quote:
2014 Season:
Played in 47 games with 30 starts at second base ... batted .200 (20-for-100) with six doubles, one homer, 20 RBI, 19 runs and three stolen bases ... unloaded first career collegiate home run versus Northwestern State on May 13 ... produced a two-run double in LSU win over Tennessee on April 25 ... also launched a two-run double in LSU's 5-4 win over Arkansas on April 12 ... 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI in win over Toledo (Feb. 22) ... made a spectacular sliding catch of a fly ball in foul territory vs. Grambling on Feb. 16; the play made the ESPN SportsCenter Top 10 that day.

Kramer won the 2B starting job last year of Danny Zardon. He did it mostly due to his defense being exceptionally quick with above average range. He had a Stevenson-esque freshman year at the plate just hitting .200 but still had a respectable on-base percentage due to walks. He hass improved his bat extensively culminating in his selection as a Cape Cod All-Star. He will likely remain at 2B this year where he and Alex Bregman work extremely well together.

Player Profile: Junior Alex Bregman

LSUSports.net Profile - Alex Bregman

quote:
2014 Season:
Started all 63 of LSU's games at shortstop, batting .316 (77-for-244) with 16 doubles, six homers, 35 runs and 12 stolen bases ... earned second-team all-SEC recognition from the league's coaches ... batted .451 (23-for-51) in last 12 games of the 2014 season with six doubles, three homers, 16 RBI and 12 runs ... named to the 2014 NCAA Regional All-Tournament team, hitting .533 (8-for-15) with two doubles, three RBI and two runs ... named to 2014 SEC All-Tournament team after batting .412 (7-for-17) with two doubles, one homer, five RBI, three runs ... career-high eight RBI vs. Northwestern State (May 13, 2014), including his first career grand slam ... 3-for-4 with a homer, a double, two RBI and two runs in May 2 win over Texas A&M; it was his third three-hit game of the season ... hit .444 (8-for-18) in LSU's four games during the week of April 22-27 with two doubles, three RBI and two runs ... Bregman was 6-for-15 (.400) in the Tennessee series (April 25-27) with two doubles, three RBI, two runs and one steal ... launched three-run homer versus McNeese State (April 2) to erase 3-2 deficit and lift Tigers to 10-3 victory ... reached base safely in the Tigers' first 19 games of the season; streak was broken at Vanderbilt (March 15) ... collected four RBI vs. Purdue (March 7) as he was 3-for-4 with a run scored.

This will likely be Bregman's last year as an LSU Tiger with him projecting to be a first-round pick in the 2015 draft. Unquestionably the teams best returning player, Alex will be looking to lead the Tigers back to Omaha. If there's one thing Alex can improve upon it's consistency. There were times last year where he made very little impact for stretches at a time. It may not be a fair criticism, but for this team to reach its potential, Alex will have to be that special player we know he can be in critical moments throughout the year.

Player Profile: Junior Chris Chinea

LSUSports.net Profile - Chris Chinea

quote:
2014 Season:
Played in 42 games (19 starts at catcher, four starts at DH and two starts at first base), batting .250 (19-for-76) with five doubles, two homers, nine runs and 13 RBI ... started two games in the SEC Tournament and was credited with three RBI ... threw out 10 base runners attempting to steal during the season ... 2-for-3 with a solo homer versus Alabama on May 10 in Game 2 of doubleheader ... 2-for-3 versus Arkansas on April 12 with one double, one RBI and one run scored ... 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI versus Purdue (March 9).

Chris' strength was and continues to be his hitting. Named a Cape Cod All-Star after batting .310, he hits for power and will likely be right in the middle of the LSU lineup regardless of where he plays on defense (or just takes the DH spot). He'll be in the running to start at catcher or first base but faces stiff competition behind the plate and a crowded infield that will likely push a more athletic player to first.

Player Profile: Junior Hunter Devall

LSUSports.net Profile - Hunter Devall

quote:
2014 Season:
Appeared in 18 games out of the Tigers' bullpen, posting a 1-0 mark and a 3.10 ERA in 20.1 innings with eight walks and 16 strikeouts ... earned relief win at Ole Miss (April 19), as he pitched 2.2 innings, limiting the Rebels to two hits with no walks and two strikeouts ... superb relief outing vs. Lamar (April 9) - two scoreless innings with one hit, no walks and career-best four strikeouts ... pitched a shutout inning at Florida (March 29), allowing no hits with one strikeout ... effective relief outing at Northwestern State (March 6), firing two scoreless innings with no hits and three strikeouts.

Hunter is a lefty pitcher who will be critical against teams with heavy lefty lineups. His 3/4 arm slot and plus breaking pitch make him very difficult to hit from the left side. For example: LSU is a lefty-dominated team, and Hunter lead all pitchers this fall with a 11.17 K/9 ratio. He'll still be in the bullpen this year but will no doubt increase his workload with so few LHP in the pen.

This post was edited on 1/6/15 at 7:35 am