When sophomore outfielder Jake Fraley began his LSU career last fall, it wasn’t perfect. In fact, it was a visible struggle for the then-freshman from Middletown, Delaware.
Fraley struggled last fall, and LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri took notice, acknowledging that he looked poor during the Tigers’ practices. But when the team regathered in the spring 2014, Mainieri saw a whole new Fraley.
“It was like he went home over Christmas break and the light switch went on,” Mainieri said.
Fraley hasn’t looked back from his early struggles, starting 27 games for the Tigers last season and finishing with a .372 batting average. He’s expected to start the season in an outfield Mainieri said is arguably LSU’s strongest position.
Heading into this season’s fall practices, Fraley said he’s coming in with a new mentality to ensure he doesn’t struggle again this fall.
“Coming in as a freshman, you’re trying to make your name and make your place,” Fraley said. “[This season] I know what to expect with all we do, so there’s no surprise.”
Fraley said his key to being more productive in the offseason is the experience he has under his belt. He played summer ball in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Chatham Anglers, finishing his stint with a .265 batting average and seven RBIs.
“I go back to the experience I have,” Fraley said. “Playing in Cape Cod, every pitcher I faced was the top pitcher on their team, so having the experience and having a season at LSU under my belt is huge for me.”
Mainieri Previews Fall
The LSU baseball team opened fall practice Monday, officially kicking off its road to February when the Tigers host Kansas in a three-game series starting Feb. 13.
Mainieri touched on many of the important positions he hopes will pan out during the fall, particularly in the infield and pitching rotation.
The Tigers’ number one question is how the infield will be handled in the spring. The Tigers lost third baseman Christian Ibarra, putting a gap in the infield because LSU doesn’t have a sure-handed third baseman on its roster coming into the season.
Mainieri said he hopes to play senior Conner Hale at third and fill in first base with junior Chris Chinea or senior Kade Scivicque depending on which of those two is catching. Hale predominantly played first base last season.
“The four catchers will catch, and when they’re not catching they’ll play first base,” Mainieri said. “I know what I’ve got in Hale at first, so I can always move him over to first base he doesn’t even need to play an inning in fall practice at first base.”
Mainieri said the shifting in the infield among veterans, along with the talent of the Tigers’ incoming freshmen, could lead to a possible platoon system in the infield. But Mainieri isn’t going into practice with a platoon mentality.
“A platoon system would be good if both players for a particular position brought equal ability,” Mainieri said. “But if one player stands above the other I’m not going platoon just for the sake of platooning.”
Offseason Injuries
Mainieri announced Monday that senior pitcher Kyle Bouman and sophomore pitcher Russell Reynolds suffered off-the-field injuries that could keep them out for an extended period of time.
Bouman suffered a concussion after being hit in the head in what Mainieri termed a freak accident, which will keep him out of practice for at least a week before rejoining the team.
Reynolds suffered a left elbow injury after falling off the back of a pickup truck, which Mainieri said will keep him out for the duration of fall practice.
“[Reynolds] damaged his left elbow pretty severely,” Mainieri said. “We’re not sure if it’s going to need surgery on it yet or not, but he’s got some damage in his left elbow. It’s his non-throwing arm, but still he’s in such pain he can’t do what he can do to be able to pitch, so that’s a really unfortunate thing.”
You can reach Jack Chascin on Twitter @Chascin_TDR.

Gallery • 6 Photos

Zoe Geauthreaux

LSU senior pitcher Henri Faucheux catches the ball at first base Monday, October 6, 2014 during baseball practice in Alex Box Stadium.