A look at the 2016 LSU baseball team

Despite having to replace eight of nine everyday starters from last season’s batting order, the LSU baseball team is ranked as high as No. 5 in the 2016 preseason polls, marking the fifth straight season the Tigers will begin the year among the Top 10 teams nationally.
The Tigers, who have the most wins in the nation during the past four seasons (204 wins) and the past eight seasons (387 wins), captured the 2015 Southeastern Conference championship and advanced to the College World Series for the second time in three years. LSU posted a nation’s-best 54 victories and was ranked No. 1 for 10 consecutive weeks in 2015.
“The fact that we’re ranked among the top teams in the nation entering the 2016 season is a sign of respect for our program, considering we have to replace so many players from last year’s lineup,” 10th-year LSU coach Paul Mainieri said in a news release.
“We’re proud of the recognition, now it’s our job to uphold our tradition of excellence,” said Mainieri, who has directed the Tigers to one national championship, four College World Series appearances, three SEC overall titles, five SEC division titles and five SEC tournament championships in nine seasons.
The 2016 LSU roster includes 17 lettermen from the 2015 club, including five position players with starting experience and 11 pitchers that recorded innings last season.
The LSU veterans are complemented by a talented class of 16 newcomers, including 10 position players, five pitchers and one two-way player. The incoming class was rated No. 7 nationally in the annual Collegiate Baseball recruiting rankings.
“This was obviously an extremely important recruiting class for us,” Mainieri said. “We needed to bring in a group of guys who could compete for everyday positions, as well as guys who could add depth to our pitching staff. I think we may have some difference-makers in the players that have joined our team. There was a great deal of teaching taking place during fall practice because of all of the new players. To see them compete against each other and see how the pieces fit together has been a lot of fun.”
The LSU pitching staff is led by sophomore right-hander Alex Lange, the 2015 National Freshman Pitcher of the Year who in 2015 posted a 12-0 mark with a 1.97 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 114 innings.
Junior left-hander Jared Poche’, who was 9-2 last season with a 3.05 ERA, combines with Lange to give LSU the best returning 1-2 starting combination in the Southeastern Conference. Lange and Poche’ have a combined 30 career victories entering the 2016 season.
Other veteran pitchers back from last season include left-hander Hunter Devall, and right-handers Hunter Newman, Parker Bugg, Doug Norman, Jesse Stallings, Russell Reynolds, Collin Strall, Austin Bain and Alden Cartwright. Freshman left-hander Jake Latz, redshirted last season due to an arm injury, hopes to return to the mound in 2016.
The returning position players are led by outfielder Jake Fraley, who started 56 games last season and hit .307 (69-for-225) with 11 doubles, five triples, two homers, 35 RBIs, 50 runs and stole 23 bases.
Other players returning that made appearances in the LSU lineup last season include infielders Kramer Robertson, Bryce Jordan and Greg Deichmann, catcher Michael Papierski and outfielder Beau Jordan.
“With guys like Alex Lange and Jared Poche’, along with our other veterans and some new arms, we have a very formidable pitching staff going into 2016,” Mainieri said. “The main focus this fall has been putting together a lineup. With Jake Fraley being the only position player returning to the starting lineup from 2015, we’ve had a lot of work to do.”
Position Players
Fraley, a Middletown, Delaware, product, is LSU’s only returning every day starter from last season. Fraley played in left field last season, and he is slated to move into the starting centerfielder’s role in 2016. He finished sixth in the SEC in steals, and he was LSU’s leading hitter in the NCAA Tournament, batting .387 in eight games.
Sophomore Beau Jordan of Lake Charles is projected as the Tigers starter in left field. Jordan played in 20 games last year (four starts), and he turned in one of the best defensive plays of the 2015 season. He made a game-saving catch in left field in the bottom of the 14th inning at Alabama, snaring a deep line drive above his head and doubling off a Bama base runner at first base to keep the scored tied at 5. LSU eventually won the contest, 8-5, in 16 innings.
Freshman Antoine Duplantis of Lafayette is a strong candidate to join Fraley and Jordan in the starting outfield. A tremendous athlete, Duplantis is a speedy, left-handed playmaking performer with a sweet swing and the ability to hit the ball with authority.
