LSU freshman infielder Bryce Jordan will likely miss this weekend’s Purple and Gold World Series with a bone bruise in his knee, coach Paul Mainieri said.
The injury is not serious, Mainieri said, and Jordan should be fine in a couple of days, but the team is ruling him out for now.
“He was running a ground ball down, and when he lunged at first base, his leg was kind of extended when he hit the bag,” Mainieri said. “He may be able to come back and play, but for now, we’re counting him out.”
Mainieri said Jordan has seen ample playing time at first base over the fall and has impressed him and the coaching staff in his short time with the Tigers.
The Lake Charles, Louisiana, native out of Barbe High School was a 2014 Louisville Slugger All-American and a two-time Class 5A All-State selection while in high school.
Thursday night pitching matchup will be pivotal
When the LSU baseball team takes the field at Alex Box Stadium for the first time on Thursday, Tiger fans will get their first look at highly touted freshmen pitchers Alex Lange and Jake Godfrey.
Mainieri said the two pitchers are key to the Tigers’ staff, and Thursday night will go a long way in further developing the two young pitchers.
“Those two guys are going to be main players for us,” Mainieri said. “There’s no question about that. That became very clear a long time ago. We’ve got the best arms on our staff. They’re very poised, they’re competitors, they have a repertoire of pitches, they’re coachable, they’ve improved since they’ve gotten here. They’ll adapt quickly, and experiences like Thursday night will help.”
The rotation is still up in the air heading into the break with sophomores Jared Poche’ and Russell Reynolds along with freshmen newcomers Jake Latz and Doug Norman all in the mix.
Mainieri said the coaching staff will spend the break after the series deciding each pitcher’s potential roles heading into the 2015 season. The scenarios include a potential all-freshman rotation with Poche’ potentially sliding in as closer.
The last time the Tigers had an all-freshman staff was in 2011 when Kevin Gausman, Kurt McCune and Ryan Eades led the Tigers to a 36-20 season.
Mainieri said the rotation is still far from settled, but he’s confident in what he has at his disposal going into the spring.
The possibility of Poche’ stepping into the closing role for the Tigers is an interesting move, but Mainieri said he knows what he’s got in Poche’ and is confident in whatever role the sophomore plays in the staff.
“Poche’ throws 87-88 mph typically. You’d like a Friday night starter to throw 93-94 in the SEC,” Mainieri said. “Jared does a phenomenal job with what he has to work with. I love the kid, and he’s going to have a significant role. I don’t know if it’s going to be Friday night, Saturday, or Sunday, or our closer role, but he’s going to be a mainstay on our staff without a doubt.” 
You can reach Jack Chascin on Twitter @Chascin_TDR.