LSU Coach Paul Mainieri Excited by Blend of Talent Ahead of 2021 Baseball Season
It's been the longest hiatus for LSU baseball in recent memory but after 10 months of no "Baseball at the Box," the Tigers are now just three weeks away from first pitch of their home opener against Air Force on Feb. 19. And you can be sure that coach Paul Mainieri and the players are chomping at the bit to get back on the field for game action.
"I think we have a very talented group and as the season goes on I think they'll continue to get better and better," Mainieri said. "I think our team is primed to be one of the top teams in the SEC. The SEC is gonna be as tough as it's ever been if not tougher. We've got three weeks to get everything tightened up a little bit."
With 38 players on the roster, it'll be a mangement undertaking for Mainieri that's as difficult as ever, particularly with the 20 pitchers, all of whom have shown promise at one point or another according to Mainieri. The Tigers of course return starters Landon Marceaux and AJ Labas but the talk around the team has centered around Jaden Hill and if he's ready to be an ace starter for the team.
There's no doubt the talent Hill possesses but a first year riddled with injuries and a shortened second season, the now junior enters as the clear ace starter after an offseason chock-full of preseason accolades.
"If everything goes according to plan he should have 19 starts. Last year it was a concerted effort to bring him along slowly in the spring so we put him in the bullpen with the idea we would stretch him out," Mainieri said. "This year there's no holding him back, he's going to start the season and I really want him to feel comfortable."
Mainieri said the team might be careful early in the season about the number of pitches he throws, moreso than Marceaux or Labas for example, but that's more for him to feel comfortable with his health and stamina.
As far as the lineup is concerned, Mainieri admitted to being a little uneasy about the left side of the infield but says freshman first baseman Tre Morgan is talented enough to make up for some mistakes in the infield. In nearly 40 years of coaching, Mainieri mentioned that Morgan is in a group of maybe five first basemen who are exemplary fielders.
He figures to be a day one starter for the Tigers and bat potentially in the two or three hole. Another freshman who comes in with all the hype and attention on his shoulders is outfielder Dylan Crews. Viewed as a potential first round pick out of high school, Crews ultimately decided to go to school and is drawing rave reviews from his head coach.
"I tell him he has [Alex] Bregman's passion but he's got [DJ] LeMahieu's swing," Mainieri said. "He hits the ball with such authority to the opposite field so this kid's got a lot of talent. This is a humbling game and one of the things he's gonna have to learn to do is be able to manage failure without losing confidence."
Position players Brody Drost, Will Safford and Jordan Thompson as well as Will Hellmers and Garrett Edwards are other freshmen who could make impacts this season at one time or another.
The freshman talent alone is enough to make this team pretty good off the bat but when you mix in veteran returners Cade Beloso, Alex Milazzo, Cade Doughty, Giovanni DiGiacomo, Matthew Beck, Devin Fontenot and Ma'Khail Hilliard, then you've got the recipe for a College World Series type team.
Mainieri called DiGiacomo a wild card for the Tigers this season. If he can get his bat going a little more consistently, his speed around the bags and defensive capabilities make him a breakout candidate. Beloso is making the transition from first base to the outfield and has dropped 24 pounds in weight during the move.
He figures to start at left field while Crews figures to draw the start in right field. But with so many players on the roster, there will be tough decisions for Mainieri to make in the coming weeks which is why spring ball is so important before the season
"The good problem to have as a coach is to make tough decisions between good players and who to utilize," Mainieri said. "The bad problem is when you have to make decisions between players who aren't as talented. It's part of the game, I've been making tough decisions for years and the best thing to do is be up front and honest with players."
All in all, Mainieri was extremely complimentary of his roster and the team is ready to get back. But the COVID-19 pandemic looms large and all it takes is one or two positives to derail a team which is something Mainieri says he talks with his players about all the time.
"The one silver lining from last year is that our players will never take anything for granted ever again," Mainieri said. "You have something taken away from you and it increases your love for that particular thing and you don't take it for granted."