LSU's Saul Garza (LSU Athletics)
Top 25 Breakdown: No. 11 LSU
Season Preview 2019 Record: 40-26. RPI: 16.
Coach (Record at school): Paul Mainieri (591-255-3 in 13 seasons.
Ballpark: Alex Box Stadium (10,300).
Postseason History: 32 regionals (active streak: 8), 18 CWS trips (last in 2017), 6 national title (last in 2009).
More: Fall Report on LSU
Schedule, Stats, Team News: Follow the Tigers all season long at our LSU Team Page.
LSU's Projected Lineup
| Pos. | Name, Yr. | AVG/OBP/SLG | HR | RBI | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Saul Garza, Jr. | .303/.358/.476 | 5 | 27 | 0 |
| 1B | Cade Beloso, So. | .279/.339/.429 | 10 | 52 | 1 |
| 2B | Cade Doughty, Fr. | HS — Denham Springs, La. | |||
| 3B | Zack Mathis, Jr. | Tr. — San Joaquin Delta (Calif.) CC | |||
| SS | Hal Hughes, Jr. | .174/.289/.188 | 0 | 11 | 2 |
| LF | Drew Bianco, So. | .176/.348/.353 | 3 | 14 | 1 |
| CF | Giovanni DiGiacomo, So. | .275/.376/.333 | 3 | 14 | 1 |
| RF | Daniel Cabrera, Jr. | .284/.359/.516 | 12 | 50 | 1 |
| DH | Gavin Dugas, So. | .186/.265/.233 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Pos. | Name, Yr. | W-L | ERA | IP | SO | BB | SV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP #1 | Cole Henry, So. | 4-2 | 3.39 | 58.1 | 72 | 18 | 0 |
| SP #2 | Landon Marceaux, So. | 5-2 | 4.66 | 58 | 43 | 20 | 0 |
| SP #3 | AJ Labas, R-So. | DNP — injured | |||||
| Closer | Devin Fontenot, Jr. | 5-4 | 3.71 | 51 | 54 | 25 | 7 |
Grading The Tigers
Just as scouts grade prospects using the 20-80 scouting scale, we use a 20-80 scale to evaluate teams in our top 25. A score of 50 in each category is average, relative to a typical NCAA tournament team; 55 is slightly above-average; 60 is above-average (plus); 70 is well above-average (plus-plus); 80 is top of the scale, historically strong. Accordingly, 45 is fringe-average or slightly below-average; 40 is below-average; 30 is well below-average; and 20 is the extreme in that direction.
Hitting: 55
LSU outfielder Daniel Cabrera (LSU Athletics)
The Tigers lost the top three hitters (Josh Smith, Antoine Duplantis and Zach Watson) from a team that ranked sixth in the SEC in batting and scoring a year ago, and there could be some growing pains as a host of underclassmen get their feet wet as everyday players in the SEC for the first time. Still, LSU has a very nice core of accomplished returning bats to build around in Cabrera, Garza and Beloso, and the sophomore class is full of promising breakout candidates. Cabrera is …
