BATON ROUGE, La. — Sixth-year coach Paul Mainieri believes the 2012 LSU club will feature an outstanding pitching staff complemented by a capable lineup with plenty of big-game experience.
“Everyone on our roster is healthy and eager to get started,” Mainieri said. “I thought we had excellent workouts in the fall, and we learned a lot about our team. This is a gritty, determined group of players that will compete hard on every pitch.”
The LSU roster includes 21 lettermen from the 2011 squad, including 10 position players with starting experience and eight pitchers that have recorded innings for the Tigers.
Senior shortstop Austin Nola and senior infielder Tyler Hanover are three-year starters that helped lead LSU to the 2009 College World Series title. Other Tigers returning that made significant contributions last season include junior all-SEC outfielder Mason Katz, junior outfielder/DH Raph Rhymes, senior utility player Grant Dozar, junior outfielder Alex Edward, sophomore outfielder/infielder JaCoby Jones, a 2011 Freshman all-American, and sophomore catcher Ty Ross, a 2011 Freshman all-SEC selection.
The pitching staff is led by a trio of outstanding sophomores – right-handers Kurt McCune, Kevin Gausman and Ryan Eades. McCune was a 2011 Freshman all-America selection, Gausman played for the USA Collegiate National Team in July and Eades was voted the Cape Cod Pitcher of the Year this summer.
Other returning pitchers that will contribute on the mound include junior right-hander Kevin Berry, sophomore right-handers Joe Broussard, Nick Rumbelow and Michael Reed, and junior left-hander Chris Cotton. Junior right-hander Joey Bourgeois is back on the active roster after sitting out the 2011 season with an arm injury.
The LSU veterans are complemented by a talented class of 14 newcomers, including five players that were selected in the 2011 Major League Draft. The class was rated No. 7 in the nation in the annual Collegiate Baseball magazine survey.
Right-handers Aaron Nola and Nick Goody and left-handers Cody Glenn and Brent Bonvillain are new pitchers that could make an immediate impact on the mound. First-year infielders Casey Yocom and Tyler Moore are strong contenders for starting roles in the batting order.
“We have the chance to be a dominant team on the mound,” Mainieri said. “We have a very deep and talented staff; we just need to decide upon the roles our pitchers will have coming out of the bullpen. We play outstanding defense and our catching behind the plate has really improved. Our hitters are very tough outs, and with our pitching and defense, we feel like we can be an excellent ball club.”
2012 SQUAD BREAKDOWN
Lettermen Returning/Lost: 21/13
Pos. Players w/Starting Experience Returning/Lost: 10/5
Pitchers Returning/Lost: 8/7
Newcomers: 14 (11 high school players; 3 JUCO transfers)
Position Players
The Tigers’ returning players are led by two four-year senior starters – shortstop Austin Nola and third baseman Tyler Hanover.
Nola is back for his fourth season after earning the starting shortstop role 40 games into the 2009 schedule. The Baton Rouge native, who has started 155 games in his career, batted .296 (58-for-196) last season with 13 doubles, two triples, two homers and 42 RBI. He was named to the 2011 SEC Academic Honor Roll as a sports administration major.
Hanover, who has 172 career starts at second and third base, hit .311 (60-for-193) last year with five doubles and 25 RBI. The product of Kernersville, N.C. was selected in the 40th round of the 2011 MLB Draft by the New York Yankees, but he elected to return to LSU for his senior season.
Casey Yocom, a transfer from Feather River (Calif.) College, earned the starting role at second base after performing superbly during fall practice. Yocom batted .354 for Feather River in 2011 with eight doubles, one triple, 25 RBI, 10 steals and 22 runs, leading his team to its fifth straight Golden Valley Conference title.
Versatile senior Grant Dozar of Morgan City, La. is a strong candidate for playing time at first base, where he started 14 games last season for the Tigers and collected three doubles, one triple, two homers and nine RBI.
Freshman Tyler Moore, who batted .561 last season with 15 home runs for Dunham High School in Baton Rouge, will also contend for a first base starting assignment.
Junior Mason Katz, a 2011 second-team all-SEC selection, is the Tigers’ projected starter in right field. Katz, who could also see action at first base, started 38 games in right field last season and hit .337 (64-for-190) with 21 doubles, two triples, four homers and 53 RBI. The native of Harahan, La. hit .438 (28-for-64) on the year with runners in scoring position.
Sophomore JaCoby Jones, a 2011 Freshman all-American at second base, moves to center field this season. Jones, a product of Richton, Miss., hit .338 (66-for-195) last season with 11 doubles, one triple, four homers, 32 RBI and 12 stolen bases.
Junior Raph Rhymes, LSU’s primary designated hitter in 2011, will occupy the DH slot again at the outset of the 2012 season. Rhymes may move into a starting outfield position as the season progresses as his right arm heals from off-season Tommy John surgery. Rhymes, a native of Monroe, La., batted .360 (77-for-214) for the Tigers last season with 18 doubles, three homers and 42 RBI, and he was named the Louisiana Newcomer of the Year.
Sophomore Ty Ross of Naples, Fla. will be the Tigers’ starter at catcher for the second straight season after earning 2011 Freshman All-SEC recognition. Senior Jordy Snikeris will again provide support behind the plate after appearing in 19 games last season.
Sophomore Jackson Slaid, a native of Sibley, La., enjoyed an outstanding fall and emerged as a contender for starting roles at either DH or in left field. Junior Alex Edward, a Baton Rouge product, is a veteran performer who will contend for playing time in the outfield, as will junior Arby Fields, a transfer from Cypress (Calif.) College, and freshman Chris Sciambra, a product of Catholic High School in Baton Rouge.
