Projecting LSU Baseball's Opening Day Lineup Against Maine

LSU is in a unique position with the depth and talent on its roster that it can go in so many different directions with its lineup on opening day.

This is a lineup that will result in so much tinkering the first handful of weeks that it'll be nearly impossible to peg down just one constant lineup. Even Johnson might not have a very good grasp of where this lineup is until trotting out a number of different combinations.

"I've wasted a lot of legal pad paper on combinations," Johnson said. "Offense, defense, saved runs, create runs, balance in the order. It's more of a global look. I'm not doing my job if I'm not looking at all of those possibilities and we'll land where we're supposed to."

With the home opener less than 10 days out, here's an educated guess as to who gets the nod in the field on opening night against Maine.

1st Base- Tre Morgan

No shocker here but the only question mark with Morgan is when Johnson and the staff will begin experimenting with him in the outfield. That's been a major offseason transition for this team and would certainly shake up the rest of the lineup whenever that decision is made but Morgan is so reliable at first that to start the season it makes sense to keep him at first.

In the most recent scrimmage on the field, Morgan was taking a lot of the reps at first base, though he's been in the outfield as well, which is where his professional future very well may lie.

2nd Base- Cade Doughty

Doughty spent most of his sophomore season at third base but did start the year at second and has plenty of experience on the right side of the infield dating back to his freshman season. He's really improved as a defender and figures to be a staple of this infield, whether it's at second or third for the majority of the season.

Shortstop- Jordan Thompson

Thompson is an interesting case as he's no doubt the clearly most talented shortstop on the roster. He's been able to swing the bat but has been dealing with a hamstring injury that's limited some of his playing time out in the field. Nevertheless, Johnson has said Thompson will be ready to go for the start of the regular season and is a difference maker defensively.

If the buzz is true and Thompson has become more consistent with his bat, he'll be another dynamite two way weapon LSU will be able to lean on this season.

3rd Base- Jacob Berry

Berry is in a unique spot as the new kid on the block but has familiarity with Johnson's style. The adjustment was as smooth as can be when transferring schools but the one area Berry needs to prove capable is in the field. He was an absolute monster as a freshman slugger for Arizona but rarely saw the field on defense.

That will no longer be the case as he could see time at third or even in the outfield next to Dylan Crews and Gavin Dugas. He's primarily worked on defense since arriving to Baton Rouge so it'll be interesting to see what strides are made. If Berry ever is placed in the outfield, look for Doughty to slide over to third and some more interesting infield decisions at second with guys like Jack Merrifield or Drew Bianco.

Catcher- Alex Milazzo

A defensive wizard behind the plate, Milazzo is an experienced and extremely talented catcher. His offense has always been the point of contention with Milazzo but if Johnson has helped him be more confident and reliable at the plate, he's hard not to play.

This is a real toss up between Milazzo's elite defense or Tyler McManus' offense but Milazzo gets the edge for game one, though it wouldn't be a bit surprising to see McManus at some point during opening weekend.

Left Field- Gavin Dugas

Dugas is one of the leaders of this team as LSU's No. 8 and is coming off a dominant 2021 season where he truly broke on to the scene as a two way player. Defensively he made plays with his whole body at times and was as big a home run, big hit threat as LSU had during the entire year. Returning for a fifth season, there are plenty of expectations and reason to believe Dugas is in for another monster season.

Centerfield- Dylan Crews

Crews is one of the most recognizable names in all of of college baseball after an All-American freshman season with the program. His smooth swinging power and consistency on offense is rivaled by an extremely potent glove in the outfield.

You'll see a lot more of Crews in center this year, a position he played in high school and towards the end of his freshman season as well. There's no reason why Crews, along with Berry and Morgan can't make cases for SEC and national player of the year during their second collegiate seasons.

Right Field- Giovanni DiGiacomo

DiGiacomo is a veteran on this team and a really versatile defensive presence because of his speed and athleticism. The third outfield position is one that will remain in a constant state of fluidity next to Crews and Dugas but the veteran DiGiacomo has a leg up to start the season and has swung the bat really well in the spring. It's always come down to the offense with DiGiacomo and if he's consistent with his bat, he'll be hard to keep off the field.

Other names to watch in this spot are Morgan, Brody Drost, Drew Bianco or even Berry at times.

Designated Hitter- Cade Beloso

Beloso is one of the bigger unknowns on this roster and will likely get some run at first base early in the season when the team wishes to use Morgan in the outfield. The strides he's made on offense have been his biggest improvement as he's cut down his long step into the swing while also slightly shortening it as well.

The slugger was truly impressive as a freshman but didn't have the year he was hoping for in 2021, finding himself in and out of the lineup. Hopefully some of the corrections he's made to his swing will have him in elite position to make that big jump as an offensive player.

(Photo courtesy of LSUsports)