Preseason Collegiate Baseball Poll: LSU #2, Florida #9

JohnLSU

#2 LSU

#9 Florida (LSU plays them in Gainesville, Apr 30-May 2) -- finished #12/#13/#14/#14 last season in the other polls

#21 Southern Miss (LSU plays them in the Wally Pontiff, Jr. Classic in Zephyr Field, Apr 7) -- finished #8/#8/#11/#11 last season in the other polls

#22 Ole Miss (LSU plays them in Oxford, Apr 23-25) -- finished #11/#12/#12/#13 last season in the other polls

#23 Arkansas (LSU plays them in Baton Rouge, Mar 19-21) -- finished #5/#6/#7/#7 last season in the other polls

#31 Georgia (LSU plays them in Baton Rouge, Apr 2-4) -- finished #24/#26 last season in the other polls

#32 Vanderbilt (LSU plays them in Baton Rouge, May 7-9) -- finished #25/#29 last season in the other polls

#34 Pepperdine (LSU plays them in Baton Rouge, Mar 4 & 6)

#36 Kansas (LSU plays them in Baton Rouge, Mar 12-14)


Other teams LSU plays that received Votes:
Alabama (finished #30 last season in the one of the other polls)
Mississippi St
@Auburn
@Tennessee
@Kentucky
Tulane (play them once at LSU and once at Tulane)
Southeastern Louisiana

NCAA DIV I POLL - Current - Collegiate Baseball Newspaper

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PURPLE TIGER

I wish we could bring back the Winn-Dixie classic and play three teams from another state. (I think Tulane screwed that up due to money or tickets. I'm probably wrong but it seems like they were to blame. If not, I enjoy blaming them anyway. )

It would also be nice to have a few games with an ACC team. They have some good programs (FSU, UNC, Clemson, Miami, and now Virginia) and although we already have a tough schedule, it would be great to see even more quality competition.

I can't wait to go to Oxford wearing my 6X National Champs shirt. They hate us so bad (envy) and I just enjoy listening to them. I'm sure they'll only want to talk about football this year.

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JohnLSU

I missed Southern Miss (just added it), that's a decent out-of-state opponent. And it's cool that we are playing Kansas (2006 Big 12 tournament champion, NCAA tourney appearances in 1993, 1994, 2006, 2009) and Pepperdine (1992 National Champions, 17 WCC Titles, 25 NCAA tourney appearances).

We are also gracing Natchitoches, La. with our presence to play the NSU Demons (whose baseball program won nine of the past 17 Southland Conference championships). Their top three baseball attendance records were all when LSU came to town:
1. 4,214 people on 4-18-01 (NSU beat LSU, 10-8)
2. 2,329 people on 4-9-03 (NSU lost to LSU, 6-4)
3. 1,835 people on 4-9-91 (NSU lost to LSU, 7-3)

LSU visit highlights 2010 [NSU] baseball schedule
LSU visit highlights 2010 baseball schedule - NSUDemons.com - Northwestern State Athletics


Natchitoches, La.

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HatcherTiger

Wow, feeling like great baseball weather today here in Lafayette, sunny and 63 with a "realfeel" of 68 per Accuweather.

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... FOREVER LSU ! (Happiness begins where selfishness ends!)

JayB

just thought the same thing, myself.

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GEAUX TIGERS!!!!!!!!

JohnLSU

2010 Preview:

The Paul Mainieri era at LSU is in fantastic shape. The Tigers have made back-to-back CWS appearances and hope to earn a second-straight national title this spring. Accomplishing that goal is always difficult for any team, but the Tigers have a strong nucleus of players back this season. Anthony Ranaudo and Matty Ott spearhead a pitching staff that is strong despite some question marks. Austin Ross also is expected to rise to the occasion. Offensively, the Tigers lost some key cogs in Ryan Schimpf, Jared Mitchell and D.J. LeMahieu. The lineup, though, still is in good hands with the return of senior slugger Blake Dean and a host of other talented hitters. The Tigers still need to nail down a No. 3 starting pitcher for the weekend rotation, but otherwise they are in great shape.

2010 season could have new bag of surprises - College Baseball - Rivals.com

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JohnLSU

Collegiate Baseball also ranked LSU's last crop of recruits (the freshmen this upcoming season) as the #3 recruiting class in the nation. Florida was #1, Kentucky was #6, Vanderbilt was #8.

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JayB

sooo...