Other players with the opportunity to see playing time in the outfield include a pair of talented true freshmen — Brennan Breaux of Lafayette and Brody Wofford, a Rome, Georgia, product.
Junior second baseman Kramer Robertson is the Tigers veteran presence among the infielders, having started 42 games during the past two seasons. Robertson, a McGregor, Texas, native, displayed excellent power at the plate during fall practice, and he is an exceptional defensive infielder capable of making spectacular plays.
Sophomore Greg Deichmann of Metairie is LSU’s projected starter at first base. Deichmann, an imposing left-handed power hitter who also possesses outstanding speed, was the Louisiana high school leader in home runs for three consecutive seasons. Sophomore Bryce Jordan — Beau’s twin brother — played in 21 games last season and should see significant action at first base and as the Tigers’ primary designated hitter.
Freshman Trey Dawson of Hurricane, West Virginia, is a superb prospect who is scheduled to begin the year as LSU’s starting shortstop. Selected in the 2015 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers, Dawson hit .425 as a high school senior while committing just one error at shortstop.
Cole Freeman, a transfer from Delgado Community College in New Orleans, will likely start at third base. Freeman, who batted .385 at Delgado last season, is the prototypical “table-setter” on offense that can put a lot of pressure on the opposition with his bunting and base-stealing ability.
Freshmen O’Neal Lochridge of Lafayette and Chris Reid of Baton Rouge also should make an impact this season as infielders.
Papierski, a sophomore catcher, started 12 games behind the plate last season, and the 2014 MLB Draft selection demonstrated his skill as a tremendous defensive player.
Jordan Romero, a JUCO Gold Glove recipient from LSU-Eunice, also will compete for playing time at catcher.
Pitchers
Poche’ and Lange — both 2016 preseason All-Americans — form one of the nation’s top returning weekend starting duos.
Poche’, a Lutcher native, has an 18-5 record in his two seasons as a weekend starter. He was 9-2 last season with a 3.05 ERA in 18 starts, and he recorded 25 walks and 72 strikeouts in 109.1 innings. Poche’ pitched LSU to victory in Game 2 of the 2015 NCAA Super Regional versus UL-Lafayette, leading the Tigers to a College World Series berth.
Lange, a Lee’s Summit, Missouri, product, limited opponents to a .212 cumulative batting average in 2015. He was voted the 2015 National Freshman Pitcher of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year, and he received first-team All-America and first-team All-SEC recognition. Lange culminated the year with a complete-game victory against Cal State Fullerton in the College World Series, limiting the Titans to three runs on six hits in nine innings with two walks and 10 strikeouts.
Bain, a sophomore right-hander, is a candidate to join Poche’ and Lange in the weekend starting rotation. The Geismar native appeared in 21 games (six starts) last season, posting a 3.95 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 54.2 innings. He was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week on April 6 of last season, as he pitched brilliantly in relief to help lead LSU to a 13-inning win against Alabama.
LSU has a veteran staff of capable relievers led by juniors Bugg, Newman and Cartwright and Stalling, a third-year sophomore.
Bugg, a right-hander from San Diego, California, recorded a 1.72 ERA and three saves in 26 appearances with 35 strikeouts in 36.2 innings.
Newman, a right-hander from Bloomingdale, Georgia, was 3-0 with a 0.49 ERA, four saves and 34 strikeouts in 24 appearances (36.2 innings).
Cartwright, a right-hander from Baton Rouge, made 26 appearances and fanned 29 hitters in 20 innings of work.
The hard-throwing Stallings, a Colfax product, was No. 2 in the SEC last season in saves with 12, and he earned Freshman All-America recognition.
Junior right-hander Riley Smith, a transfer from San Jacinto College in Houston, and freshman right-hander Caleb Gilbert, a Hoover, Alabama product, will play significant roles on the LSU staff this season.
Norman, a sophomore right-hander from Fort Mill, South Carolina, and senior left-hander John Valek III, a University of Akron transfer, are candidates to become the Tigers’ mid-week starting pitcher.
Other hurlers who will compete for time include freshman right-hander Cole McKay, a 2015 MLB Draft selection by the Detroit Tigers; Strall, a junior right-hander; Devall, a senior left-hander; and Reynolds, a junior right-hander.