It’s never too early for baseball in Baton Rouge.
The Tigers held their first fall practice Sunday at 4 p.m., about five months before their opening game Feb. 18 against Wake Forest.
Sunday marked the first day of a five-week practice session for the Tigers. The starting time was pushed back from 1 p.m. so fans and players could watch the Saints game, according to LSU coach Paul Mainieri.
The Tigers worked on defense and base running and took batting practice before starting a six-inning scrimmage, with which Mainieri said he was pleased.
“I was really excited to get out there on the field and see the whole team together and really get after it,” Mainieri said. “It was a very positive first day.”
Junior transfer pitcher Tyler Jones and freshman pitchers Kevin Gausman, Kurt McCune and Joe Broussard threw on the mound. He said all four of his recruited pitchers look like they have the talent to contribute.
“The two guys that probably stood out the most were Tyler Jones and Kurt McCune,” Mainieri said. “They were each throwing the ball up to and beyond 90 miles per hour.”
Mainieri also said sophomore infielder Raph Rhymes and freshman infielders Ryan Eades and Kevin Koziol dazzled at the plate.
“Eades had three hits today, Raph Rhymes had two good hits, and Kevin Koziol had two good RBI there in the clutch,” he said.
The Tigers assisted their young pitchers defensively. Junior shortstop Austin Nola made multiple putouts at shortstop, freshman catcher Tyler Ross threw out a base runner, and freshman outfielder Marcus Davis made a diving catch, nearly colliding with sophomore outfielder Jimmy Dykstra.
“The guys that we know we can count on, Austin Nola for example, he handled it seemed like a dozen chances flawlessly,” Mainieri said.
Pitchers Ben Alsup and Daniel Bradshaw are the team’s only seniors this season. Mainieri said two-year starting juniors like Nola, outfielder Mikie Mahtook, second baseman Tyler Hanover and pitcher Matty Ott, who has 27 career saves, will also need to assist the Tigers’ top-ranked recruiting class.
“You can’t win in college baseball without having good veteran leadership on your team,” Mainieri said. “I’ve said this many times already that this fall kind of reminds me of the fall of 2007 where we had half a dozen or seven real veteran players on our team.”
The 2007-2008 squad boasted four seniors and made it to the College World Series. He said this season’s few upperclassmen will have to lead by example to have similar success.
“The veterans kind of show [the freshmen] how to work and teach them from a player’s perspective a lot of things,” Mainieri said. “I think we’re going to see that’s going to be critical.”
The Tigers lost outfielder Leon Landry and would-be incoming freshman pitcher Zach Lee to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2010 MLB Draft.
Former catcher Micah Gibbs, outfielder Johnny Dishon and pitchers Anthony Ranaudo and Austin Ross also signed major league deals.
Mainieri said he already knows he has excellent athletes after a month of individual workouts whom he hopes can replace his departed athletes. LSU’s class of 19 newcomers includes eight players who were selected in the draft.
“The competition within our team is really outstanding, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it will play out,” he said.
 
 
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