2016 LSU baseball preview: Lineup projections and roster breakdown
By Bailey Adams
Catchers
Replacing starting catcher Kade Scivicque will be one of the biggest challenges facing the LSU baseball team this spring.
Scivicque was a constant middle-of-the-lineup presence that gave the Tigers some pop behind Alex Bregman and Conner Hale. Scivicque started 60 games, hit .355 at the plate with 21 doubles, six home runs and 48 RBIs and made just three defensive errors in 2015. Replacing that kind of production is no easy task.
Coming out of fall practice, Paul Mainieri said sophomore Michael Papierski would be the primary option behind the plate for the Tigers to start the season. Papierski appeared in 32 games last year, starting 12, and hit .214 with one home run and 10 RBIs. Defensively, he finished the season with a .979 fielding percentage and allowed nine stolen bases in 14 attempts.
Along with Papierski, it appears that LSU-Eunice transfer Jordan Romero will also see some playing time behind the plate. During Romero’s last two seasons with LSU-Eunice, he hit .345 and .321, respectively, and won a 2015 NJCAA Division II Gold Glove.
Sophomore Bryce Jordan, along with freshmen Trent Forshag and Chris Reid, will also get work at catcher. Jordan and Reid can also play infield, though, so their names may fall further down the depth chart.
Projected Starting Catcher: Michael Papierski
Next: Corner Infield