LSU Starting pitchers

We have done a few starting lineup threads and seem to have that down pretty good, unless players like Bianco or Beloso throw a monkey wrench in to our plans. So I wanted to discuss pitching for awhile. I don't think the staff has decided what they are going to do, so this is still open.

What every team would love to have is two, first round talent, starters that can eat up 6 innnings on Friday and Saturday but we don't have that. That doesn't mean we can't be effective. We have a lot of good pitchers and coaching decisions are going to be very important. Who do we pitch and how long do we leave them in? They won't get every decision correct, so hopefully the Rant has a little patience (yes I know better).

I like Floyd as our Friday guy. I did notice him get a little rattled last year when things started going South. That is something he will have to mature past if he wants to be a starter in the SEC. Coach Kelly and Hilliard both mentioned him as someone to watch.

I see Fontenot as our Saturday guy. D1Baseball said we will be in trouble if Fontenot is starting for us once SEC starts. Coach Kelly seemed perplexed at first about the move from closer to starter. Not ringing endorsements, but he could be the most competetive pitcher we have on the team and he has experience. I would love to see this guy succeed just on heart and will power.

Hilliard is my Sunday guy until proven wrong. Hilliard is not a big guy and doesn't throw heat but the guy gets it done. I love that he came back for another year and I think he has something to prove. I would love to see him succeed as well.

Coleman might be the best strike thrower on the team and he is one of my favorites but he needs to work on consistency and prove he can go more than 2 innings to move into a starting role. Ideally he will take one of these starting roles but I haven't seen it yet.

Reyzelman has the biggest arm on the team. He began the fall as a starter but was moved more to the back end as the fall went on. Johnson mentioned he wanted a guy that can come in the 7th inning and shut things down. Right now, I think Reyzelman is the front runner for that job.

Cooper is someone that gets a lot of mentions in this role but I'm not sure I buy it. He is a lefty, composed and can go multiple innings, his stuff is consistent but not scary. I personally think we need a little more of threat out there starting.

Helmers got a mention by Coach Kelly as a possibility. I think that would be similar to Cooper, consistent and effective but not scary.

Edwards, Lansville and shaffer are worth a mention. This may seem a little out of the box but if Hasty could find consistency, he has good stuff.