1B - Blake Dean
2B - Tyler Hanover
SS - Austin Nola
3B - Wet Dellate
LF - Trey Watkins
CF - Leon Landry
RF - Mikie Mahtook
C - Micah GIbbs
DH - ???

Pitching:
1st Starter - Anthony Ranaudo
2nd Starter - Joey Bourgeois
3rd Starter - Austin Ross
Closer - Matty Ott
MWS - ???

of course bradshaw could challenge Ross for sunday starter, and i think Matulis will have a big year. plus some true frosh that are supposed to be stellar.....

Omaha? i think so!!!

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GEAUX TIGERS!!!!!!!!

JohnLSU

Who are your favorites, JayB? I love Hanover, Nola, Mahtook, Landry, Dean, and of course Ranaudo and Ott. As for the new guys like Dellate, Watkins, Bourgeois, and the other new guys... I've never heard of them although I plan to read up on them. Can you tell us a little bit about what you know about them?

As for the line-up, here is an article I read after fall practice ended where Mainieri named who he has as the starters heading into Feb 1 (when the team starts practice again).

TigerBait.com - Filling holes

He named:

1B - Blake Dean ("Blake Dean's return was enormous...My biggest question going into fall was where Blake Dean going to play," Mainieri said. "He'll be our first baseman. Blake didn't throw during the fall due to his shoulder surgery."Blake is better at first base than as an outfielder. He appears to be a natural at first base. He doesn't run too well for the outfield.")

2B - Tyler Hanover

SS - Austin Nola

3B - Wet Dellate ("Delatte showed a lot of improvement as the fall went on," Mainieri said. "I thought third base was going to be a weak spot for us. He led the team in hitting in the fall. Wet has the ability to play there. He's a gamer.")

OF - Junior college transfer Trey Watkins caught Mainieri's eye during fall practice. Watkins, who left LSU-Eunice after one season, has apparently wrapped up an outfield position."Watkins didn't realize that he wasn't competing against (Johnny) Dishon, but he was competing against (Kyle) Koeneman," Mainieri said. "Watkins played better than Koeneman. So, he'll start in the outfield and Blake will play first base." ... Leon Landry and Mikie Mahtook will join Watkins in the outfield. Mainieri is undecided which player will be in centerfield. ... Dishon, who was redshirted last season, will be the fourth outfielder. Mainieri predicted that Dishon will play in about 40 games.

C - Micah Gibbs (Grant Dozar, who started fall practice at third base, will be the backup catcher)

DH - Matt Gaudet, who failed to make the team in 2009, is slated to be the designated hitter next spring. ... Mainieri anticipates having Chad Jones (now gone) as...a possible designated hitter.


Pitching:

1st Starter - Anthony Ranaudo

2nd Starter - The top candidates for the No. 2 spot are Daniel Bradshaw and LSU-Eunice transfer Joey Bourgeois. "Bradshaw was really good in the fall," Mainieri said. "Bourgeois has a chance to be really good. He probably is the hardest thrower behind Ranaudo. Bourgeois has a little moxie." Mainieri will start the season with Bradshaw and Bourgeois competing for the No. 2 starting role. If neither shows he can handle the job, Mainieri could move Ott to the starting rotation. "I'd like to leave Matty where he is," Mainieri said. "But, I can always make that switch later on. I believe Matty can be a good starting pitcher. I also think that Bourgeois could be a closer.")

3rd Starter - Austin Ross

Closer - Matty Ott (unless we can't get a solid #2 pitcher, in which case it looks like Bourgeois would be the closer)


DEPTH ISSUES:

Position Players

Mainieri did acknowledge that fall practice showed that there is one weakness. The depth for everyday players will not be as solid as last season. ... "Our starting nine will be very solid...What worries me is what's after the first nine. We are very thin in the infield." ... Junior college transfer Michael Lowery was projected to be the utility infielder. However, he will miss the 2010 season due to a back injury. Hanover will be the shortstop if Nola misses playing time. Dozar could be a substitute for Hanover at second base. Mainieri is hoping that Beau Didier can develop into a backup infielder, particularly on the left side.

