| 'Twas the night before baseball season, when all through the Box, not a creature was stirring, not even a rally possum. The bats were stored in the dugout with care, in the hopes that first pitch soon would be there. The cleats were nestled all snug in their lockers, while visions of Omaha made the fans go bonkers. And players in their jerseys, and Jay Johnson in his cap, had just settled in for a long baseball season. That's right. LSU baseball returns Friday night. Under new coach Jay Johnson, the Tigers have the same goals as ever — reach the College World Series, and once they get there, win the national championship. That's really Johnson's only goal, as our Leah Vann detailed in this deep profile of LSU's first-year coach. Everything he has ever done built toward this moment, and his obsession with capturing a college baseball championship shapes his personality. Johnson has built up a lot of preseason credibility, Scott Rabalais said today, but he'll have to meet the program's lofty expectations. Then again, Johnson came to LSU because of them. We'll find out if his first team has enough to get there. LSU's odds opened at 20/1, according to Caesers Sportsbook, the eighth-best in the country. It seems to have a lineup more than capable of playing in the CWS, but there are a lot of unknowns in the pitching staff, which we broke down here. Look on our website tomorrow morning for a projected lineup and five keys to reaching Omaha to finish preparing for the opener Friday night. First pitch is 6:30 p.m. against Maine. Elsewhere, LSU announced spring football practice will start March 24 and the spring game is April 23. It will also hold a pro day April 6 for the draft-eligible players. Kim Mulkey, who was named to the Naismith national coach of the year award watch list, led the women's basketball team to a win Thursday night over Mississippi State. The Tigers are now tied for second place in the SEC. After a win over Georgia, the men's basketball team is projected as a No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament. A conversation between Will Wade and two of LSU's seniors helped spark the blowout win. And while LSU baseball plays its season opener, the gymnastics team has a big home meet Friday night against Alabama. It'll be the first one in program history broadcast on ESPN. Rabalais recognized fifth-year gymnast Christina Desiderio ahead of the matchup. FINALLY: HERE’S A GREAT DEAL If you can’t tell from this newsletter, we try to keep you up to date on the latest news at LSU. Please consider supporting our work, and stay on top of everything. If you’re not a subscriber, come join us. Thank you for reading. The Advocate LSU beat team, Scott Rabalais, Wilson Alexander, Sheldon Mickles and Leah Vann | 