BATON ROUGE — LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri met with his players for the first time on Monday, beginning the process of building the 2008 squad.
Players attended classes on Monday – the first day of the fall semester – before meeting with the coaching staff in Alex Box Stadium.
“This is always the most exciting day of the year for me,” Mainieri said. “Today we start to put the pieces together to form our 2008 team. I go into each season with a very optimistic outlook, and I’m looking forward to seeing how this team develops in the coming months.”
LSU will engage in fall practice from September 15 through October 23. The 2008 season begins on February 22, when the Tigers play host to Indiana in Alex Box Stadium.
LSU’s roster features nine position players with starting experience, including 2006 all-SEC shortstop Michael Hollander and a pair of 2007 Freshmen all-SEC selections ? outfielder Blake Dean and catcher Sean Ochinko.
The Tigers return eight pitchers who recorded innings last season, including 2007 all-SEC selection Jared Bradford, LSU’s leader in wins (10) and saves (five).
The veterans are complemented by a talented class of 19 newcomers, including eight players selected in the 2007 Major League draft.
Five of the newcomers were rated among the nation’s Top 200 prospects by Baseball America magazine, including outfielder Chad Jones, right-handed pitcher Taylor Martin, right-handed pitcher Anthony Ranaudo, infielder DJ LeMahieu and infielder Matt Clark.
Jones, also a safety for the LSU football squad, will join the baseball team this spring.
The 2008 season will be LSU’s last in Alex Box Stadium, home to the Tigers since 1938. Construction on the New Alex Box Stadium – located roughly 200 yards south of its predecessor – is underway with a scheduled completion date of October 2008. Visit www.MakeYourPitch.net for more information about the new facility.