LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri addressed the media Monday for the first time since the Tigers left Omaha after a disappointing finish in the 2013 College World Series.
After ending last season at 57-11, including two losses in the Tigers’ only two games in Omaha, the LSU coaching staff spent the next month waiting as its roster began to take shape.
With the enrollment deadline for 2014 recruits now passed, Mainieri has a clear idea of how his squad will look when fall rolls around.
“Putting together a new team is what we do in our business,” Mainieri said. “It’s the cycle of life. When one group finishes, another group starts. I feel like I’ve been handed this big pile of clay, and as the sculptor of that clay, it’s my responsibility to make something beautiful out of it.”
One of LSU’s primary concerns throughout the 2013 season was solidifying the weekend rotation. That problem persisted into the postseason after sophomore left-hander Cody Glenn was suspended in May due to violating team rules.
Mainieri made sure to heavily recruit pitchers for 2014.
“The first priority for us with this recruiting class is to rebuild the pitching staff,” he said. “Seven of our top 11 pitchers who went to Omaha with us will not be returning. We have a big rebuilding project with that pitching staff, and I think we’ve recruited the players to rebuild that staff.”
But with pitchers as such a focus, many fans questioned why sophomore ace Aaron Nola was shut down this summer, instead of pitching for Team USA.
Nola, who went 12-1 with a 1.57 ERA and 122 strikeouts last season, could have pitched for the national team, but he opted to take time off for a multitude of reasons.
“I can promise you 100 percent that there is nothing wrong with Aaron Nola,” Mainieri said. “Just the thought that we’re not going to risk his injury, we’re going to stick with the same plan that we had last year calendar-wise and that he could be the leader of our staff this fall — those were the reasons why we recommended to shut him down.”
As far as the offense goes, Mainieri isn’t ready to predict who will replace former Tiger Mason Katz’s power production in the lineup.
Katz hit a combined 29 home runs in the last two seasons.
“It’s really hard to predict who’s going to show the power,” Mainieri said. “Let’s just kind of keep an open mind and see what happens, but there are some guys that I think are some really good hitters that we are bringing in with this class who are capable [of hitting home runs].”