BATON ROUGE, La. — LSU baseball players that participated in summer collegiate leagues have returned to Baton Rouge, ready to begin fall semester classes on Monday, August 26.
Several Tigers thrived in summer league competition, sharpening their skills for the 2020 season as LSU seeks to advance to the College World Series for the fourth time in eight years. The Tigers have earned an NCAA Tournament National Seed in seven of the past eight seasons.
LSU begins its six-week fall practice session on Sunday, September 29, and the Tigers open the 2020 season on Friday, February 14, when they play host to Indiana in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.
“I’m very proud of the way our players performed this summer, as well as the way they conducted themselves,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri, beginning his 14th season at the helm of the program. “I talked to several of the summer coaches, and they were extremely complimentary of the way our players competed. I told our veteran players before they left for the summer that everywhere you go, you carry the LSU Baseball flag. How you play, hustle, follow team rules, and act on the field, as well as how you treat people and act away from the field, is all a reflection of our LSU program. Our players represented LSU in a first-class manner.”
Mainieri will enter the 2020 season No. 2 on the career wins list for active NCAA coaches, as he has recorded 1,455 victories in 37 collegiate seasons.
LSU junior outfielder Daniel Cabrera was named to the Cape Cod League All-Star Team this summer as a member of the Harwich (Mass.) Mariners. Cabrera posted five doubles, one triple, two homers and 14 RBI.
Freshman infielder Cade Doughty was an All-Star in the Cal Ripken League, as he batted .346 for the Gaithersburg (Md.) Giants with seven doubles, two triples, five homers, 23 RBI, five stolen bases and 26 runs scored.
Sophomore first baseman/outfielder CJ Willis hit .362 in 24 games for the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters in the Northwoods League. Willis collected six doubles, one triple, two homers, 13 RBI, seven steals and 17 runs scored.
Freshman outfielder Wes Toups enjoyed a productive summer for the Danville (Ill.) Dans in the Prospect League, recording four doubles, one triple, three homers, 15 RBI, 12 steals and 24 runs in 24 games.
Sophomore right-hander Rye Gunter worked 16.1 innings for the Amsterdam (N.Y.) Mohawks in the Perfect Game League, firing 23 strikeouts while limiting opponents to a .206 batting average.
Freshman outfielder Mitchell Sanford collected five doubles, one triple, one homer, 21 RBI, five stolen bases and 14 runs for the Saugerties (N.Y.) Stallions in the Perfect Game League. Freshman catcher Hayden Travinski belted four homers for Saugerties while driving in 14 runs.