After missing postseason in ‘11, LSU hungry for success in 2012

Gorilla ball is apparently no more in Baton Rouge.

The No. 8 LSU baseball team is planning on pitching its way to a College World Series.

With its entire starting staff back in 2012, the Tigers are hoping to rebound from last year’s struggles and pitch themselves to the top of a jumbled SEC that features seven teams in Baseball America’s Preseason Top 25 poll.

“I’m really excited about our pitching,” LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri said. “Obviously, they have to go out and prove it n get it done within the game. But I’m not one to be cautiously optimistic. I believe in my players. And with that said, I truly believe we’ll have a really good pitching staff.”

On paper, it’s easy to see why Mainieri feels so secure about his hurlers.

The Tigers return righties Kevin Gausman, Kurt McCune and Ryan Eades n the team’s entire 2011 weekend staff.

The trio all flashed dominance in their true freshmen seasons, posting a combined 16 wins and recording 185 strikeouts in just more than 222 innings.

“If you don’t have good starting pitching, you don’t have much of a chance in this sport,” Mainieri said. “But fortunately for us, I feel like that’s the strength of our team.”

Gausman appears to be the brightest gem in LSU’s three-headed bed of diamonds.

The 6-foot, 4-inch sophomore posted just a 5-6 record last year, but was victimized by poor run support, posting a 3.51 ERA and allowing hitters to hit for just a .215 average when he was on the mound.

The Tigers’ coach believes the Centennial, Colo., native, who is draft eligible following the season, is ready to become LSU’s ace and also one of the elite pitchers in all of college baseball.

“This guy has a chance to be a very high draft choice and a real dominant pitcher in this league,” Mainieri said. “He has all of the tools.”

With Gausman likely working Friday nights, Mainieri said he doesn’t want anyone to underrate McCune and Eades.

McCune was arguably LSU’s best statistical pitcher in 2011, posting a 7-3 record with a 3.31 ERA. Eades was a late bloomer, spending the early portions of the season in the bullpen. He still managed to have a 4-1 record.

“You don’t often get guys with arms like this coming into college,” Mainieri said. “But we have them. And we need to take advantage of it.”

With starting arms secured, LSU’s challenge on the mound will be in the bullpen. Mainieri said arms like Joe Broussard, Nick Rumbelow, Aaron Nola, Chris Cotton and Brent Bonvillain will be among several players who will be pitching for late inning roles when SEC play opens.

“The key will be the bullpen, because that was kind of our Achilles’ heel last year,” Mainieri said. “This year, hopefully our depth is better and hopefully we do a better job. … We’re not sure yet exactly how every, single guy is going to be used and guys will have to pitch their way into roles.

“But the fact is, I think we’ve got guys with some good arms.”

Offensively, Mainieri said the Tigers will be a pesky bunch.

LSU returns five of their top six hitters from 2011, a group that includes Raph Rhymes, JaCoby Jones and Mason Katz n all solid hitters, but none of whom possess the stereotypical home-run power associated with Tigers teams of yesteryear.

“We’ve really got a lineup full of scrappy, hard-nosed guys,” Mainieri said. “That’s the way we’re going to have to play. We don’t necessarily have a lot of fence bangers and we don’t have tremendous speed, but we have a lot of solid college baseball players.”

LSU’s one departure is arguably the most important as the Tigers will have to replace All-American outfielder Mikie Mahtook, who slugged for a .383 average with 14 home runs in 2011.

Mainieri said no one player will fill the first round draft pick’s shoes, but he added that he believes Jones could be someone who can emerge as a threat.

The sophomore will move from second base to centerfield in his second year in Baton Rouge and Mainieri said Jones appears prime to build on his .338 batting average as a true freshman.

The coach said he anticipates the center fielder will add more consistent power in 2012, as well.

“JaCoby Jones really has a chance to be that same kind of player,” Mainieri said. “That’s if he can come into his own and be consistent. Mikie was our best athlete last year without question, but JaCoby was probably the second best one on our team. … We expect him to have a strong year.”

While Jones, Rhymes and Katz will provide most of the thump, seniors like shortstop Austin Nola and infielder Tyler Hanover will provide the hustle and leadership.

Both players were selected in the 2011 MLB Draft, but opted to return to Baton Rouge to complete their collegiate careers.

Mainieri said he cannot place a value on how important it is to have guys like Nola and Hanover on a roster.

“Nola and Hanover are two of my favorite players of all-time, because they are not only good ballplayers, but they work extremely hard at it,” Mainieri said. “They practice endless hours and they set a great example for everyone else. … They’ve been a real pleasure to coach and we’re going to miss them both terribly when they are gone. But for this one final year, they make us a better club.”

LSU’s run at Omaha begins Friday when the team takes on Air Force. Over the course of the non-conference slate, the Tigers will play series with Appalachian St., Dartmouth, Michigan and Notre Dame.

Mainieri said he and his team are ready.

After two-straight years without making it to an NCAA Super Regional, gorilla ball or not, the Tigers are hungry for more.

“That doesn’t sit well with me and it doesn’t sit well with the people who follow LSU baseball,” Mainieri said. “This year, we just have to find a way to win these close games. In those close, one and two run games, we’ve got to win them. We’ll need clutch relief pitching, good defense and timely hitting. If we do those things, we’ll win our share.

“We’re ready for the season.”