In a few short days, the silence that engulfs Alex Box Stadium will be shattered.
The outfield grass will be neatly trimmed, the infield lines will be freshly painted and thousands of fans clad in purple and gold will fill the stadium’s vacant seats on Friday, Feb. 17 for LSU baseball’s first pitch against Air Force.
For the Tigers, the goal will be a trip to Omaha for the second time in three years.
Veteran leadership is often critical to a team’s ability to make a deep postseason run, and this year’s LSU team is primed to do just that.
Nine seniors highlight the 2017 roster with shortstop Kramer Robertson, second baseman Cole Freeman and pitcher Jared Poche’ among the most notable of the bunch.
This is certainly a leap from last year’s team, which featured only two seniors and saw eight players starting for the first time in their college careers.
Juniors Alex Lange, Greg Deichmann and Michael Papierski will also be crucial to LSU’s success.
Perhaps the only obstacle between the 2017 LSU baseball team and the College World Series is the injury bug.
LSU lost Bryce Jordan for the entirety of the season after the junior designated hitter tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus during a scrimmage last week.
The Tigers will also have to find a way to win, at least temporarily, without Deichmann in the lineup. Deichmann could be out for a while, suffering a fractured cheekbone after being struck in the face by a pitch in a separate scrimmage.
Although last week’s scrimmages seem like they belong in the pages of Lemony Snicket’s “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” LSU fans shouldn’t hit the panic button yet.
The majority of the team has game experience under their belts from last season, and the Tigers will also hope to rely on the impact from freshmen infielders Josh Smith and Jake Slaughter and freshmen pitchers Eric Walker and Zack Hess.
Smith and Slaughter are projected to anchor the infield corners of third and first base on opening night.
LSU coach Paul Mainieri said Slaughter’s style of play is similar to that of former standout second baseman JaCoby Jones.
“[Slaughter] is the best athlete I’ve ever had at first base,” Mainieri told The Advocate’s Luke Johnson. “Every day, he makes a great play.”
Last season, the Tigers were plagued by inconsistency from their starting pitching staff. LSU struggled to find a pitcher to fill the Sunday role and often had to take a “Johnny Wholestaff” approach for the midweek games.
This year, LSU is hoping Walker and Hess provide some dependency in the Sunday and midweek roles, respectively.
The team seems to have the right mix of veteran leadership and young talent to turn heads. If the Tigers stay healthy, the College World Series is a realistic possibility.