This season, Tennessee has squared off with LSU four times.

The SEC rivals met for a three-game set in the regular season along with a Men's College World Series battle on Saturday. Following this stretch of games, the Tigers hold a 3-1 advantage including the important postseason clash.

However, with the Vols staying alive due to a win over Stanford and LSU falling to Wake Forest, the teams are set to meet for a fifth time on Tuesday in an elimination match.

Despite an additional meeting with a familiar opponent and an upsetting loss the night before, the Tigers remain confident. They have the faith that the correct approach will be taken as they prepare for Tennessee.

"I think it'd be very easy to crawl into a hole with disappointment," said LSU coach Jay Johnson after the loss. "That was a great college baseball game that we came up on the short end of the stick... That can be deflating. But I shared with them two things. Number one, I've had a team in this position before. Lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to Oklahoma State and won three consecutive games to play for a national championship. Then, the very next year, this program did the same thing. They beat probably one of the best teams in modern college baseball history twice to get that opportunity. I have all the faith in the world in our team that we can do that. So let's stick to what we do. And if we do that well, we'll be in a good spot."

Staying consistent with the team's approach is also what was echoed to the squad by veteran first baseman Tre' Morgan.

He addressed the team after the game with a similar message to his coach's. He wants the Tigers to take the upcoming game slowly and keep a positive attitude.

"Short version is keep doing what we've been doing all season," said Morgan on his message to the team. "Like I said, we need to go out there every time and our plan is to win one pitch at a time. As a team, like I said, we go out there and play together like its our last time playing a game. Nothing changes. We're in a different position now, obviously, but our mental is still great. We're going to show that tomorrow."

However, LSU's attempt to hold onto the game against Wake Forest has put the Tigers in a tough position pitching-wise for Tuesday.

Originally, it was assumed Ty Floyd would start on Monday with Thatcher Hurd getting the ball in the following match. This went out the window, though, when Hurd came in to replace Floyd in the sixth inning vs. the Demon Deacons.

With LSU unable to hold onto the lead, both hurlers were burnt in the loss.

"We were trying to win tonight with our best two guys available," said Johnson. "And they both pitched fantastic."

This leaves a question mark on who will start for LSU in the elimination game against Tennessee.

The likely starters are Cooper Riley, Blake Money and Christian Little. All of them have experience as starters with Riley the only one to have pitched in the MCWS, so far. However, Riley is also the only left-handed pitcher in the group making him possibly the most suitable candidate.

Despite the difficult pitching situation to navigate, Johnson has a clear plan that will likely feature all three.

"We have nine guys available to pitch tomorrow," said Johnson. "We'll choose one of them. He'll get guys out for as long as he can. Then, we'll go to the next guy, then, we'll go to the next guy, then, we'll go to the next guy, then, we'll go to the next guy until we figure out how to get 27 outs against a really good team."

For Tennessee, its pitching situation is much more clear.

The Vols will roll out Drew Beam who has been the final starter in the team's rotation all season. He currently holds a 3.78 ERA and 9-4 record.

The right-handed pitcher has upped his game in the postseason, though. In two appearances during the NCAA Tournament, he has earned a pair of wins with a total of 12 innings pitched while allowing only two runs and 11 hits with 17 strikeouts.

"The teams that are here, particularly the two that we've played, they're the two premier pitching staffs in college baseball," said Johnson. "...I have zero concerns about these guys preparing well, coming in and competing and executing our plan. We're going to have to do it against Drew Beam who's one of the best pitchers in the country. So, it'll be a really good challenge and we'll have to be ready for it."

The decisive game will take place in Omaha at 7 p.m. ET airing on ESPN. Winner moves on to face Wake Forest where they will have to take two consecutive games over the top-ranked team to earn a spot in the final series. Loser goes home.

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