It’s just a little over a week now until college football players report for sweat camps and the first of the major polls was released Thursday with LSU checking in at No. 13 in your rankings.

It’s yet another of the many days that move fans into proclaiming that the season, officially, is now within sight.

Oh, LSU also announced that its Fan Day will be Aug. 16, a Sunday if that kind of thing whets your appetite, and it was kind enough to point out that the gift shop will be conveniently open for one and all that day.

Only at LSU, of course, would all this football posturing be celebrated with a baseball news conference to welcome 16 new players.

Actually, a formal baseball sit-down affair in July may be a first even for the Tigers.

But one gets the feeling head coach Paul Mainieri, perhaps still stung a little by a disappointing 1-2 stay at the College World Series, would like to begin the road back to Omaha right now.

That likely wouldn’t end well, given the many holes the Tigers will have to fill for a season that — lest we forget — doesn’t even begin for seven months.

Or maybe, given that July is the month that has never figured out what it wants to be athletically, it’s fitting to turn thoughts to a sport that ended its season just over a month ago.

“I look at it as a challenge,” Mainieri said. “I’m excited about it.”

He was talking about fall ball, the football equivalent of spring workouts.

But LSU baseball might be as busy in the fall as the football team.

The Tigers, gutted by the draft and graduation, have to replace all but one starter among last year’s eight position players.

Yet Mainieri, who got a chance Sunday to be in Chicago to see former ace Aaron Nola win his first major league game for the Phillies, seems most obsessed with a pitching staff that returns most of the familiar arms.

He knows the weekend rotation will be built about All-American sophomore Alex Lange and junior Jared Poché, which is a good starting point for any staff.

But call it his latest lesson learned in Omaha.

“We have got to develop a third starter this year,” the coach said.

LSU never got around to that last season and it didn’t stop them from leading the nation in wins, if not championships.

The Tigers survived most of the year by making it up as they went along, piecing together a third start each weekend and, for the most part, getting away with it.

For the most part.

“It’s been proven now in the postseason when you face teams of the caliber that you face, that (the piecemeal approach) is really a tough way to win a game,” Mainieri said. “All it takes is one or two pitchers to have a bad inning.”

Several who gave it a go last year will be back, although Austin Bain will miss the fall work after a recent surgery to remove a bone spur in his shoulder, which may have contributed to his inconsistency last season.

“We didn’t realize that at the time,” Mainieri said, adding that it is not serious and Bain should be ready for the spring.

Jake Latz, one of LSU’s most highly touted recruits last year, missed the entire season with elbow stress, and while the rehab was slower than expected, he did recently join a summer league team.

But Mainieri seemed most excited about 6-foot-5, 240-pound incoming freshman Cole McKay, whom he compared to Nola and another former first-round pick, Kevin Gausman.

“Cole is one of those rare power arms that you sign but don’t always hold on to,” Mainieri said. “If he develops as we hope, he has a chance to be in the same conversation as Kevin Gausman, Aaron Nola and Alex Lange.”

The wide-open battles for the glut of open every-day spots got more complicated with two unexpected transfers this week.

But Mainieri did shoot down reports that Danny Zardon and Grayson Byrd left because he would not guarantee them starting roles.

“That did NOT happen,” he said.

Zardon, in particular, although he had trouble holding on to a starting job, had his moments last season. Byrd, the son of former Tiger and major league pitcher Paul Byrd — destination unknown — likely would have been given the first shot to replace All-American Alex Bregman at shortstop. Zardon transferred to Nova Southeastern, a Florida NAIA school.

But Mainieri didn’t seem worried. In fact, he seemed almost too giddy about the incoming hitters.

“I don’t think (the transfers) affect us at all. I’m not sure either one would’ve won a job for us. And that’s not sour grapes.

“They’re both good kids. They’re both good ballplayers. Sometimes a place just isn’t the right place for some people.”

The first two names Mainieri mentioned among those having excellent summer league seasons were the Barbe High twins, Bryce and Beau Jordan.

Bryce, who’ll get a shot at first base, is on a 13-game hitting streak, while Beau will get his shot in the outfield.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited over a fall practice,” Mainieri said. “There are so many questions marks and so much teaching because of the new players. It will be fun to see how the pieces fit together.”

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Scooter Hobbs covers LSU

athletics. Email him at

shobbs@americanpress.com

(Associated Press)

Nati Harnik