BATON ROUGE — The 2002 LSU baseball squad opens pre-season practice Saturday afternoon in Alex Box Stadium under first-year head coach Smoke Laval. The Tigers, ranked No. 5 in the Collegiate Baseball magazine pre-season poll, open the regular-season at home on Feb. 8 versus Birmingham Southern.
“It appears the players came back to campus in great shape in terms of mindset and physical condition,” Laval said. “That allows us to move practice forward rapidly, because they are already in good condition.”
The 2002 Tigers feature five starting position players and seven pitchers from last year’s team, which captured the SEC Western Division title and advanced to NCAA Super Regional play. LSU will have to compensate, however, for the loss of four 2001 all-SEC players — second baseman Mike Fontenot, shortstop Ryan Theriot, first baseman Bryan Moore and outfielder Todd Linden, who all signed professional contracts.
Returning position players who started at least 20 of LSU’s games last season include junior third baseman Wally Pontiff (.347, 7 HR, 58 RBI in 2001), senior outfielder Matt Heath (.293, 10 HR, 47 RBI), senior outfielder David Raymer (.324, 4 HR, 30 RBI), sophomore infielder Aaron Hill (.299, 5 HR, 36 RBI) and senior outfielder Sean Barker (.338, 3 HR, 16 RBI).
True freshmen like infielder J.C. Holt, outfielders Dustin Hahn and Jay Mattox, and catcher Jon Zeringue should play prominent roles for the Tigers, as will red-shirt freshmen infielders Blake Gill and Rocky Scelfo.
First basemen Jason Columbus and Jeff Lambert, both JUCO transfers, will bolster LSU’s offense, and NCAA Division I transfers Daron Welch (Southern Mississippi) and Dustin Weaver (Southeastern Louisiana) will provide an immediate impact at the catcher position.
Sophomore left-hander Lane Mestepey, the 2001 Collegiate Baseball National Co-Freshman of the Year, leads the returning pitchers. Mestepey posted an 11-3 mark last season with a 3.75 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 139.1 innings.
Junior right-hander Bo Pettit (4-0, 2.42 ERA in 2001), who has been plagued by a shoulder injury over the past two years, appears to be at full strength heading into the 2002 season. Pettit projects as a weekend starter for the Tigers, combining with Mestepey to form one of the best 1-2 pitching tandems in the SEC.
Right-hander Jake Tompkins, a transfer from Sacramento (Calif.) City College, and junior left-hander Brad David (2-1, 4.40 ERA) are also contenders for starting roles on the mound.
The bullpen features several skilled hurlers, including senior right-hander Weylin Guidry, the Tigers’ saves leader (seven) in 2000 who was 1-3 last season with a 5.65 ERA, two saves and 34 strikeouts in 28.2 innings.
Sophomore right-hander Brian Wilson (3-2, 5.67 ERA), who was 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA and two saves in the 2001 post-season, projects as the Tigers’ closer.
The pitching staff has been bolstered by the comeback of freshman left-hander Jason Vargas, who left LSU in September to return to his home in Apple Valley, Calif. Vargas, the 43rd-round selection of the Minnesota Twins in last summer’s major league draft, has re-enrolled at LSU and should see significant playing time this season.
“There are indicators that this club is committed to success,” Laval said. “For instance, our team grade point average in the fall was 2.9, the highest among any of the men’s sports at LSU. The team appears to have the right chemistry and closeness. Now, we have to go out and polish our fundamentals on the field and begin to establish an identity.”
NOTE: LSU will play an exhibition game on Saturday, Feb. 2, against a group of former Tigers who are currently active in professional baseball. The contest, billed as the “Alumni Game,” will begin at 4 p.m. in Alex Box Stadium. The game culminates a weekend of festivities sponsored by the Tiger Baseball Alumni Foundation, including a golf tournament and dinner on Friday and a “Tiger Fan Fest” on Saturday. The Fan Fest will include interactive video games, a fantasy TV play-by-play booth, baseball museum displays, autograph booths with former LSU greats and a home run derby.
Ticket information for the alumni weekend is available by calling the LSU baseball office at 225-578-4148. All proceeds from the Alumni Game will benefit LSU’ ;s Academic Center for Athletes.