tough stretch in March, it was the toughest time to believe in your players. You keep the players believing in themselves and telling them the days will get better. When they do, then they end up playing to their potential. There is nothing magical. Sometimes it takes time to develop.”

On LSU’s eight-game win streak…

“This kind of reminds me of our 2008 team. We’ve made a big jump in the last couple of weeks. The guys have played such great baseball in every facet of the game. All of a sudden it seems that everyone is fitting in to their role. It gives them confidence knowing when they will be used.”

Sean McMullen, DH/OF

On getting a national seed…

“I am just very proud of my teammates and all that we have been through. With 56 games it is a very long season and one of your biggest goals is to be a national seed. You can’t think about Omaha, you have to worry about what you can control. You have to put yourself in the position to get the national seed. I am just very proud of my teammates”

On the team coming together at the right time…

“We really haven’t changed our approach about anything. I think that we have just found our confidence. We have figured out our roles and how we can contribute to this team. It is working out for us and it has been a lot of fun. The fans are so great, there is a lot of love and of course that is very helpful for us.”

On the challenge of Southeastern Louisiana…

“We are not going to take Southeastern lightly by any means. They have a very good ball club. They are coming in with a lot of momentum after winning their conference championship. I know they are going to come in here and compete. They have a lot of talent.”

On his game-winning home run in SEC Tournament championship game …

“It was definitely a very special moment. It was almost surreal. There has been so much love and support from my family and friends. It was an incredible moment. People were reaching out to me. I just have to thank God for that because I am definitely very blessed.”

On his anxiousness to play…
“I wish we could get out there today. We have a lot of preparing to do. We know that Southeastern and all of the other teams in the regional are going to come out with a lot of fire and a lot of excitement. It is our job to take care of what we can control, which is Southeastern on Friday.”

Aaron Nola, RHP

On getting a national seed…

“We all thought we had it, but once they announced the number 7, my heart started racing. When we showed up on the board it was almost like all of the weight was lifted off of our shoulders. It is awesome to get to be a national seed. This is our third year in a row as a national seed since I have been here. Getting it definitely gives you an advantage by being able to play in your home stadium.”

On facing Southeastern Louisiana …

“They are a good team, they have some great arms. They are going to come out ready to play. Regionals are not easy. We have to be ready to play and take control of our game. We need to keep our focus. If you lose one you have to beat a team twice. That is why regionals are so tough. You have to stay focused.”

On the 17 shutouts recorded by LSU this season…

“I remember getting 10 and beating and tying the school record. I think the NCAA record is 25, and we are slowly getting there. We have 17 and hopefully we can get some more.”