| Remember when the LSU softball team started the season looking like it couldn't lose? The Tigers bolted out of the gate to a 24-0 start, but since then have played exactly .500 ball, going 14-14 to finish the regular season 38-14. The Tigers still have the nation's No. 3 RPI but only earned the No. 8 seed in this week's SEC Tournament, which starts Wednesday at Auburn. LSU takes on No. 9-seeded Alabama at 10 a.m., the winner getting SEC regular-season champion Tennessee. Getting past the Volunteers to win the SEC Tournament title is a tough task. For now, LSU is hoping to do enough to legitimize getting a top eight national seed, which would mean hosting an NCAA regional and super regional should the Tigers get that far. “It’s nice to be 0-0 again, get a little restart here,” LSU coach Beth Torina said after Sunday’s 3-1 loss to Liberty. “It’s almost like a free week with the SEC Tournament. It can only help you. Hopefully we can go there and make a case for ourselves and be (in) that top eight.” Baseball wraps up its second-to-last homestand of the season Tuesday night with a 6:30 p.m. game against Northwestern State. Every game matters big time for the Tigers (31-18, 9-15 SEC) as they try to secure an NCAA Tournament berth. Meanwhile the Paris Olympics — which will be without baseball or softball this year, unfortunately — draw near. It's now 80 days until the opening ceremony on July 26. Among those who will be in Paris will be former LSU beach volleyballers Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth, who are bringing home the silver medal from a big pre-Olympic tournament in Brazil. Nuss and Kloth are the top-ranked American team and No. 2 in the world. Finally, former LSU women's basketball star Angel Reese celebrated her 22nd birthday in grand style with an appearance Monday night at the swanky Met Gala in New York. Check out all the details right here. That's all for today, folks. Take the time you might otherwise devote to a lengthy LSU newsletter and write the International Olympic Committee about getting baseball and softball into the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. This just in ... both sports are in. Man, you are good. Scott Rabalais | 
