Lets do this. Roster turnover, extreme. Not gonna be the heavy lineup we had last season. Only 2 return with Fraley and Robertson who is still fighting for his job at 2nd. Pitching looks off the hook, I got a little wood just knowing Lange and Poche will head the mound, but there is a battle for the 3rd starter. Got a thick pen this year so it should be fun seeing who is gonna pitch Saturdays. Who ain't excited about Parker Bugg getting a solid Junior season in? Replacing Scivicque will be like pulling teeth. Kade was the shit behind the plate but Papierski should have near the potential. his bat will decide.. Projected at 1st will be Bryace Adams and looking at Greg Deichmann. Both are mysteries and it will be interesting to see how the infield develops. Leaving the biggest hole in the infield with Bregman gone is a working battle between 2 freshman studs, Trey Dawson and O’Neal Lochridge. Dawson is a freak and his high school digits were .425 with a .557 on-base percentage and committed only one error at shortstop. He stole 20 bases as a senior, and was 43-of-50 on stolen base attempts throughout his high school career. Kid has wheels. How do we replace that shut down outfield from last season, fuck, who knows. Fraley will be back but the bats will likely decide who starts. Still got speed, just gotta see what they can do not not fuck up the gaps. Projected Starting Left Fielder: Antoine Duplantis, Projected Starting Centerfielder: Jake Fraley, Projected Starting Right Fielder: Beau Jordan, Projected Starting Designated Hitter: Cody Ducote. Paul Mainieri compared Duplantis to former LSU outfielders Laird and Stevenson, calling the freshman a “budding superstar.” Duplantis could be a potential leader of the pack to claim the final two starting jobs in the outfield, although Mainieri also has said good things about Jordan. Discuss.
Preseason Rankings according to who you ask: #5 in Perfect Game preseason poll #7 in D1 Baseball Poll #7 in Collegiate Baseball preseason poll #11 in Baseball America preseason poll Schedule: http://www.lsusports.net/SportSelect.dbml?&&&DB_OEM_ID=5200&SPID=2173&SPSID=27866 SEC Matchup Schedule: http://www.secsports.com/article/14563479/2016-sec-baseball-tv-schedule-announced 9 days, bitches.
First pitch tonight at 7:00 local, Poche gets the season opener. 3 game series kicks off with Cincinnati at the Box. Game 2 will begin at 2 p.m. CT Saturday, and first pitch for game 3 is set for 12 p.m. CT Sunday. The games can be heard on affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network, including Baton Rouge flagship WDGL-FM 98.1 FM, on Friday and Sunday. Saturday's game will be carried in Baton Rouge only on WTGE-FM 100.7 and live in the Geaux Zone at www.LSUsports.net/live. The series marks the radio broadcast debut of new LSU play-by-play announcer Chris Blair. All three games may viewed live online on SEC Network+, accessible at www.SECNetwork.com and the WatchESPN app. The wait is over.
What's a realistic expectation on the season? I expect LSU to make the trip to Omaha most every year given our focus on baseball (though I don't really care). I'll be disappointed if we don't at least make post season.
I think pitching alone carries us through the season. We should have a stellar pen. Hitting is going to be suspect with almost an entirely new line up. The twins should be ready to step up and there are a couple of long ballers we are about to get introduced to. But a little small ball might be how the season kicks off. Couple of kids got wheels, so aggressive base running should be in order. Defense is probably the biggest question. New faces in new places makes for a huge unknown. Good pitching will help that, but the way Poche and Lang pitch, most hits will be in play, so it’s on the d to help their pitchers. We should see the post season, maybe even host a regional but beyond that is guesswork. The SEC alone is smoldering this year with LSU well above middle ground. Very much NOT last year’s team, but real good bones and hopefully enough to make some noise. 2016 SEC BASEBALL COACHES PRESEASON POLL Eastern Division 1. Florida (13) – 91 2. Vanderbilt (1) – 78 3. South Carolina – 54 4. Kentucky – 53 5. Missouri – 47 6. Georgia – 32 7. Tennessee – 30 Western Division 1. Texas A&M (8) – 85 2. LSU (5) – 79 3. Arkansas – 65 4. Mississippi State (1) – 49 5. Ole Miss – 46 6. Auburn – 33 7. Alabama – 28 SEC Champion: Florida (13); Vanderbilt (1)
