There’s a clear divide how LSU’s baseball fans feel about the 15th ranked Tigers with postseason play just two weeks away.

First is the camp that believes considering the laundry list of injuries to pitchers that has had a trickle-down effect in the rotation, LSU is fortunate to be 30-19 overall and 14-10 in the parity-filled SEC.

The Tigers are four games behind league leader Georgia and three games behind West Division leader No. 4 Arkansas where LSU begins a three-game series tonight.

“We were the No. 1 (ranked) team (in preseason) and we had these expectations,” Tigers’ starting pitcher Eric Walker said. “Now we have our backs against the wall to fight to stay alive.”

Then, there’s the“everybody should be fired” group of disgruntled Purple and Gold faithful.

LSU is 5-5 against in-state teams in midweek games.

Fire head coach Paul Mainieri!

The Tigers’ starting pitching has a 5.40 earned run average in SEC games and averages about five innings per start.

Fire pitching coach Alan Dunn!

LSU has scored two runs or less in the first five innings in half of its SEC games, including seven games of going scoreless through five innings.

Fire hitting coach Sean Ochinko.

The Tigers keep getting key pitchers sidelined with sore arms.

Fire trainer Cory Couture!

The story of this season to date resides somewhere between reaching the expectations of trips to College World Series every couple of years and a preseason No. 1 ranked team waylaid by starting pitching injuries to a trio of true freshman.

“The trickle down effect it has forces other guys into roles that you didn’t anticipate them being in,” Mainieri said. “Guys who should be pitching in the middle of the week are pitching weekends. Guys who have supplemental roles are being counted on for the middle of the week.”

Jaden Hill, the SEC’s Freshman of the Week after his first pitching start, has been out for two months with an elbow injury. Freshman Landon Marceaux has missed large chunks of the season with a sore arm. Freshman Cole Henry, who developed so rapidly that he was about to become the starter for SEC series openers, is again sidelined for the third straight week with a sore arm.

Then, there’s sophomores Walker and Ma’Khail Hillard, trying to grind their way back to form after Walker sat out last season following a Tommy John surgery and Hilliard battling back from arm problems that sidelined him late last year.

Finally, there’s junior Zack Hess, fabulous two years ago as a freshman closer but mediocre since as a starter before being moved last week back to the bullpen.

Then consider that the last five names mentioned have combined to start all 24 of LSU’s SEC games – Walker (9 games), Hess (6), Henry (5) and Hilliard and Marceaux (2 each).

In last weekend’s Ole Miss series won by the Rebels, no LSU starting pitcher lasted more than four innings. The fact the Tigers’ starters have been inconsistent has taken LSU from a possible top 8 national seed to barely holding on to host an NCAA regional.

“One day you pitch great and the next day you have trouble getting teams out,” Mainieri said. “One day we score 15 runs and get 22 hits, the next day we score one run and get four hits. It’s just been baffling.”

It has created a perfect storm of failure. LSU starting pitchers usually put the team in 3 to 4-run early deficit and Tigers’ batters press at the plate to cut into the lead.

Every SEC game is Groundhog Day for the Tigers. They hope their starting pitcher can hold down the score and go at least six innings while LSU’s bats can take relaxed approaches at the plate not facing playing catch-up.

“We have to have a lead at a reasonable time in the game to give the ball to Hess (or other Tigers’ relievers) and give ourselves a chance,” Mainieri said. “We’ve had to fight from behind so much this year.

“For some reason, we have a tough time right out of the gate (offensively) against pitchers. It puts a lot of pressure on our pitchers to hold them down. If you fall behind, it affects the way you play offense. You can’t be as aggressive on the bases, because you don’t want to run into outs and take away your scoring opportunities.”

One trait of Mainieri teams is strong finishes. He likes to say the Tigers kick it in gear after Tax Day.

Since this year’s Tax Day, April 15, LSU is 6-6 with a pair of 2-1 SEC series wins over Florida and Alabama, a 1-2 series loss to Ole Miss and 1-2 in midweek games.

Unless LSU hires a faith healer, a voodoo medicine man and a shrink, it’s facing a steep challenge to avoid being swept at Arkansas by a team hellbent on breaking a seven-game series losing streak to the Tigers.

“Hopefully, we can put our name back in the SEC West standings,” Tigers’ shortstop Josh Smith said. “We’re not having as much fun as we usually have. Fun in my eyes is winning and playing with energy.”

The Tigers were dead on arrival Tuesday night in 12-1 non-conference home loss to Louisiana Tech. LSU played as if it just wants the season to end.

“Everybody wants to win the West, everybody wants to host a regional,” Mainieri said. “But you’ve got to deal with reality. We’ve got six games in the league left and every win matters. You’ve got to assure yourself of the more immediate goals.”

Like winning a game that day. And maybe building off it.

That’s all LSU can hope for the rest of the season, however long it lasts.