LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson has made the decision that Steven Milam will start the season at shortstop. Last year’s starting shortstop Michael Braswell will start at third base in Friday’s season opener against Purdue Fort Wayne.
Milam started at second base last year and was one of the Tigers best fielders. Johnson said prior to preseason practice that he wanted his best defender playing in the field where the ball would go the most and that would be shortstop.
Braswell started 64 games at shortstop last season and hit for a collegiate career-high .311 on the season. But he also struggled with the glove in the first half of the season, committing 13 errors and had a fielding percentage of .940.
Braswell said he played a little third base at South Carolina, so it’s not unique to him.
Johnson also said Blinn Junior College transfer Tanner Reaves will get some time in the infield, possibly at third base. The coach says Reaves gets on base all of the time.
In two years at Blinn Junior College, Reaves hit .398 with 28 homers, 142 RBI and recorded a career .490 on-base percentage.