BATON ROUGE, La. — LSU began its six-week fall baseball practice session Sunday afternoon in Alex Box Stadium with a spirited workout that included a three-inning scrimmage.
The Tigers engaged in a energetic round of batting practice prior to the scrimmage.
“It was a good workout, and I felt like we accomplished a lot on the first day,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “It didn’t really feel like an opening practice because the players have been working out individually over the past month. But today was our first day on the field as a full squad, and I was pleased with the intensity and competitiveness of our kids.”
Fall practice continues at 3 p.m. Monday in Alex Box Stadium. All scrimmages and workouts during the fall period, which concludes on November 4, are open to the public.
Mainieri said that sophomore right-hander Kurt McCune, freshman left-hander Cody Glenn, sophomore right-hander Michael Reed and freshman right-hander Aaron Nola were effective on the mound during Sunday’s scrimmage.
Hitting highlights included a solo homer by freshman catcher Evan Powell and a double by senior shortstop Austin Nola off of Aaron Nola, his younger brother.
Sophomore catcher Ty Ross and freshman outfielder Chris Sciambra provided RBI singles during the scrimmage.
The 2012 Tigers feature 24 lettermen from last season’s club, including 10 position players with starting experience and eight pitchers that recorded innings last season.
The LSU veterans are complemented by a talented class of 14 newcomers, including five players that were selected in the 2011 Major League Draft. LSU’s incoming class was voted No. 7 in the nation in the annual Collegiate Baseball magazine recruiting survey.
LSU opens the 2012 season on February 17 versus Air Force in Alex Box Stadium.