BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU baseball program has received its first No. 1 ranking in the USA TODAY Sports preseason poll since 2009, and Tigers coach Paul Mainieri likes the synchronicity of that.

This is because the last time LSU won the national championship was also in 2009.

“Just maybe, history will repeat itself this year,” Mainieri said. “I know we were picked No. 1 in 2009, and then ended up winning the national championship. I remember in 2017, we were preseason No. 2 in one of the polls, and we finished No. 2. So maybe there is something to these prognostications.”

LSU lost to Florida two games to none in the 2017 College World Series national championship series.

“Everybody says the polls don’t have any value, but you never know,” he said. “Obviously, somebody thinks highly of our team. We’re already used to people thinking we have a good team, and of course the expectation among LSU’s following is always Omaha or bust and a national championship. So, what difference does it make if you’re voted No. 1 or not? I’m not like a lot of coaches. I like polls.”

On paper, LSU will field one of its best teams since Mainieri arrived at LSU before the 2007 season.

Returning are three veterans whom Mainieri thought he might lose to the 2018 MLB draft – Friday night ace right-hander Zack Hess, junior center fielder Zach Watson and senior right fielder Antoine Duplantis. Hess and Watson were eligible for the draft as sophomores, but decided to stay after getting selected in the 34th and 40th rounds, while Duplantis was picked in the 19th round.

Hess was 7-6 with a 5.05 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 92 2/3 innings. Watson hit .308 with seven home runs and 34 RBIs. Duplantis led the team with a .328 average, 19 stolen bases and six triples. With 85 hits in 2019, Duplantis would become the Southeastern Conference’s all-time leading hitter at 353. LSU’s Eddy Furniss is No. 1 now as he had 352 from 1995-98. Duplantis has been a picture of consistency with 89 hits as a freshman in 2016, 90 in 2017 and 89 in 2018.

LSU returned a similar group of veterans in 2017 that Mainieri thought he might lose to the draft. Instead, outfielder Greg Deichmann and three seniors - shortstop Kramer Robertson, second baseman Cole Freeman and pitcher Jared Poche - led the Tigers to the cusp of the national title.

“Yeah, I see a lot of similarities with the guys that are coming back and also the very talented new guys,” Duplantis said.

Mainieri signed the incoming No. 1 freshmen class in the nation, including three pitchers he thought he might lose to Major League Baseball – pitchers Landon Marceaux (37th round pick of New York Yankees), Jaden Hill (38th round pick by St. Louis) and Cole Henry (38th round pick of Detroit).

Marceaux is expected to be in the starting rotation between Hess and returning sophomore Eric Walker, who missed all of 2018 because of elbow surgery after a freshman All-America season in 2017 when he was 8-2 with a 3.48 ERA.

Also back from injury is shortstop Josh Smith, who missed most of 2018.

“You almost feel like we had three different recruiting classes - the veterans we got back who didn’t sign, the freshmen class and Walker and Smith,” Mainieri said. “It’s a very talented, experienced and deep team. Now, do we get to just declare ourselves national champions because we’re preseason No. 1? I don’t think it quite works that way.”

USA TODAY Sports preseason baseball poll with record from last year

1. LSU (39-27)

2. Vanderbilt (35-27)

3. Florida (49-21)

4. Texas Tech (45-20)

5. Oregon State (55-12-1)

6. North Carolina (44-20)

7. UCLA (38-21)

8. Louisville (45-19)

9. Stanford (46-12)

10. Mississippi (48-17)

11. Florida State (43-19)

12. Arkansas (48-21)

13. Georgia (39-21)

14. East Carolina (44-18)

15. Mississippi State (39-29)

16. Texas (42-23)

17. TCU (33-23)

18. Baylor (37-21)

19. Clemson (47-16)

20. Auburn (43-23)

21. Oklahoma State (31-26-1)

22. Coastal Carolina (43-19)

23. North Carolina State (42-18)

24. Cal State Fullerton (36-25)

25. Michigan (33-21)

Others receiving votes: Duke (45-18) 68; Southern Mississippi (44-18) 43; Minnesota (44-15) 36; Wake Forest (25-32) 31; Texas A&M (40-22) 24; Arizona (34-22) 20; Georgia Tech (31-27) 18; Connecticut (37-22-1) 16; Stetson (48-13) 16; Washington (35-26) 11; Bryant (32-23-1) 8; Dallas Baptist (42-21) 7; Purdue (38-21) 7; Arizona State (23-32) 6; Seton Hall (30-20-1) 6; St. John’s (40-17) 6; UC-Irvine (32-24) 6; Illinois (33-20) 5; Kent State (40-18) 5; Missouri State (40-17) 5; North Carolina-Wilmington (39-23) 5; South Carolina (37-26) 5; Northeastern (36-21) 4; Houston (38-25) 3; Harvard (22-20) 2; Kentucky (34-22) 1; Marist (27-23) 1; Miami (Fla.) (28-26) 1; Oregon (26-29) 1; South Alabama (32-25) 1.