LSU Baseball Still Running Through Decisions on Left Side of the Infield
There are a few positions up for grabs with just under a week to go before LSU's opening weekend. Coach Paul Mainieri has talked about how the left side of the infield is still in flux as well as who will fill that left field position next to Giovanni DiGiacomo and Dylan Crews.
First and foremost, the issues the program was having in regards to COVID-19 protocols appear to be on the backburner as the season draws close. The Tigers have had numerous players stuck in quarantine over the last few weeks and Mainieri said the team is just waiting on one player to be cleared so the team can be at full strength against Air Force.
As far as the left side of the infield is concerned, Mainieri said that Collier Cranford, Will Safford and Jordan Thompson continue to be the guys who earn the most reps at shortstop and third base. He's still not entirely comfortable with penciling in an every day starter so it appears this will be a competition that's ongoing into the start of non-conference play.
In the meantime he has added one player back to the infield and that's veteran Drew Bianco. Bianco originally came to LSU as an infielder, even earning a few starts at third base his freshman year. However, as the need for more outfield production became necessary, Mainieri moved Bianco to the outfield.
Now, it's the outfield that has an abundance of talent and the infield that's still in search of some consistency and Mainieri has liked what he's seen from Bianco so far. During LSU's most recent scrimmage, Bianco hit a three-run homerun and Thompson hit a solo homerun as well.
"He's had some good at bats and I'm toying with the idea of giving him a look at the infield," Mainieri said. "That left side of the infield is still very much in flux."
Another option Mainieri talked about was moving pitcher Will Hellmers to the infield. The coaching staff was very impressed with Hellmers' hitting ability in the fall, so much so that it believes he could pitch and also bat on days he wasn't pitching.
Hellmers has been out of commission for close to two weeks and should be returning to the team any day now, so the team will start getting him reps as soon as possible.
"When he comes back, we're going to be working him in the infield and as a hitter," Mainieri said. "Maybe put pitching on hold for a little bit so we can explore the possibility that he may play some infield. He's a really talented kid, has great skills as a defender and I think he hits well."