BATON ROUGE — Inclement weather didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the 2010 LSU baseball squad Friday as the defending national champions conducted their first preseason practice in Alex Box Stadium.
Heavy rain in Baton Rouge forced the Tigers into their indoor hitting facility, where the team engaged in a spirited batting practice session for approximately two hours.
“This is such an exciting day with the opening of the season just three weeks away,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri, who directed the Tigers to the 2009 College World Series title. “It’s a new year, and It’s time for us to turn the page and move on from last season. Our philosophy is that the 2010 team is not trying to repeat as national champions, it is trying to win its own national championship.”
The 2010 season begins on February 19, when the Tigers play host to Centenary in Alex Box Stadium. LSU is ranked No. 2 in the USA Today/ESPN poll released Friday. The Tigers are ranked No. 2 by Collegiate Baseball and No. 3 by Baseball America.
LSU welcomes back 15 players that made significant contributions to the 2009 national championship drive, including seven position players with starting experience and eight pitchers that recorded innings last season.
“It’s great to have players back with significant experience,” Mainieri said. “They know how to work each day in practice, and they know what it takes to make themselves better. I really believe we can make another strong run with this group.”
The LSU veterans are complemented by a talented class of 13 newcomers, including five players that have been selected in the Major League Draft.
“We have some young players that will develop as the season progresses and make solid contributions to our club,” Mainieri said.
LSU will continue its preseason workouts this weekend, practicing at 1 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday in Alex Box Stadium. All practice sessions are open to the public.
USA TODAY/ESPN TOP 25 COACHES’ POLL – Jan. 29, 2010
The preseason USA TODAY/ESPN Top 25 baseball coaches’ poll, with 2009 records in parentheses, total points based on 25 points for first place through one point for 25th, ranking in the final 2009 poll and first-place votes received:
Rank, School (record), Points, Final 2009 rank, First-place votes
1. Texas (50-16-1), 760 2, 18
2. LSU (56-17), 721 1, 10
3. Cal State Fullerton (47-16) 671 7 2
4. Virginia (49-15-1), 665 5 1
5. Florida State (45-18), 575 10, 0
6. Rice (43-18), 547 9 0
7. UC-Irvine (45-15), 534 16, 0
8. Arizona State (51-14), 497 3 0
9. Florida (42-22), , 489 13, 0
10. Georgia Tech (38-19-1), 484 18, 0
11. North Carolina (48-18), 456 4 0
12. TCU (40-18), 367 12, 0
13. Miami (Fla.) (38-22) 355 20, 0
14. Oregon State (37-19), 350 not ranked 0
15. Clemson (44-22), 334 14, 0
16. Arkansas (41-24), 289 6 0
17. Mississippi (44-20) 249 11, 0
18. East Carolina (46-20), 224 15, 0
19. Coastal Carolina (47-16) 203 23, 0
20. Louisville (47-18), 192 17, 0
21. Ohio State (42-19) 131 not ranked 0
22. Oklahoma (43-20), 127 19, 0
23. San Diego (29-25), 95 not ranked 0
24. Southern Mississippi (40-26), 94 8 0
25. Stanford (30-25), 79 not ranked 0
Others receiving votes (with 2009 record): South Carolina (40-23) 75; Vanderbilt (37-27) 75; UCLA (27-29) 73; Texas A&M (37-24) 51; Georgia (38-24) 48; Minnesota (40-19) 48; Arizona (30-25) 33; Kansas (39-24) 24; Kansas State (43-18-1) 19; Wichita State (30-27) 19; Oral Roberts (33-15) 18; Pepperdine (31-23) 15; Middle Tennessee (44-18) 13; Fresno State (32-30) 9; Missouri (35-27) 9; Oklahoma State (34-24) 9; Alabama (37-21) 6; North Carolina-Wilmington (31-23) 6; Boston College (34-26) 5; Florida Gulf Coast (36-18) 5; James Madison (30-24) 5; Kentucky (28-26) 4; Long Beach State (25-29) 4; Cal Poly (37-21) 3; Gonzaga (36-18) 3; St. John’s (30-22) 3; Florida International (34-23) 2; Jacksonville (37-22) 1; Nebraska (25-28) 1; Western Kentucky (42-20) 1.