The strength of this season’s LSU baseball squad, or as head coach Paul Mainieri describes it, “the one area of our team I virtually have no concerns about,” can be seen tracking down fly balls and making highlight reel worthy grabs almost daily in the outfield of Alex Box Stadium. 

Mainieri’s outfield is as deep and as talented as he’s ever had in his 39 years of coaching. The group has everything from speedsters to converted infielders. 

“We are so deep in the outfield,” Mainieri said. “We have guys on our roster that were not recruited as outfielders. Gavin Dugas was an infielder. Cade Beloso was a first baseman. Drew Bianco was an infielder, and all of those guys have been moved to the outfield, and now we have extraordinary depth out there.”

Starting in center field, Mainieri says junior Gio DiGiacomo, “is going to be an everyday guy” at the position, while freshmen Dylan Crews should be a “mainstay” in right field. 

“Gio brings a unique skill set to our team,” Maineri said. “He may be the fastest guy in the league. He can really cover ground. He’s improved his reads, his confidence, his hands, his angles on the ball. He makes highlight reel catches virtually everyday in practice. As far as range and catching the ball he’s very similar to some of the great ones we’ve had here.”

While DiGiacomo essentially has the center field position locked up, it’s his consistency — or lack thereof — at the plate that overshadows his defensive prowess. Finding consistency with his swing in order to get his elite speed on the basepaths will be key for the junior. 

“He’s capable of hitting well. He’s done it many times,” Mainieri said. ”He’s just been inconsistent in making contact and doesn’t take full advantage of that speed by putting the ball on the ground.”  

Maineri brought up Andrew Stevenson, an LSU outfielder from 2013 to 2015, when projecting what sort of improvements DiGiacomo could make in what will be his second full season. As a freshman, Stevenson batted just .193, struck out twice as much as he walked and had just one extra base hit in 119 at bats. He followed it up with a breakout sophomore season, his average jumping to .335 to go along with 12 extra base hits while walking more and striking out less than the year before. 

Thirty-seven games into his sophomore season, DiGiacomo was experiencing a similar jump in production, seeing a significant rise in average, on base and slugging percentage. 

“I feel more ready than I’ve ever felt,” DiGiacomo said when asked how he’ll try to keep his strong 2020 season going this year. 

To DiGiacomo’s left, Maineri says Crews is already an everyday level talent.

“He’s one of those guys that you have to put him in the lineup everyday and let him go,” he said.

With center and right field being manned by DiGiacomo and Crews respectively, that leaves just one spot to be decided. 

“That leaves us left field, and we still have seven other guys,” Mainieri said. 

Cade Beloso, one of those former infielders Mainieri mentioned, is turning his focus to being a full-time outfielder due to the emergence of freshmen Tre’ Morgan as the everyday first baseman. The junior has slimmed down, losing 24 pounds since the 2020 season ended, and said he believes his weight loss will help his athleticism that is required from an outfielder. 

“It wasn’t too bad of a transition,” Beloso told reporters earlier this month. “I’m just working hard every single day and doing what the coaches want me to do. It’s different from first base, it’s a little slower paced out there,” he said with a smile. 

“Cade has worked really hard and has looked good out there,” Mainieri said. 

Other options include juniors Drew Bianco and Gavin Dugas and sophomores Mitchell Sanford and Maurice Hampton. 

“He may be our best base runner on the team,” Maineri said of Bianco. “You put him in the outfield, and he looks like a natural out there. He gives us some options in terms of a guy coming in late in the game maybe as a pinch runner or a defensive replacement if I had to pinch hit somebody.” 

Finding niche roles, like a pinch runner, late game defensive replacement or even designated hitter, might be the only way some of the outfielders lower on the totem pole find time on the field among such a loaded group at the position. 

“We have a lot of options, and it’s going to be a challenge for me as the manager of the team to manage that aspect of it,” Mainieri said. “You have to be decisive in what you think your best combination is.”

Another challenge Maineri will be presented with is keeping every player, especially the younger ones, feeling like they are involved in the team, even if they go a stretch of games without seeing the field. 

“You have to keep them all involved,” he said. “You want to keep them sharp and want to keep them from feeling discouraged, especially the young players. You want them to feel like they’re a part of the team and have a future in the program.

“It’s going to be a challenge, no question about it. But it’s a good problem to have.”