Pitchers

"We have better quality pitching depth," Mainieri said. "What we don't have is a Louis Coleman who can go seven innings. We may ask our starters other than Anthony to just go five innings this year. Then, we can use our bullpen. We've got guys." "We don't have two aces like last year. But, I am really confident in our pitching depth. It may be a little different this year. After Ranaudo, I may have a quick hook and use our depth." ... One returning pitcher who impressed Mainieri during fall practice was Ben Alsup. Two freshmen - Jordan Rittiner and Michael Reed - also were effective in the intrasquad games. "Alsup threw the ball extremely well," Mainieri said. "Maybe he can make a big jump. He's not a physically imposing guy, so his velocity fluctuates. "Rittiner threw as well as anybody in the fall. He knows how to pitch. He could be a midweek starter. Reed will get some innings. He has some potential. He reminds me of Austin Ross as a freshman." Paul Bertuccini will be a set-up person in the bullpen. Mainieri anticipates having Chad Jones (now gone) as a reliever...Chris Matulis and junior college transfer Mitch Mormann need to show more improvement in preseason practice.

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JayB

yeah CPM projected what i pretty much figured to be the starting lineup based on practice reports and the series in the fall and all... those two new guys (watkins and bourgeois) are JUCO transfers from LSU-Eunice (which is a GREAT JUCO program in LA.) i remember joey bourgeois' name out of lutcher high, and had wondered what happened to him. matt gaudet was a JUCO transfer the year before last, and sat out this past year, but is back with the team. i guess his bat is hot if CPM is considering him for DH. i'm not up to bat with the newcomers on the pitching staff (haven't been following many prep reports since i have been sick,) but all indications is that we will probably see solid contribution from some true frosh. this pitching staff won't be as loaded-at-the-top like last season with ranaudo, coleman and ott, but rather will be fairly consistent through-out. ranaudo will (i think) have the finest year for any LSU pitcher since ben mcdonald -- and that includes kurt ainsworth, lane mestepey and louis coleman -- it will be special. i don't mean special in just by judging his numbers and stats, but he will have that extra "something" that takes opponents by storm. he won't be sneaking up on any batters, they will know what to expect, and still won't be able to hit him, further frustrating the batter. it will be a solid year for LSU pitching. i think we will see a LOT of small ball, and that might concern some fans in the beginning of the season when LSU loses close games, or doesn't blow out "gimmes" by five runs, but by the end of the year, you will see LSU win games that no other LSU team has ever won. small ball.

my only worry is what LSU will do in games where pitching isn't on. but, i think they still have good enough hitters to be able to get into a slugfest and win. i think this season could be better than last season. but will it? that's what makes this upcoming baseball season that much more special.


oh, my favorite players? well i have really been rooting hard for sophomore, back-up catcher Grant Dozar. i graduated with his older sister, went to the same high school and played with him in the neighborhood as a kid (he was a great deal younger than me, but held his own with the older guys.) morgan city high school has always had an awesome baseball program, but no one really ever gave college ball a serious shot. morgan city is still full of a lot of oil-field workers and blue-collar guys and most kids that are great in baseball never really get a fair shot at the game (which makes it all the more special to me.) but grant was always a good guy. other than him, probably anthony ranaudo and mikie mahtook. i like tyler hanover a lot too. i think the kid has grit, and he's a small guy, but he's a really good player. kinda reminds me of fontenot a bit.

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GEAUX TIGERS!!!!!!!!

JohnLSU

Yeah, you nailed it. That makes you like the BHelm of baseball.

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JohnLSU

I'm not saying this to you, but to all the other readers that might be out there: RANAUDO IS INSANE!!! One of the most highly-touted recruits in LSU history in any sport... and he's been living up to the hype. HE IS FOR REAL. Friday nights are a treat getting to watch this guy pitch!!!

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JohnLSU

Yeah, for like the first 1/3 of last season, the "nega-Tigers" were out in full force bashing LSU on every forum that I read. It was infuriating. It's like LSU has this huge section of 'fans' that love trashing LSU. To add to that, you had all the ULL fans (who are actually true fans of their crappy program) showing up all over the place to egg on the LSU 'fans' that get a thrill out of trashing LSU.

And the year before that, it was thread after thread about how we should fire our coach.

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JayB

yeah. he really is at the level where most pitchers were at when LSU used to play teams like rice or stanford within the last decade or so; whenever you would hear about a team with a pitching staff that is solid, that is where LSU is at this season. i think it will be strange (though in a good way) because LSU has always relied on its bat in the past.

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GEAUX TIGERS!!!!!!!!

JohnLSU

My father is a blue-collar, oil-field guy and he is very familiar with Morgan City. As for Dozar he hit .265 in 27 games for us last year, but Nola only hit .240 in 50 games and Senior Helenihi only hit .255 (and he beat Hanover back out once we got to the CWS, didn't he?).

