Last week’s midweek loss against Louisiana-Lafayette contained a few experiments from the No. 17 LSU baseball team.
LSU coach Paul Mainieri moved freshman second baseman JaCoby Jones to leadoff from the No. 9 hole and started junior Mike Lowery at first base for the first time this season.
The switching will continue in tonight’s midweek game as sophomore Alex Edward will patrol left field, freshman Forrest Garrett will start on the mound, and Jones will move to the No. 3 spot in the lineup when LSU (17-7, 1-5) hosts McNeese State (13-12, 4-5 Southland).
Edward made 10 starts in left field and one start in right field last season but has only played at first base this year.
“I’ve been working out there a pretty good bit the last couple weeks,” Edward said. “I feel pretty comfortable out there.”
Edward’s move to left field means junior left fielder Trey Watkins, who is hitting .225 this year, will sit.
Mainieri said he expects Watkins’ seat on the bench to be temporary.
“Sometimes when they can go to the dugout without the pressure of having to perform, they can watch the game and see it from a different perspective,” Mainieri said. “So now when you put them back in, they play better.”
Garrett will make his first start of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his elbow in spring 2010.
“Once you get out there and you start loosening it up, it’s like riding a bike,” Garrett said. “You just get back into it again.”
Garrett throws a change-up, a two and four-seam fastball and a slider. He said his fastball is between 84 to 86 mph right now after throwing it 88 to 90 mph before the injury.
“I think we’ll get there once I start getting settled in and more comfortable out there on the mound,” he said.
Mainieri said Garrett will only throw an inning or two before junior transfer Tyler Jones, the typical midweek starter, takes over.
“[Garrett’s] pitched in two or three simulated games, and he’s looked good,” Mainieri said. “Our guys didn’t hit him.”
Mainieri said Jones’ move to the No. 3 hole will force junior third baseman Tyler Hanover or sophomore designated hitter Raph Rhymes into the leadoff spot.
Jones played the first 20 games in the No. 9 hole before moving to leadoff the last four games. He is No. 3 on the team with a .353 batting average despite hitting 2-for-12 in the leadoff spot last weekend.
“JaCoby’s a good hitter, and I just think he’s ready to handle this role,” Mainieri said.
McNeese is 4-6 away from home and is on a three-game losing streak. The Cowboys are batting .290 as a team, and opponents are hitting .282 against McNeese, which possesses a 5.16 team ERA.
The Tigers have dropped six of their last seven games, including two of three games against Georgia, which was also on a three-game losing streak heading into last weekend.
“I think everything will start coming together,” Edward said. “Everybody’s going to stop pressing and start just playing the game for the passion of it and start having a lot more fun.”
LSU is 2-1 against Louisiana rivals this season. The Tigers lost, 11-5, to ULL and trailed, 6-0, to Nicholls State before snagging a 12-8 win earlier this season.
Follow Rowan Kavner on Twitter @TDR_Kavner.
 
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