Jay Johnson provides injury update on LSU baseball catcher Omar Serna

LSU baseball beat Tulane on Tuesday night, but the Tigers did it without star freshman catcher Omar Serna. Eyebrows were raised when the lineup card lacked Serna's name -- he didn't appear hurt in the weekend sweep over South Carolina. After the game, LSU head coach Jay Johnson provided an update, saying Serna was dealing with a back issue.

"He's good. He just wasn't good to play. He's kind of been battling some back stuff here for about a week," Johnson said when asked about Serna.

"He's battled it pretty darn good. If my back was hurting, I don't think I'd have five extra base hits, three Homers, and hitting balls 110 miles an hour. That shows you how good he actually is. It just wasn't good enough to play today. Hopefully, he's fine for the weekend. I don't know that yet," Johnson said.

Johnson essentially said Serna was questionable for LSU's weekend series vs. Georgia.

With a .319 batting average, Serna has been one of the best hitters in the SEC. Since April 10, he's been one of the best hitters in the country. Few LSU bats have Serna's combination of contact and power. The freshman has solidified as a top-of-the-order bat, and it would sting if Serna wasn't available vs. Georgia this weekend.

LSU sits at 29-21, fighting for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. LSU needs all hands on deck for its final two SEC series of the year. If LSU takes two of three from Georgia and follows it up with a couple of home wins over Florida, LSU's resume will be strong enough to make the field. That task becomes a lot tougher if Serna is out.

This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Jay Johnson reveals why Omar Serna missed LSU baseball's win vs Tulane