LSU Baseball Cross Training Players in Preparation of Potential COVID-19 Issues During 2021 Season
Having more than the normally maximum 35 roster spots in college baseball will be an advantage for LSU and the primier teams in the SEC in 2021. With 38 roster spots for the Tigers in particular, including 20 pitchers and 18 position players, an overabundance could prove to be the best scenario possible giving the COVID-19 climate that still hangs over college sports.
More than ever, having guys who can play multiple positions is an important angle for a good college baseball team. It's naive to think that COVID-19 protocols won't hit LSU at some point this season as the Tigers have already had problems in the fall and the spring.
At one point during fall practice, LSU was without a single catcher available and had to bring in freshman outfielder Dylan Crews as a "fifth" option at the catcher position. Just reading between the lines, over the last several days, LSU's starting pitchers Landon Marceaux and AJ Labas have been quarantining due to COVID-19 protocols.
While coach Paul Mainieri expects both to be ready for opening week but having 18 other pitchers on the roster to pick up the slack is an important tool to have in their back pocket.
Pitchers don't have to need to play multiple positions but that isn't the case with LSU's remaining 18 positional players. It's why this season Mainieri and the staff have spent extra time cross training players to be sufficient at multiple positions in preparation of potential issues with COVID-19.
"We're doing a lot of that and it's going to be critical to do that because suffice to say we've had our challenges and I can't imagine we won't have challenges as we go through the season," Mainieri said. "Versatility are going to be huge in how we navigate through the season. You have to have guys that play multiple positions, you have to have depth."
The biggest concern for Mainieri is the pitching because at any given moment half of the staff could be wiped out because of contact tracing. As for some of the positional work, the program has tried Will Safford, Drew Bianco and Crews at the catcher position in case of emergency.
Cade Beloso, who has transitioned to the outfield, has also taken reps at first base in the case that Tre Morgan were to be out with injury or illness. Mainieri is concerned about the left side of the infield to some degree and has been working four guys at third base and shortstop, including freshmen Collier Cranford, Zach Arnold, Will Safford and Jordan Thompson.
There's also one idea that Mainieri said he'll keep to himself and will only be used if the infield starts to struggle but wouldn't give any hints as to what that could be. Nevertheless, having multiple players be ready to fill in at a given position is a must for all programs if they hope to get back to Omaha.
"If you want to be great on the pitching mound, then you better be great on defense," Mainieri said. "Because they go hand in hand. If a pitcher makes a big pitch and gets an easy ground ball in the infield turns into an error, it changes the complection of the entire inning.
"We're going to explore all options but it's always our goal to put the nine best players on the field. If I have to move positions around to get the nine best guys out there then I'm going to do that."