BATON ROUGE — The top-ranked LSU baseball team holds its first full-squad practice at noon Sunday in the original Alex Box Stadium, as the Tigers look forward to the 2009 season opener.
The ’09 season begins on February 20 when LSU faces Villanova in the New Alex Box Stadium. The Tigers have been engaged in individual workouts and conditioning drills for the past three weeks.
“We can’t wait to get started,” said third-year coach Paul Mainieri, the 2008 National Coach of the Year. “There’s an aura of confidence surrounding our team that makes me feel we can reach significant goals this season.”
Sunday’s workout is scheduled to be the Tigers’ only practice session in the original Alex Box Stadium. The squad is scheduled to move into the New Alex Box Stadium on Monday and Mainieri will conduct the team’s first workout at the new facility on Tuesday.
Mainieri expressed satisfaction as the ’09 season approaches that his club has achieved top-ranked recognition, as LSU is No. 1 in the Collegiate Baseball and ESPN/USA Today preseason polls. Mainieri said, however, that there will be no undue stress placed on the squad to meet soaring expectations.
“We realize the polls don’t affect what happens on the field,” Mainieri said. “We have to earn everything we receive by working hard every day. We’re not going to put extra pressure on ourselves because of the No. 1 ranking; we’re going to go out each day and do what we know it takes to be successful.
“Certainly, winning the national championship is our ultimate goal, and I think the preseason No. 1 ranking is an indication of how far we’ve come as a program. We’re very flattered to receive this type of recognition, and it’s now our intention to affirm the belief of those who think we are the best team in the nation.”
The Tigers were ranked as high as No. 2 last season, when they posted an SEC-record 23-game win streak and advanced to the 2008 College World Series. LSU finished No. 6 in the final national polls after posting a 49-19-1 record (18-11-1 in the SEC). The Tigers captured four titles in ?08, winning the SEC Western Division, the SEC Tournament, the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional and the NCAA Baton Rouge Super Regional.
LSU returns 24 players that made significant contributions last season, including seven everyday starters in the batting order. Sophomore catcher Micah Gibbs, junior second baseman Ryan Schimpf, sophomore shortstop DJ LeMahieu, junior outfielder Blake Dean, senior infielder Derek Helenihi, junior outfielder Jared Mitchell and sophomore outfielder Leon Landry all played instrumental roles in the leading the Tigers to Omaha in 2008.
LSU welcomes back nine pitchers that recorded innings last season, including top reliever Louis Coleman, who elected to stay in school for his senior season after he was the 14th-round draft selection in June of the Washington Nationals.
The veterans are complemented by a talented class of 10 newcomers, including four players selected in the 2008 Major League draft.
“What will be critical for this year’s team,” Mainieri said, “is how it adjusts to the heightened expectations we’ll face due to our success in 2008. We’re not going to sneak up on anybody, and I have a lot of confidence that our players will be ready for the challenges we take on during the year.”
Position Players
The combination of talent and experience gives the Tigers a potentially explosive batting order.
“It is rare to have seven starting position players back after playing at the College World Series the year before,” Mainieri said. “In fact, we really have eight — Sean Ochinko (1B/C) played in 47 games last season. While we did lose (1B) Matt Clark, who hit the most home runs in the nation last year with 28, we have a bunch of quality players who are very experienced.”
The Tigers’ returning starters are led by junior leftfielder Blake Dean, who hit a team-best .353 (95-for-269) last season with 18 doubles, three triples, 20 homers and 73 RBI, earning first-team All-America recognition. Dean was also named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional and the MVP of the SEC Tournament.
“Blake is perhaps the best hitter I have coached in my 26 years in the profession,” Mainieri said. “He delivered so many clutch hits for us in our drive to the College World Series.”
Dean will be joined in the outfield by junior rightfielder Jared Mitchell (.297, 6 HR, 29 RBI, 16 SB in 2008) and sophomore centerfielder Leon Landry (.271, 5 HR, 26 RBI, 12 SB).
“We have tremendous athletes like Mitchell and Landry in the outfield who will track down a number of balls,” Mainieri explained. “Both also have line drive power and can hit pitches out of the park.”
Others contending for action in the outfield include senior Nicholas Pontiff, sophomore Johnny Dishon and true freshman Mikie Mahtook, the 39th-round MLB Draft selection of the Florida Marlins last summer.
Sophomore catcher Micah Gibbs, a 2008 Freshman All-American, gives the Tigers an outstanding presence behind the plate.
“Micah will be a first or second-round draft choice after his junior season (2010),” Mainieri said. “He is a great receiver, and he swings the bat from both sides of the plate. He is as good as there is in the nation.”
Gibbs, a 2009 preseason All-American, batted .322 (56-for-174) last season with 16 doubles, two homers, 35 RBI and 31 runs, and he threw out 17 baserunners attempting to steal. He was the starting catcher last summer for the United States National Team that captured the gold medal at the World Championships in the Czech Republic.
