BATON ROUGE — The LSU baseball squad opens its four-week fall practice session Monday in Alex Box Stadium, as the defending Southeastern Conference champions begin work on a return trip to the College World Series.
In just his second season, head coach Smoke Laval — the 2003 SEC Coach of the Year — directed the Tigers to a 45-22-1 record and LSU’s first CWS appearance since 2000. LSU, which finished the season ranked No. 5 in the nation, welcomes 19 returning lettermen — including eight starters in the batting order — and a 13-man signing class.
The Tigers’ opening workout is scheduled to begin at approximately 2 p.m. Monday. All fall practice sessions and intra-squad games are open to the public.
Laval has been impressed with the Tigers’ work ethic during their individual workouts and conditioning drills since the team returned to campus in late August.
“I think our players are on a mission,” Laval said. “There’s some unfinished business; that’s the phrase that’s been going around the locker room. So far, everything’s been going even better than it did in the first two years.”
The 2004 Tigers will feature eight starting position players and five pitchers from last year’s squad. The pitching staff will also be bolstered considerably by the return of junior left-hander Lane Mestepey, a two-time all-SEC performer who sat out last season while recovering from shoulder surgery.
Laval said Mestepey, a product of Zachary, La., should be at full strength for the fall workouts, and he is expected to be on the mound when the Tigers open the ’04 season Feb. 13 at Central Florida.
“I think Lane should be able to go full tilt,” Laval said. “He hasn’t missed any of his bullpen work over the summer. Being ready in February should be no problem for him. We’re obviously very excited to have him back.”
Also returning to the staff are senior right-hander Nate Bumstead and sophomore right-hander Justin Meier, who combined for 19 wins last season as part of LSU’s weekend rotation. Bumstead, a second-team all-SEC selection, emerged as the Tigers’ No. 1 starter, posting an 11-4 mark and a 4.42 ERA in 110 innings with 88 strikeouts and 28 walks. Meier earned 2003 Freshman all-America honors as he recorded an 8-3 mark and a 2.83 ERA in 95.1 innings with 62 strikeouts and 25 walks.
Sophomore left-hander Jason Determann, LSU’s top returning reliever, was also named to the 2003 Freshman all-America squad. The Baton Rouge native was 7-0 with a 2.94 ERA in 67.1 innings with 51 strikeouts and 11 walks.
Sophomore left-hander Greg Smith (0-2, 4.01 ERA) and junior right-hander Jordan Faircloth (0-0, 4.63 ERA) will provide bullpen support.
Two pitchers who received medical redshirts last season — freshman left-hander Clay Dirks and junior right-hander Collin Smith — should make significant impacts this spring.
Shortstop Aaron Hill, the 2003 SEC Player of the Year and the first-round draft pick of the Toronto Blue Jays, is the only position player who is not back in the LSU lineup. The Tigers return eight hitters who appeared in at least 56 of the club’s 68 games last season.
“Right now, our lineup looks pretty good,” Laval said. “We do have a lot of returning players, but they have to step it up a notch. Losing an All-American in Aaron Hill at shortstop puts a void in there, so we’re going to try and mix and match and see who can play in that position.”
The returning starters on the infield include junior second baseman Blake Gill, a second-team all-SEC selection who hit .304 with five homers and 54 RBI; senior third baseman Ivan Naccarata (.320, 6 HR, 53 RBI); junior first baseman Clay Harris (.332, 16 HR, 62 RBI), a first-team all-SEC choice; and sophomore catcher Matt Liuzza (.312, 4 HR, 26 RBI).
The veteran outfield starters are junior center fielder J.C. Holt (.299, 5 HR, 36 RBI); junior left fielder Bruce Sprowl (.290, 1 HR, 33 RBI); and junior right fielder Jon Zeringue (.339, 13 HR, 45 RBI), a second-team all-conference selection.
Junior Ryan Patterson (.350, 16 HR, 51 RBI), a first-team all-SEC choice as the Tigers’ primary DH, could see more action in the outfield in 2004.
Junior outfielder Quinn Stewart (.297, 7 HR, 30 RBI), sophomore first baseman Will Harris (.233, 2 HR, 6 RBI) and junior catcher Dustin Weaver (.281, 0 HR, 5 RBI) will also contend for playing time.
LSU’s recruiting class features several talented performers who could play important roles, including sophomore infielder Bryan Harris of Santa Ana (Calif.) College; junior catcher/first baseman Nick Stavinoha of San Jacinto (Texas) Community College; freshman infielder Lance Zawadzki of St. John’s High School in Ashland, Mass.; and junior infielder Derek Hebert, a New Iberia, La., native who played last season at El Camino (Calif.) College.
“With the returning guys that we have and some new recruits we’ve brought in, hopefully, we don’t have to start a new book,” Laval said. “In other words, we can just add on some chapters. We have to get better, get something going here in the fall so that we can get a good start in the early part of the season. There is going to be a little trial-and-error during the fall, but I’m very excited for the upcoming year.”