2016 LSU baseball preview: Lineup projections and roster breakdown
By Bailey Adams
The LSU baseball team returns a talented roster in 2016, while welcoming a few new faces. Here is a positional breakdown for the upcoming season.
It seems as if every new LSU baseball season comes with a mix of question marks and intrigue. The 2016 squad fits the norm, as the Tigers will have to replace seven starters from their 2015 opening day lineup.
Of the two starters remaining from that lineup, it appears that only one — outfielder Jake Fraley — is locked into a starting spot this year, with junior Kramer Robertson fighting for his job at second base.
With as many question marks as the lineup has, the pitching staff is nearly set. LSU finished 2015 with a 2.98 team ERA, and only four pitchers from last year’s staff are gone; Jake Godfrey, Kyle Bouman, Brady Domangue and Zac Person.
Roster turnover is a significant hurdle that head coach Paul Mainieri’s program will have to overcome if the Tigers are going to secure a third College World Series appearance in four years.
The stars will need to align in 2016 for LSU to win its first College World Series since 2009, but despite all of the uncertainty surrounding the roster, the Tigers are getting praise around the college baseball world. In some of the early preseason polls, LSU finds itself at No. 7 in the D1Baseball and Collegiate Baseball polls, and at No. 5 in Perfect Game USA’s preseason rankings.
Here’s a look at who will be suiting up for the Tigers in 2016.
Next: Pitchers