As for Morgan City, I remember reading and seeing pictures of this gorgeous girl that was Miss Morgan City in the last year or two.

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JohnLSU

Weren't both Mahtook and Hanover freshmen last year? Yeah, both were so great they ended up starting a bunch and being huge for us in our Championship season. But Ott was a freshman last season and was one of the greatest in LSU history...Insane what the future holds for this kid!

But yeah, I was big-time impressed with Mahtook and Hanover. Hanover was one of the most highly-touted recruits in LSU history, so it was awesome seeing him live up to the hype in the 65 games (49 starts) he played last season (#2 of the returning starters in batting average, amazing on defense). And Mahtook... it was awesome seeing him go toe-to-toe with Hanover in the 63 games he played (49 starts) as the other potential best position player we got from that class (#3 of the returning starters in batting avg, amazing on defense).

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JohnLSU

Speaking of how insane Ranaudo is, I just read this:

Collegiate Baseball named him the preseason National Player of the Year

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Mike in Memphis

I think I may like this team more than any LSU baseball team since Skip took us to our first CWS Title. I can't wait to see them in Oxford this year.

OkieTiger_KATT

you know my feelings on that subject.

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acemic

yes Okie we know piter patter

JayB

look... ranaudo is probably one of my favorite pitchers at LSU because he was relatively un-hyped/unknown when coming to LSU and he was a guy who has definitely bought into the system, and i think he will have a better season than coleman did last season... and i mean from purely a pitcher's perspective... he'll be mechanically/technically better, but the W/L may be different. still, i think this season we'll see a very, very solid team.

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GEAUX TIGERS!!!!!!!!

Bengal B

I'm not worried at all about the offense. With Dean, Mahtook, Landry, Gibbs and the others in the batting order the Tigers should pick right up where they left off.

My biggest concern is finding a solid second starter. LSU won't likely have the two superstar rotation as last year (If you remember last year the Tigers didn't sweep many SEC series but were able to win two out of three in most of them) I never heard of Joey Bougeois and even though Bradshaw was very effective at times we will have to wait and see how much he might have improved to be the Saturday guy. If CPM is not touting Austin Nola as a possible #2 then he must not have made much significant improvement over last year.

I love Matty Ott in the closer role and I would hate to see him have to move to a starter in order to fill a role that nobody else could take over. Making Ott the #2 starter would have been good if Chad Jones was still around to become the closer/DH/outfielder but thats not how it worked out. Ott has the closer mentality. He is LSU's Mariano Rivera

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What a long strange trip its been
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LSU - 2003 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
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When You're Runnin' Down My Country, You're Walkin' on the Fightin' Side of Me

JayB

well, fwiw, mainieri is very, very high on bourgeois and has all but named him the second starter. of course things happen, and things change, but either he or bradshaw will be more than most teams can handle. of course CPM isn't burning bridges either, he's giving bradshaw his chance to compete for the job. 2/3 is all you can really ask for. it's better to win every series 2/3 than to sweep a couple of times and lose a few series (obviously.) plus there are a couple of freshman that are going to step up as well. the only problem LSU will have with pitching is who to pitch, and when to pitch them.

and i think you meant ross, not nola, but i think you're not hearing CPM talk about moving ross to saturday because he is fairly comfortable in his sunday role and CPM doesn't want to mess with his head, IMO. and i'm pretty sure that matty ott will get significant time as a starting pitcher early this season regardless of how all the other pitchers develop -- especially if the offense falters a bit. but, i don't think we'll have offense problems.

i don't see many weak spots on this team at all other than lack of quality depth. if a starter gets hurt, it's not going to be good at all. they have a couple of utility players, but beyond that someone would have to step up in a HUGE way.

kyle koeneman apparently isn't setting CPM's world on fire defensively according to a press release in october (after fall practice,) but he was injured and (IMO) didn't get a fair shot at 1B because of CPM's commitment to dean playing first.

i hope that wet dellate's defense is solid. i heard that he had been hitting well, but hopefully he has a glove to go with it.

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GEAUX TIGERS!!!!!!!!

Bengal B

My bad. I must have been confusing LSU with Texas. Almost everbody on the Longhorns's roster is named either Austin or Travis

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What a long strange trip its been
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LSU - 2003 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
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When You're Runnin' Down My Country, You're Walkin' on the Fightin' Side of Me

JayB

well, i just meant because we have both an austin ross and austin nola on the team.

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GEAUX TIGERS!!!!!!!!