In the midst of an inconsistent Southeastern Conference stretch in 2009, Paul Mainieri etched his name in LSU baseball lore.
The third-year LSU coach inserted true freshman Austin Nola at shortstop while shifting D.J. LeMahieu to second base to shore up the middle of the infield and maximize double play potential.
The rest, as they say, is history.
The Tigers rolled to a College World Series championship with the sure-handed Nola snagging everything in sight while delivering his share of clutch hits as Mainieri’s move proved to be genius, and Nola’s career skyrocketed.
Now saddled with his first season sans Nola, Mainieri is turning to another true freshman, Alex Bregman, to fill the seemingly gigantic shoes Nola left behind.
Mainieri acknowledged he worries about Bregman succumbing to pressure to live up to Nola, who Mainieri has consistently called the best shortstop he’s ever coached, but chalked it up as just part of the game.
“If you go to a program that’s got great winning history and tradition, you’re going to be in the shadow of the great players who came before you,” Mainieri said. “You just accept it as part of it.”
Bregman, an Albuquerque, N.M., native, lauded Nola as a tremendous player and said he watched the shortstop a few times in college as he dazzled Tiger fans with backhand stabs and strong throws across the diamond.
The duo has even taken grounders together at practice, where Nola picked up where he left off — mentoring the youngster.
“[Nola has] given me a few words of advice to stay positive throughout the year,” Bregman said. “He’s told me to just relax and play my game, and everything good will happen.”
Mainieri won’t be devoid of all Nolas as Austin’s younger brother Aaron returns to the mound for his sophomore campaign — also looking to replace a legend.
The first-team freshman All-American righty will team with junior Ryan Eades for a 1-2 punch on a Tiger pitching staff without the luxury of Kevin Gausman toeing the rubber on Friday nights.
Gausman’s departure to the Baltimore Orioles is just the nature of the business, according to LSU pitching coach Alan Dunn, who said while he’ll miss Gausman’s abilities, his staff will recover valiantly.
“That’s one of the                      comforting things in knowing you’ve got two starters coming back,” Dunn said. “[They] have been in this environment, have been in the SEC every weekend, and we’re very fortunate to have those two guys anchoring our staff.”
Aaron Nola said even though he’ll feel pressure on his shoulders no matter the circumstances, he isn’t trying to replicate any of Gausman’s gaudy statistics.
“There’s always going to be pressure on me as long as I’m here,” Aaron Nola said. “I’m not going to try to live up to all the things [Gausman] did last year. I’m just going to do what I do best and play to my potential.”
Eades, who struggled mightily at the end of last season, will need to have the same demeanor as Aaron Nola, according to Dunn. When the topic of Gausman’s shadow arose, Dunn put it bluntly.
“The thing I want them to be is themselves,” Dunn said. “I want them to be Ryan Eades and Aaron Nola and not try to do anything outside their abilities. Their abilities are good enough.”