BATON ROUGE, La. – The 2012 LSU baseball squad opens preseason practice at 3 p.m. on Friday, January 27 in Alex Box Stadium, three weeks prior to the Tigers' season opener versus Air Force.
Players began spring semester classes this week and are engaged in individual workouts and conditioning drills. The entire squad will come together for the start of official preseason practice next Friday, when LSU will conduct the first of several intrasquad scrimmages.
Sixth-year coach Paul Mainieri said the 2012 LSU club will feature an outstanding pitching staff complemented by a capable lineup with plenty of big-game experience.
"Everyone on our roster is healthy and eager to get started," Mainieri said. "I thought we had excellent workouts in the fall, and we learned a lot about our team. This is a gritty, determined group of players that will compete hard on every pitch."
The LSU roster includes 21 lettermen from the 2011 squad, including 10 position players with starting experience and eight pitchers that have recorded innings for the Tigers.
Senior shortstop Austin Nola and senior infielder Tyler Hanover are three-year starters that helped lead LSU to the 2009 College World Series title. Other Tigers returning that made significant contributions last season include junior all-SEC outfielder Mason Katz, junior outfielder/DH Raph Rhymes, senior utility player Grant Dozar, junior outfielder Alex Edward, sophomore outfielder/infielder JaCoby Jones, a 2011 Freshman all-American, and sophomore catcher Ty Ross, a 2011 Freshman all-SEC selection.
The pitching staff is led by a trio of outstanding sophomores – right-handers Kurt McCune, Kevin Gausman and Ryan Eades. McCune was a 2011 Freshman all-America selection, Gausman played for the USA Collegiate National Team in July and Eades was voted the Cape Cod Pitcher of the Year this summer.
Other returning pitchers that will contribute on the mound include junior right-hander Kevin Berry, sophomore right-handers Joe Broussard, Nick Rumbelow and Michael Reed, and junior left-hander Chris Cotton.
Junior right-hander Joey Bourgeois is back on the active roster after sitting out the 2011 season with an arm injury.
The LSU veterans are complemented by a talented class of 14 newcomers, including five players that were selected in the 2011 Major League Draft. The class was rated No. 7 in the nation in the annual Collegiate Baseball magazine survey.
Right-handers Aaron Nola and Nick Goody and left-handers Cody Glenn and Brent Bonvillain are new pitchers that could make an immediate impact on the mound. First-year infielders Casey Yocom and Tyler Moore are strong contenders for starting roles in the batting order.
Mainieri said that freshman Terrence Magee, a dual-sport star at Franklinton (La.) High School and a running back for the LSU football team, will not play baseball this spring. Magee will focus upon rehabilitating a knee injury suffered during the fall in order to participate in football spring practice.
"We have the chance to be a dominant team on the mound," Mainieri said. "We have a very deep and talented staff; we just need to decide upon the roles our pitchers will have coming out of the bullpen. We play outstanding defense and our catching behind the plate has really improved. Our hitters are very tough outs, and with our pitching and defense, we feel like we can be an excellent ball club."
Information provided by LSU Sports
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