Earlier Thursday afternoon, LSU head baseball coach Paul Mainieri announced the Tigers’ starting lineup ahead of its season debut tomorrow night against the Indiana Hoosiers.
The lineup is as follows:
- Daniel Cabrera, CF
- Cade Doughty, 2B
- Zack Mathis, 3B
- Saul Garza, C
- Cade Beloso, 1B
- Gavin Dugas, RF
- Hayden Travinski, DH,
- Drew Bianco, LF
- Hal Hughes, SS
The batting lineup will change over the course of the weekend. Indiana is throwing junior left-handed pitcher Tommy Sommer and this is the lineup LSU is countering with. Mainieri mentioned that Giovani DiGacomo will probably start at center over the weekend, Alex Milazzo will receive time at catcher and Wes Toups will play somewhere.
Cole Henry will start Friday night, Landon Marceaux will be the Saturday starter and AJ Labas will start Sunday. All three starters will be limited to 75 pitches. Mainieri also mentioned that he is hoping to throw Jaden Hill in the eighth and ninth innings of Saturday’s game.
Mainieri also mentioned that Maurice Hampton is “on the fringe” of cracking the starting lineup. Hampton will receive Friday night’s commemorative first pitch from Coach O, whom Hampton also plays for.
Former Tiger outfielder and LSU’s all-time leader in hits Antoine Duplantis will throw the first pitch Saturday night, and members of the Little League World Series champion team from River Ridge will have the honors Sunday.
The starting rotation for the first weekend of baseball! #GeauxTigers pic.twitter.com/GDpYhNDlDN
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) February 13, 2020