BATON ROUGE — The LSU baseball team will conduct its first full-squad preseason practice at 5 p.m. Friday in Alex Box Stadium, as the Tigers prepare for their Feb. 22 opener versus Indiana. LSU has been engaged in conditioning drills and individual workouts since January 14.
The 2008 Tigers feature 18 returning players, plus 20 newcomers that Collegiate Baseball magazine rated as the nation’s top recruiting class. The class includes nine players selected in the Major League Baseball draft.
“I am very optimistic about this season because we have so much more depth than last year,” said second-year LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “I believe that the combination of the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class with our returning players gives us a chance to be a much-improved ball club in 2008.
“Our challenge right now as a coaching staff is determine how to arrange the pieces of the puzzle. We have the material to work with; it’s now a matter of determining which roles the guys will play. It’s an exciting challenge for us as coaches and one that we embrace enthusiastically.”
Mainieri said he was encouraged by the Tigers’ talent, chemistry and work ethic during LSU’s fall workouts.
“It was the best fall practice I’ve ever been involved with,” said Mainieri, who is entering his 26th season as a collegiate coach. “I feel we will be much improved in every phase of the game. Our returning players have provided great leadership in helping our new players make a smooth transition into a new environment. The potential is there for us to have a super year, but we still have a lot of work to do. We have to continue to focus on getting better every day.”
The 2008 squad returns 10 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 welcome back seven pitchers who recorded innings last season, including 2008 preseason all-American Jared Bradford, LSU’s leader in wins (10) and saves (five).
“There’s a lot of excitement within our team right now,” Mainieri said. “The energy level is very high, and we have a group of players that are focused and very serious about bringing LSU back to the top of college baseball. I can sense a tremendous amount of dedication and commitment within this team, and that makes us very excited as coaches.”
The 2008 Tigers
Lettermen Returning/Lost: 17/16
Players w/Starting Experience Returning/Lost: 10/7
Pitchers Returning/Lost: 7/8
Returning Redshirts: 1
Newcomers: 20 (13 high school players, 7 JUCO transfers)
POSITION PLAYERS
After playing three seasons as the Tigers’ starter at shortstop, senior Michael Hollander moves to third base in 2008. Hollander’s outstanding instincts and major-league arm make him a natural for the new position. A 2006 second-team All-SEC selection, Hollander hit .279 (53-for-190) last season with 12 doubles, three triples, seven homers and 44 RBI. He also set LSU single-season and career records for sacrifice bunts with 13 and 24, respectively.
Three infield newcomers are projected to start with Hollander when the ’08 season begins. First baseman Matt Clark, a transfer from Riverside (Calif.) Community College, brings a powerful left-handed bat to the LSU lineup. Clark, selected in the 28th round of the 2007 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates, hit .350 last season with 15 homers and 70 RBI during Riverside’s drive to the California JUCO state title.
Rene Escobar, Clark’s teammate at Riverside CC, is expected to be the Tigers’ starter at second base. Escobar, a 30th-round selection by the Atlanta Braves in ’07, batted .368 with 19 doubles, six triples, six homers and 76 RBI. He was named the 2007 recipient of the Big Stick Award for the Southern California JUCO region.
True freshman DJ LeMahieu, a product of Brother Rice High School in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., is LSU’s starting shortstop. LeMahieu, selected in the 41st round of the MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers, was a two-time Michigan Player of the Year, batting .574 with 16 doubles, seven triples, eight homers and 32 RBI in his senior season.
A pair of veteran infielders ? juniors Chris McGhee and Buzzy Haydel ? will contend for playing time, as will junior college transfers Derek Helenihi of Ohlone (Calif.) College and Taylor Davis of Panola (Texas) College.
The LSU outfield will be led by sophomore rightfielder Blake Dean, a 2007 Freshman All-America and Freshman All-SEC selection. Dean paced the Tigers in most offensive categories last season, batting .316 (65-for-206) with 12 doubles, three triples, seven homers and 46 RBI.
Sophomore Jared Mitchell returns for his second season as LSU’s starting centerfielder. Mitchell, also a wide receiver for the LSU football team, hit .258 (54-for-209) last season with eight doubles, one triple, three homers, 21 RBI, 41 runs and a team-best 18 steals in 20 attempts.
