Baton Rouge - The 2012 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 - righthanders 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.
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.
The Tigers open the 2012 season at 7 p.m. Friday versus Air Force in Alex Box Stadium.
Air Force coach Mike Kazlausky was a player for LSU coach Paul Mainieri during Mainieri's tenure as the Air Force head coach. Kazlausky played for Mainieri in 1989, 1990 and 1991, and he was an assistant coach on Mainieri's Air Force staff in 1993 and 1994.
LSU has sold a school-record 9,180 season tickets for the 2012 campaign in Alex Box Stadium.
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