LSU is No. 5 in Perfect Game Preseason Poll

LSU is ranked No. 5 in the Perfect Game poll released Wednesday, marking the Tigers’ third Top 10 designation of the 2016 baseball preseason.
LSU is No. 7 in the Collegiate Baseball and D1Baseball.com preseason polls.
Additionally, Perfect Game named LSU sophomore pitcher Alex Lange a first-team preseason All-American, and junior outfielder Jake Fraley received third-team preseason All-America recognition.
LSU is one of four Southeastern Conference teams appearing in the Perfect Game 2016 preseason Top 10, along with No. 1 Florida, No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 4 Vanderbilt.
Other SEC squads in the Top 25 are No. 15 Missouri and No. 17 Mississippi State.
One of LSU’s non-conference opponents, Notre Dame, is No. 24 in the poll.
The Tigers will begin preseason practice Jan. 29, and LSU opens the 2016 season at 7 p.m. Feb. 19 versus Cincinnati in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.
LSU’s pitching staff will be led by Lange, who posted a 12-0 record in 2015 with a 1.97 ERA in 114 innings. In 17 starts, he recorded 131 strikeouts and limited opponents to a .212 cumulative batting average.
Lange, a Lee’s Summit, Missouri native, was voted the 2015 National Freshman Pitcher of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year. He received first-team All-America and first-team All-SEC recognition.
Fraley, the only returning starter from LSU’s 2015 everyday lineup, hit .307 last season with 11 doubles, five triples, two homers and 35 RBIs. He was No. 6 in the SEC in stolen bases with 23 steals in 29 attempts.
Fraley, a Middletown, Delaware product, was LSU’s leading hitter in its eight NCAA Tournament games last season, batting .387 (12-for-31) with two doubles, one triple, one homer, five RBIs, seven runs and four steals.
See the entire Perfect Game Top 25 poll at https://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=12025.