quote:
2014 Season:
Appeared in 16 games (all starts), posting a 9-3 record and a 2.45 ERA in 91.2 innings with 26 walks and 52 strikeouts, and he limited opponents to a .222 batting average ... worked as LSU's No. 2 starter throughout the season behind first-team all-American Aaron Nola ... finished No. 12 in the SEC in both ERA and in opponent batting average ... pitched the first six innings of LSU's NCAA Baton Rouge Regional win over Southeastern Louisiana (May 30), allowing four runs on eight hits with one walk and one strikeout ... named to the SEC All-Tournament team after defeating Vanderbilt (May 21) - seven innings, one run on five hits, one walk, three strikeouts ... excellent outing in win at Auburn on May 15 - limited AU to three hits in eight shutout innings, recording one walk and five strikeouts ... outstanding outing at Texas A&M on May 3 - was not involved in the decision but limited the Aggies to two runs on seven hits in seven innings with five walks and three strikeouts ... excellent no-decision outing versus Tennessee (April 26), limiting the Vols to two runs on five hits in seven innings with one walk and four strikeouts ... solid 5.2 inning outing vs. Arkansas, limiting the Razorbacks to three runs on six hits with one walk and three strikeouts ... defeated Miss. State on April 5, limiting the Bulldogs to one unearned run on three hits in six innings with two walks and six strikeouts; fired a season-high 108 pitches in the outing ... recorded his first career SEC victory on March 22 with an exceptional performance against Georgia, earning SEC Freshman of the Week honors ... he worked 8.2 innings, limiting the Bulldogs to one run on three hits with two walks and six strikeouts ... Poche' fired 5.1 hitless innings before Georgia chopped an infield single in the sixth ... worked 4.1 innings in SEC debut at Vanderbilt (March 15), allowing four runs on five hits in 4.1 innings with five walks and three strikeouts ... defeated Texas Southern (Feb. 23) by working seven innings and limiting TSU to one run on four hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.

Jared is coming off of a fantastic Freshman season where he became the Saturday starter behind Aaron Nola. A lefty with 3 solid pitches, Jared is a competitor above anything else. With a such a young staff, he'll be the anchor of the rotation regardless of the day he pitches (Friday or Saturday).

Player Profile: Sophomore Russell Reynolds

LSUSports.net Profile - Russell Reynolds

quote:
2014 Season:
Received a medical redshirt as he continued to rehabilitate from the injury.

Much like Hunter Newman, Russell was sidelined last year with an injury after a promising freshman season. He tore his labrum, which as I mentioned before, is one of the worst injuries a pitcher can have. It has been over 18 months since his injury, and he still may not be 100%. Adding insult to injury, Russell had a setback this fall when he hurt his non-throwing elbow falling out the back of a truck. If he can get healthy and remain healthy, he would add much needed depth to a young pitching staff.

Player Profile: Sophomore Collin Strall

LSUSports.net Profile - Collin Strall

quote:
Paul Mainieri on Collin Strall:
“Collin was the last addition to this recruiting class and the sole junior college transfer. He attended Tallahassee Community College for one year where he had a very successful freshman campaign. He is a right-handed sidearm reliever who will sit in the mid to upper 80s with a great deal of movement. He also possesses a slider and a change-up that you don’t always see from that arm angle. In the 2014 season he was the go-to guy out of the bullpen, pitching critical innings for TCC. He had one career start, but managed a 7-2 record, which is a clear indicator that he had the ball in his hands when the game was on the line. He averaged better than a strikeout per inning in a very competitive JUCO conference. He pounds the strike zone and competes at a high level which will make an immediate impact in our bullpen. He will be the first sidearmer that we have had on our staff in my tenure, and we are excited about a different look or arm angle coming out of our bullpen.”

Collin comes to us from Tallahassee Community College where he was a middle reliever. He'll likely retain that roll at LSU specializing against right-handed hitters thanks to his side-arm deliver. Collin is a true side-armer, not a submarine or, like Aaron Nola, three-quarters. This gives him a big advantage vs. righties because of a slider that will sweep away from them while his fastball will tail in hard. Look for his success to be based heavily on this ability to work both sides of the plate.

Player Profile: Sophomore Danny Zardon

LSUSports.net Profile - Danny Zardon

quote:
2014 Season:
Played in 28 games with 13 starts (six at 1B, five at 3B, one at 2B, one at DH) ... batted .268 (15-for-56) with two doubles, one homer, 10 RBI and eight runs ... 3-for-5 with three runs scored versus Northwestern State (May 13) ... delivered a double and an RBI in LSU's May 10 win over Alabama ... launched a grand slam – the first homer of his collegiate career – on February 28 versus Yale.

Last year at this time, we weren't sure if Danny or Kramer would be taking over at 2B. Both had decent falls, but KRob got the nod and mainly his defense kept him on the field. This year, Danny has a good shot at 3B with Ibarra graduating. His bat seems to have come alive as well hitting over .300 in the Cape and leading the team in slugging this fall. He's got a strong enough arm to play third, but we'll have to wait and see if his glove can handle the hot corner.

This post was edited on 12/31/14 at 11:29 am