LSU opens its baseball season today — and not a moment too soon, I’d say, if you’ve seen the Tigers’ feeble attempts at watchable basketball.

They evidently missed the memo that Southeastern Conference hoops is the terror of the NCAA this season.

It won’t be much easier in baseball, which the SEC has long dominated, although you won’t learn a whole lot from opening weekend.

Not unusual for the opener, the opponent may not be a household name, not in my house anyway, but give Purdue Fort Wayne credit for wearing its location on its sleeve to clear up some of the confusion.

And LSU knows its way around the diamond, even with several welcome refurbishments to Alex Box Stadium. At least the Tigers had better.

LSU fans might be willing to look the other way when passing by a basketball car wreck of a season, currently on a seven-game losing streak.

Not so with baseball. Baseball is serious.

And LSU has some making up to do with its fans.

Head coach Jay Johnson has a skin on the wall, his 2023 national championship in his second season. But that was two years ago.

And in LSU baseball years, that’s too long.

Besides, last season came and went without — oh, the horrors — even a trip to Omaha for the College World Series. That’s the agreed-upon minimum annual requirement for baseball Tigers.

Johnson knew it when he took the job. Don’t feel sorry for him. He welcomes it. It’s why he went to Baton Rouge.

After a disastrous start to 2024 conference play, the Tigers had to scramble just to make the NCAA Tournament.

They played their best at the end of the season.

“We weren’t that far away from Omaha at the end of the day,” Johnson said.

Not close enough for this fan base, though.

This year is a different team. Baseball has a transfer portal, too, you know, and it was always easier in this sport to play musical chairs.

The Tigers open the year ranked either No. 2 or No. 3 nationally in most of the glut of polls available. D1Baseball.com is generally the most reliable and has the Tigers at No. 3. They’re rubbing shoulders with most of the SEC in the immediate neighborhood.

On paper, the Tigers do look to be loaded. Somewhere it’s in there. Johnson has only to sort it all out.

Accompanying this essay, you’ll find a chart with the projected starting lineup and pitching rotation. Give it a good read. I highly recommend it. Just don’t chisel it in stone. It might read like satire by the start of the conference schedule in mid-March.

“It’ll change, it will evolve,” Johnson said. “I think we’ve got some players that will help us even though they might not be out there opening day.”

But, he added, “It’s strange, with as many new players as we have, I feel like I have a much better feel for this team than I did last year.”

It’s a lineup that might never get settled. It might change weekly depending on the situation.

For one thing, Johnson says he feels like he has eight outfielders — eight of ’em — that he’d be comfortable playing.

Baseball tradition dictates you generally play three. Johnson has three hind catchers he says he’s comfortable with.

“I think there’s ways to utilize all of them,” Johnson says of the outfield dilemma. “Right, left, type of ballpark … pitcher we’re facing.”

He admitted that last year the Tigers leaned too heavily on the long ball — too often, it was home run or nothing.

“This year there’s a better combination of speed, power, solid hitting and left-right balance.”

He might even throw caution to the wind and attempt some base stealing, which in recent years has been little more than comic relief.

It might not be the most talented roster he’s had, but it’s likely to be the deepest and most versatile.

“Develop your offense for any type of pitcher,” he said. “Any type of game, slugfest, pitchers’ duel.”

There’s a similar situation brewing with the pitching staff, where he’s thinking maybe 10-12 good arms and threatening to use all of them.

Don’t put it past him.

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Scooter Hobbs covers LSU athletics. Email him at scooter.hobbs@americanpress.com