As another season of college baseball is set to begin, one of the premiere college baseball programs faces more challenges than it has in years past.
This challenge will lead the way to another successful campaign for the Tigers as coach Paul Mainieri said that if you do not want competition then get out of the SEC.
Usually, LSU baseball has the lineup and rotation prepared for opening day, but, as the season opener on Feb. 14 looms closer, the No. 11-ranked Tigers and coach Mainieri still still have a lot to figure out.
“I realized that it has not been often in the 14 years that I have been here that I have stood in front of you and there is just so many unknowns about a team,” Mainieri said.
With the major losses of Antoine Duplantis, Josh Smith and Zach Watson, these results are to be expected, but unknowns do not have to result in loses.
The Tigers, when healthy, can pose the best pitching staff in the country with sophomore Cole Henry taking the ball on Friday nights, which he already has experience doing, and sophomore Jaden Hill coming out of the bullpen with his 97 mile per hour fastball.
These two can put LSU over the top and allow the new position starters to take their time adjusting. Mainieri said that the most impressive pitching battle will be between right-handers Landon Marceaux and AJ Labas.
Marceaux had experience last year and showed flashes of greatness with his big 12-6 curveball, but ultimately ended the year with a 4.66 earned run average.
As for Labas, he has been the story of fall ball as the six-foot-three-inch right-hander has been called the most impressive pitcher going into spring practice and looks to be the frontrunner for the Saturday spot.
That leaves junior right-hander Eric Walker to start the year as a mid-week starter. While Walker had a phenomenal freshman year, he has not looked the same since he came back from Tommy John in 2017 and will have to earn his spot back in the weekend rotation.
Still, Walker as a potential fourth starter just shows how strong this staff is.
On top of those four righties, LSU still has junior right-hander Devin Fontenot, who led the Tigers with seven saves last year, and freshman left-hander from Texas by the name of Jacob Hasty. Mainieri even said that Hasty had the second-best curve coming out of Texas and that is not a light statement.
Add in six-foot six-inch sophomore pitcher Nick Storz, and LSU has every type of arm that you need to be successful.
That just leaves the other eight players that take up the rest of the field and that is where the situation can become tricky, but LSU always plugs players where they need to be.
Starting with the player that everyone needs to start watching: Junior infielder Zach Mathis.
Mainieri said that Mathis will start the year at the three hole, and his performances thus far show that he deserves it as he has hit homers in inter-squad contests and consistently finds ways to get on base. LSU will need his consistent hitting, and his defense at third.
Daniel Cabrera will look to improve from his weaker season a year ago as he now takes on a bigger leadership role by taking the number eight for the year. Coming off a monster campaign, Cabrera only batted .284 last year but did add 12 home runs to help the Tigers reach the Super Regionals.
Those two forces and first baseman Cade Beloso will be looked at to supply the firepower for this weakened offense.
Another interesting battle will be between returning catcher Saul Garza and Freshman Alex Milazzo. Mainieri has said that they will split time in the early going and let Garza start at designated hitter spot and let Milazzo captain behind the plate.
The scrappy kid from Zachary has caught the attention of LSU’s skipper as he has called him a pleasant surprise and possibly the best defensive catcher on the team, a category that the Tigers struggled with a year ago.
The more you look at this team the more that you hear the word “scrappy.” That is exactly what this team will bring to the table when it faces a challenge; a group of hardened veteran pitchers with scrappy young infielders that will look for any opportunity to shine. That is a powerful combination.
