Paul Mainieri had been thinking about it for quite a while.
The LSU baseball coach knew there was a good chance the Tigers would begin the SEC Tournament on Tuesday (May 22), and the way he saw it he had three options for who to start against Mississippi State.
He could start Zack Hess on four days rest. He could start A.J. Labas. He could start Nick Bush.
There were many factors involved in the decision, which settled in Mainieri's mind as he watched Auburn beat his team by nine runs Saturday. He knew the pressure was back on to do well at the league tournament in Hoover, Ala.