PRIMARY RETURNING POSITION STARTERS
Player Pos. Cl.-Exp. B/T Avg. HR RBI Notable
Raph Rhymes OF Jr.-1L R/R .360 3 42 2011 Louisiana Newcomer of the Year
JaCoby Jones OF So.-1L R/R .338 4 32 2011 Freshman All-American
Mason Katz OF Jr.-2L R/R .337 4 53 2011 Second-Team All-SEC
Tyler Hanover INF Sr.-3L R/R .311 0 25 Selected in 2011 MLB Draft by Yankees
Austin Nola INF Sr.-3L R/R .296 2 42 2010 Second-Team All-SEC
Alex Edward OF Jr.-2L R/R .279 2 27 Hit .362 in final 15 games of 2011
Grant Dozar INF Sr.-3L L/R .250 2 29 2011 SEC Academic Honor Roll
Ty Ross C So.-1L R/R .223 1 20 2011 Freshman All-SEC
TOP NEWCOMERS-POSITION PLAYERS
Player Pos. Cl. B/T Hometown (2011 School)
Casey Yocom INF Jr. R/R Reno, Nev. (Feather River College)
Tyler Moore INF/C Fr. L/R Baton Rouge, La. (Dunham HS)
Arby Fields OF Jr. S/R Alta Loma, Calif. (Cypress College)
PRIMARY STARTING POSITION PLAYERS LOST
Player Pos. Exp. B/T Avg. HR RBI Reason for leaving
Mikie Mahtook OF 3L R/R .383 14 56 1st-round draft choice of Tampa Bay Rays
Trey Watkins OF 2L R/R .226 2 24 elected to retire from baseball
Pitchers
The 2012 weekend starting rotation will be the same as the one the Tigers employed at the end of last season – sophomore right-handers Kevin Gausman, Kurt McCune and Ryan Eades.
Gausman, a native of Centennial, Colo., was the sixth-round draft selection in 2010 by the Los Angeles Dodgers, and he pitched last summer for the USA Collegiate National Team. He was 3-1 with a 1.17 ERA in his final four LSU starts last spring.
McCune, a Norco, La. product, earned Freshman All-America accolades last season after posting a 7-3 mark and a 3.31 ERA in 89.2 innings with 68 strikeouts and 25 walks.
Eades pitched brilliantly over the summer, earning Cape Cod League Pitcher of the Year honors. The Slidell, La. native was 4-1 with a 4.81 ERA last spring for LSU as he emerged late in the season as one of the Tigers’ top hurlers, posting a 3-0 mark in his final four starts.
Sophomore right-hander Nick Rumbelow, a strong candidate for the closer’s role, is one of several returning pitchers who will see action out of the bullpen. Other veteran hurlers include junior right-hander Kevin Berry, junior left-hander Chris Cotton, sophomore right-hander Joe Broussard sophomore right-hander Michael Reed.
Also returning to the staff this season is junior right-hander Joey Bourgeois, who was sidelined in 2011 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Newcomers projected to contribute significantly on the hill include junior right-hander Nick Goody, a 2011 JUCO All-American at State College of Florida; junior left-hander Brent Bonvillain, who posted an 8-3 mark last season at Delgado CC in New Orleans; freshman right-hander Aaron Nola, the younger brother of LSU shortstop Austin Nola and the 2011 Louisiana Class 5A Player of the Year at Catholic High in Baton Rouge; and freshman left-hander Cody Glenn, a product of Westbury Christian High in Houston who was the 15th-round draft selection of the Toronto Blue Jays.
PRIMARY PITCHERS RETURNING
Player R/L Cl.-Exp. W-L ERA IP BB SO Notable
Kevin Gausman R So.-1L 5-6 3.51 89.2 23 86 2011 USA Collegiate National Team
Ryan Eades R So.-1L 4-1 4.81 43.0 18 31 2011 Cape Cod Pitcher of the Year
Kurt McCune R So.-1L 7-3 3.31 89.2 25 68 2011 Freshman All-American
Nick Rumbelow R So.-1L 2-0 4.85 13.0 11 16 Rated No. 6 prospect in Summer 2011 Prospect League
Kevin Berry R Jr.-1L 3-1 3.14 28.2 8 16 Team-best 26 appearances in 2011
Joe Broussard R So.-1L 0-1 5.19 26.0 9 28 Career-best 7 Ks at Nicholls State in 2011
Chris Cotton L Jr.-2L 0-0 3.38 13.1 2 14 Summer 2011 All-Star in Texas Collegiate League
TOP NEWCOMERS-PITCHERS
Player R/L Cl. Hometown (2011 School)
Aaron Nola R Fr. Baton Rouge, La. (Catholic HS)
Cody Glenn L Fr. Houston, Texas (Westbury Christian HS)
Nick Goody R Jr. Orlando, Fla. (State College of Florida)
Brent Bonvillain L Jr. Houma, La. (Delgado Community College)
PRIMARY PITCHERS LOST
Player R/L Exp. W-L ERA SV IP BB SO Reason for leaving
Ben Alsup R 4L 6-5 4.66 1 65.2 23 39 completed eligibility
Matty Ott R 3L 1-3 2.60 6 27.2 7 27 13th-round draft choice of Boston Red Sox
Tyler Jones R 1L 4-0 5.22 0 39.2 23 37 11th-round draft choice of Minnesota Twins