re: LSU Baseball is Here!!!

Player Profile: Freshman Doug Norman



LSUSports.net Profile - Doug Norman

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Paul Mainieri on Doug Norman:
“Doug is a right-handed pitcher that committed to us from Ardrey Kell High School, which is located in Charlotte, N.C. Doug has the size and arm strength to emerge as a significant contributor for us under Alan Dunn’s guidance. He has an advanced, savvy feel for pitching and changes speeds on all of his offerings. He has a tall, wiry build with a lot of upside and room to fill. He’s an intense competitor and presents good deception in his delivery. One of the traits that stuck out the most in the recruiting process was Doug’s outstanding mound presence and aggressive demeanor on the rubber.”

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Change of Plans Leads Doug to LSU

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"This is where I always wanted to be," said Norman, a PerfectGame.org All-Atlantic Region selection and third-team All-American. "Some of the coaches back home kept telling me I needed to stay home, but LSU is my dream school."

"I grew up my whole life coming down here and visiting twice a year," Norman said. "I am probably the No. 1 LSU Tiger football fan there is. I've just always loved it."

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Doug is yet another freshman pitcher who could see ample time on the mound this year. It would be a mistake for Tiger fans to overlook him even with the other 3 power arms in this class. He may not have the power velocity (yet), but his mound presence, control, and deceptiveness make him extremely difficult to hit.

Player Profile: Freshman Mike Papierski



LSUSports.net Profile - Mike Papierski

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Paul Mainieri on Mike Papierski:
“Mike and his battery mate, Jake Latz, led Lemont High School to the 3A Illinois state championship. The thing that jumps out to you immediately when seeing Mike Papierski is that he looks like a big league catcher. From the body, the actions, and the way he plays the game, Mike is the total package. He’s a 6”3” switch-hitting catcher that shows an outstanding arm from behind the plate. Honestly, his game reminds me a lot of Micah Gibbs, with perhaps a little bit better arm from behind the plate. He’s already emerged as the leader of the freshmen class during the strength and conditioning workouts this summer. He’s worked hard and pushed others - which is an important attribute that you would like to see from your catcher. He can be one of the all-time greats at LSU when his career here is done.”

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Papierski and Latz Follow Path to LSU

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“It’s crazy how both of us are committed to LSU and that the same organization out of 30 drafted us,” Papierski said last week. “We’ve been friends since we were little and now we can continue our careers together.”
Papierski and Latz, teammates since age 8, were playing in Lemont’s sectional championship game when they were selected by the Jays last weekend.
Latz, ranked the 208th best prospect by Baseball America prior to the draft, was on the mound shutting out Manteno and helping Lemont secure its first sectional title, when his name was called 324th overall.
Both had to wait until after the game was over to hear they’d been drafted. Latz got the news from his father, while Papierski was told by his friends.

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Mike is everything you want in a catcher. He has great length (6'3). He's quick on his feet with a strong arm. And he's a switch hitter. LSU lucked out when they went after Latz and were able to find Pap early before he grew into his frame and got the attention of MLB scouts. This year, Pap probably has the best shot (followed closely by Deichmann) of all the freshman position players of starting from Day 1. PM is very high on him, and after seeing him play in the fall, so am I. He really can be "one of the all-time greats at LSU".

Player Profile: RS Freshman Jesse Stallings



LSUSports.net Profile - Jesse Stallings

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2014 Season:
Medical Redshirt

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Jesse Fulfilling Dreams Despite Injury

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“LSU baseball fans are the biggest and best in college baseball,” Stallings said. “We’ll have our times when we aren’t playing our best, but they’re still there and they’ll have our backs. Even the fact that one of these days I’ll be on the mound and they’ll be cheering me on really brightens my day.”
For now, Stallings, a wildlife biology major, said his main focus is in the classroom. Once spring practices begin, he said he wants to be there to help the team in any way that he can.
Before LSU ever approached Stallings, he said he always wanted to be a Tiger. He wanted to play in Alex Box no matter how many other colleges contacted him, and he would only go to another university if LSU felt he wasn’t good enough.

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Jesse missed all of last year recovering from Tommy John surgery due to an injury his senior year of high school. It seems at least one LSU player gets this surgery every year. But it has become almost routine between the surgery itself and the rehab (although it's a very long, tedious process). Jesse is back this year and got plenty of work in the fall. He's still working to get back his endurance, but it's likely he'll see a good amount of work out of the bullpen in 2015.