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baseball Edit

New faces impressing LSU baseball coaches and players alike

Ranked with the No. 1 recruiting class in nearly every poll, LSU baseball has all eyes on the new freshmen and junior college transfers that hope to be the icing on the cake for a return to Omaha in 2019.


One issue the Tigers succumbed to last season was a lack of depth in the bullpen which eventually caught up to them in the Corvallis regional. Coach Paul Mainieri and recruiting coordinator Nolan Cain made it a mission of theirs to bring in a talented cast for the starters to lean on if in trouble.


Among the cast is Landon Marceaux, who is the early favorite for the Saturday starting job, Cole Henry, who pitching coach Alan Dunn thinks can become a “premier power pitcher” in the SEC, Jaden Hill, one of the more versatile players on the team because of his athleticism and Easton McMurray, the only left-handed pitcher on the roster.


Marceaux, who throws a two-seam, four-seam, changeup and a breaking ball, doesn’t want to make the situation of being a weekend starter bigger than it really is. Marceaux has confidence in all his pitches with the main goal being to get to 27 outs as fast as possible.


LSU pitching coach Alan Dunn said Marceaux performed as expected in the Fall camp but has seemingly turned it up a notch, leading him and Mainieri to believe there’s a lot of talent to work with.


“He showed the ability to command the strike zone and showed good poise,” Dunn said. “Now that we’re back here in the Spring, the intensity goes up so now the preparation work kicks in but he’s a guy that we like a lot. He’s done things that make you feel we can give him the ball and he’ll get guys out.”


“I like to control the corners and usually stay around those areas,” Marceaux said. “If you leave a pitch over the middle in the SEC, they’re going to hurt you so you have to work the corners and keep your offspeed stuff down and in the zone.”


It’s been an easy adjustment to college for Marceaux who has known many of the freshman pitchers in the class for years, including Henry who is Marceaux’s roommate.


“I met him junior year of high school in a couple of tournaments and we’ve been close ever since,” Marceaux said. “I grew up knowing [Daniel] Cabrera so we’ve all gelled together and hang out all time.”


Junior ace pitcher Zack Hess doesn’t think he’s ever been around a more talented group of young pitchers, saying every single one of them pushes to the low to mid-90s on their fastball.


“One thing that stands out and is sort of the common denominator with all of them is the velocity,” Hess said. “I feel like every guy we run out there is 92-93 which is something I don’t think we’ve really had in recent years. The big thing that we’re trying to hone in on them is to not try and do too much and just stay within yourself.”


Dunn is no newbie to dealing with talented recruiting classes and hasn’t changed his philosophy when it comes to developing young, talented SEC pitchers.


The environment the new pitchers will have to adapt to is one of the big challenges Dunn sees every year with a new crop of talent. Dunn thinks the potential for the 2019 class is “special” but is still in the stages of figuring out where guys are in their development because some didn’t participate in the Fall camp.


“It’s playing in front of 12,000 in the SEC and everything that comes along with that,” Dunn said. “I think trusting who you are, handling adversity and success is a big part of it as well. That’s something that’s very easy to say but sometimes very hard to do, especially in the early going.”


With the middle of the infield locked up for the start of the season, the only real question mark Mainieri said is first base and the team has four freshman competing for the spot. Drew Bianco, a high school catcher who is still adjusting to life at first base, Cade Beloso, CJ Willis and Gavin Dugas are the four freshmen competing at first and Bianco said the competition has been fun between the four because they are all very close.


“I’ve never played first before but I like to think it’s a pretty easy position to pick up on,” Bianco said. “We’re all friends and it’s been fun learning the position with those guys and I think I’m getting better.”


Mainieri admitted it’s going to be tough to keep Bianco out of the rotation because of his highly developed batting skills so he figures to be heavily considered for the spot. Bianco batted .409 his senior year of high school with six homeruns and 24 RBI.


One position that lacked the consistency and leadership that Mainieri was hoping for last season was the catcher spot, and LSU recruited to junior varsity catchers with big personalities to help solve those issues.


Saul Garza and Brock Mathis will compete for the job but because of an injury to Garza obtained in the fall, it’s Mathis who might have a leg up in the race. Garza batted .378 with 23 home runs in junior college and figures to step in a DH roll if he doesn’t win the catcher spot.


Mathis takes pride in his defense, playing full tilt and thinks his ability to throw guys out with his arm strength will help him fit in to SEC baseball at a rapid pace.


“Saul is one of my best friends and we both have that JUCO grind experience,” Mathis said. “He’s a competitor and goes 100 miles per hour which is something I like to do as well. Duplantis was telling me to keep that confidence because the game will come at you fast at this level so just maintaining that composure is a big part of having success in the SEC.”


Possibly the best name to pronounce and who Mainieri thinks is the next great LSU outfielder is Giovanni DiGiacomo. DiGiacomo is a freshman outfielder who has already beaten Antoine Duplantis in a 100-yard race and has been described by junior centerfielder Zach Watson as someone that “runs like a deer.”


DiGiacomo was drafted in the 29th round of the 2018 MLB Draft but elected to go to school and refine his skills. The freshman feels his biggest strength is that speed and hopes to utilize it in the 2019 season, even if he’s not an everyday starter.


“I’ve learned quite a bit from those guys on just how to stay calm and keep your head focused on your game,” DiGiacomo said. “I wanted to compete and I expected to compete and with guys like Antoine and Zach staying it’s actually a good thing because I have guys to look up to and someone to model my game after.”


“He’s a great player and I’ve seen him hit a couple homeruns already,” Watson said. “His bat speed is good and I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets in there a couple games and does something spectacular.”


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