LSU coach Paul Mainieri wasn’t sure what to expect when he played mad scientist while reconstructing the left side of his infield prior to the 2013 season.
To replace former Tiger seniors Austin Nola and Tyler Hanover at shortstop and third base, Mainieri chose to entrust then-freshman Alex Bregman, a catcher in high school, with the shortstop spot. Then-junior Christian Ibarra, who played shortstop while at Rio Hondo College, would take over at third base.
“Going into last year, I was scared to death,” Mainieri said. “I remember before [Nola and Hanover’s] senior year thinking what a luxury it was to have two seniors back on the left side of the infield. On the flip side, the next year, you have to replace them both.”
Bregman was inserted into the No. 3 spot in the Tigers’ lineup, while Ibarra eventually worked his way up to No. 6 in the batting order.
The two, paired with former LSU first baseman Mason Katz, combined to provide an offensive spark, igniting a run to the 2013 College World Series.
Bregman finished with a .369 batting average, six home runs and 52 RBIs. Ibarra ended his season with a .305 mark at the plate, six home runs and 39 RBIs.
The experiment worked to perfection.
“The two of them just went out there, and all they did was have First Team All-SEC years,” Mainieri said. “So now I look at myself like I did two years ago thinking how lucky we were to have seniors back, and now we have two First Team All-SEC players back. What a luxury.”
However, the combo failed to bring home the ultimate goal — a National Championship.
Bregman finished his first CWS appearance with an 0-for-8 showing at the plate. Ibarra went 0-for-7.
“It kind of tastes like sour Skittles,” Bregman said. “We got to Omaha, which is great, but we didn’t come out on top when we were good enough to. We’re coming out hungry this year. We learned from our failure last year, and we’re going to come back this year with a good attitude and get after it.”
In 2014, the duo takes on the daunting task of carrying a lineup that doesn’t feature Katz or former left fielder Raph Rhymes, who was a career-.373 hitter at LSU.
Ibarra said stepping up in the lineup will be crucial for the squad’s overall success, and he is expecting to hit either fourth or fifth in the batting order come Opening Day.
As for Bregman, improving on a campaign where he was named the 2013 National Freshman of the Year will be his primary task this season.
He said he has plenty of room to improve.
“All around being a complete baseball player, I needed to improve in every facet of the game. Obviously, I came up short last year. You can be the guy all year, then you make an error in Omaha, and your team doesn’t win the National Championship,” Bregman said. 

            
“I think I needed to improve on everything. Obviously, I came up short last year. You can be the guy all year, then you make an error in Omaha, and your team doesn’t win the National Championship.”