The Tigers feature a superb pair of middle infielders in junior second baseman Ryan Schimpf and sophomore shortstop DJ LeMahieu, both of whom have earned preseason All-America recognition.
Schimpf batted .320 (80-for-250) last season with 18 doubles, an SEC-best seven triples, 12 homers and 54 RBI. He batted a sizzling .419 (18-for-43) in LSU’s 13 postseason games with seven doubles, two triples, two homers, 15 RBI and 11 runs.
LeMahieu hit .337 (87-for-258) in 208 with 11 doubles, one triple, six homers, 44 RBI and 10 steals. He batted .347 (17-for-49) in the Tigers’ postseason games with three doubles, one triple, one homer and six RBI. LeMahieu enters the 2009 season riding a 16-game hit streak that began on May 15 at Auburn.
Senior Derek Helenihi (.295, 3 HR, 43 RBI, 12 SB), the Tigers’ primary starting rightfielder in 2008, moves to third base this season. Helenihi, a natural infielder, started 10 games at the hot corner last season.
Junior Sean Ochinko (.272, 4 HR, 21 RBI) will occupy the first base position, where he started nine games last season. Ochinko will also see playing time at catcher, where he started 21 games in ’08.
Versatile veterans Buzzy Haydel and Chris McGhee bring valuable experience to the LSU infield, and true freshmen Tyler Hanover, Austin Nola and Wet Delatte should contend for playing time in their rookie seasons.
Candidates for the DH slot include senior Matt Gaudet, who hit .270 with 2 homers and 15 RBI last season before being sidelined with a back injury.
Pitchers
Though LSU must replace three terrific hurlers from last season ? RH Jared Bradford (10-4, 4.48 ERA), LH Ryan Verdugo (9-4, 4.12 ERA) and LH Blake Martin (5-3, 5.08 ERA) ? the Tigers’ pitching staff should be excellent.
The staff is anchored by senior right-hander Louis Coleman, a 2009 preseason All-American who elected to remain at LSU for his final season after being selected in the 14th round of the ’08 MLB Draft by the Washington Nationals. Coleman is scheduled to start the Tigers’ season opener versus Villanova before moving into the bullpen as LSU’s primary closer.
“Naturally, I’m thrilled that Louis will be with us this season, because he is an outstanding young man who will be vital to our team’s success,” Mainieri said. “He will continue to pursue his education and represent LSU in a first-class manner.
“At the same time, it’s important that we remain committed to enhancing his opportunity to pursue a professional baseball career at the end of his senior year. “
Coleman pitched brilliantly in 2008, recording an 8-1 mark and a team-best 1.95 ERA in 55.1 innings with two saves, 10 walks and 62 strikeouts. He was dominant down the stretch of the season ? from April 15 through the Tigers’ final game in the College World Series, he was 7-1 with a 1.91 ERA and two saves in 16 outings (one start) with 45 strikeouts in 42.1 innings.
Sophomore right-handers Anthony Ranaudo, Austin Ross and Daniel Bradshaw are expected to form LSU’s weekend starting rotation.
“We brought in several talented freshmen pitchers last season that played more of a secondary role behind junior college transfers,” Mainieri said. “We needed the experience of the JUCO kids right away last year.
“While the JC guys were pitching most of the innings, Ranaudo, Ross and Bradshaw gained valuable experience as we brought them along slowly. This year, we’ll be counting on those guys to step into weekend starting roles.”
Ranaudo, the 11th-round choice of the Texas Rangers in the 2007 MLB Draft, consistently throws his fastball in the 92-94 mph range. Limited by tendinitis early last season, he worked 12 innings near the end of the year, allowing no earned runs with 13 strikeouts.
Ross recorded a 3-1 mark last season with a 2.58 ERA and three saves in 52.1 innings. He registered 37 strikeouts and nine walks, and he was named the Louisiana Sportswriters Association Pitcher of the Week after recording eight strikeouts in seven relief innings in a win at Southern.
Bradshaw made 26 appearances during the 2008 season, including two starts. He posted a 4-5 record and a 4.12 ERA with four saves in 54.2 innings, recording 52 strikeouts and 13 walks,
The LSU bullpen is bolstered by the experience of junior right-hander Paul Bertuccini and senior right-hander Nolan Cain. Bertuccini made a team-high 28 appearances last season, posting a 2-0 mark and a 2.63 ERA in 27.1 innings with two saves, 30 strikeouts and a .205 opponent batting average. Cain posted a 2.37 ERA in 19 appearances (19.0 innings), limiting opponents to a .156 batting average.
Three true freshmen ? left-handers Chris Matulis and Randy Zeigler, and right-hander Matty Ott ? should contribute significant innings this season, as will senior southpaw Ryan Byrd and sophomore right-handers Jordan Nicholson and Ben Alsup.