Sophomore Ryan Schimpf, who started 31 games last season, begins 2008 as the Tigers’ No. 1 leftfielder. Schimpf, an All-Star last summer in the Central Illinois Collegiate League, batted .262 in ’07 with two doubles, two triples, four homers and 11 RBI.
Junior Nicholas Pontiff, a starter in past seasons at second base, provides depth in the outfield along with a talented crew of true freshmen — Chad Jones (Southern Lab HS – Baton Rouge), Johnny Dishon (Bridge City HS – Beaumont, Texas), Leon Landy (Baker HS – Baker, La.) and Cody Reine (Walker HS – Walker, La.). Jones, the 13th round draft choice of the Houston Astros, also plays safety for LSU’s BCS National Championship football team.
Sophomore catcher Sean Ochinko, a 2007 Freshman All-SEC performer, will be LSU’s full-time starting catcher this season after playing both behind the plate and at first base last year. Ochinko, an All-Star in the Cape Cod League last summer, batted .277 (53-for-191) in ’07 with five doubles, seven homers and 32 RBI.
True freshman Micah Gibbs, a switch-hitting product of Pflugerville (Texas) High School, and sophomore Kevin Farnsworth will also make contributions at catcher.
Powerful right-handed slugger Matt Gaudet, who hit 26 homers in two seasons at Delgado Community College in New Orleans, La., will begin the year as LSU’s primary designated hitter.
PITCHERS
Preseason All-America right-hander Jared Bradford is the Tigers’ top returning hurler. The senior from Hueytown, Ala. earned second-team All-SEC recognition in 2007, posting a 10-4 record and a 4.41 ERA in 96 innings with 16 walks and 81 strikeouts. Bradford recorded either a win (7) or a save (3) in 10 of LSU’s 12 SEC wins last season.
Bradford is scheduled to be joined in the Tigers’ five-man starting rotation by junior right-hander Jordan Brown, junior left-hander Ryan Verdugo, junior left-hander Ryan Byrd and junior left-hander Blake Martin.
Brown, a transfer from Meridian (Miss.) Community College, was the 45th-round draft selection of the Cincinnati Reds. He features a 93-mph fastball, and he recorded 57 strikeouts in 54.1 innings last season at Meridian. Verdugo, the 47th-round selection by San Francisco in the ’07 draft, transferred to LSU from Skagit Valley (Wash.) College, where he was 7-2 in 2007 with a 2.74 ERA and 77 strikeouts.
Byrd returns for his second season in the Tigers’ rotation ? the product of Denham Springs, La. posted a 6-2 mark in 12 starts last season, including a complete-game win over No. 13 Ole Miss. Byrd worked 68.1 innings, recording a 4.74 ERA, 21 walks and 35 strikeouts. Martin, who transferred to LSU from Birmingham-Southern after the 2006 season, received a medical redshirt in ’07 after undergoing hip surgery. Martin has a plus-90s fastball, and he pitched extremely well in LSU’s fall intrasquad games.
The LSU corps of relief pitchers is loaded with promising youth and proven experience. Three true freshmen ? right-hander Daniel Bradshaw of Ouachita Christian High School in West Monroe, La.; right-hander Austin Ross of Captain Shreve High School in Shreveport, La.; and right-hander Anthony Ranaudo of St. Rose High School in Belmar, N.J ? will figure prominently in the Tigers’ pitching plans. Ranaudo was the 11th-round selection of the Texas Rangers last June.l
The rookies are complemented by several solid veteran hurlers, including junior right-hander Nolan Cain (0-1, 3.00 ERA, 1 save, 24 IP, 25 SO in 2007), sophomore right-hander Paul Bertuccini (1-2, 3.32 ERA, 4 saves, 21.2 IP, 21 SO), junior right-hander Louis Coleman (2-3, 5.59 ERA, 4 saves, 46.2 IP, 49 SO), sophomore left-hander Shane Ardoin (0-0, 5.93 ERA, 13.2 IP, 17 SO) and senior left-hander Kyle Beerbohm (1-1, 9.74 ERA, 20.1 IP, 15 SO).
True freshmen right-handers Ben Alsup and Jordan Nicholson of Ruston (La.) High School and Taylor Martin of St. Michael High School in Baton Rouge should contribute significant innings as they develop in the LSU program.