The responsibilities for the first hitter in a baseball team’s batting order are endless. Whether it’s knocking a base hit, drawing a walk or driving in the bottom-half of the order late in the game, the leadoff position proves to be critical.
Over LSU’s first 26 games this season, the leadoff spot was a revolving door, as coach Paul Mainieri struggled to find a hitter to solidify the top of the order and set up the power bats further down in the lineup.
Freshman outfielder Andrew Stevenson, sophomore outfielders Jared Foster and Chris Sciambra and junior second baseman JaCoby Jones all found themselves setting the table at one point or another, but none were able to claim the spot for themselves.
In the squad’s second game of a three-game series against Missouri in late March, though, Mainieri turned to junior outfielder Sean McMullen and hasn’t looked back since.
McMullen started off the season as a reserve outfielder who transferred from Delgado Community College. The junior was included in an outfield platoon that saw himself, Sciambra, Stevenson and freshman Mark Laird all fighting for playing time.
“In [McMullen’s] case, I was just never going to give up on him because I thought he had some outstanding ability,” Mainieri said. “We’ve put him in there, and he’s playing calmly, he’s playing relaxed, he’s playing confidently. I think he’s made us a better team. He’s certainly answered the question about the leadoff position, but he’s done more than that. He’s gotten some clutch hits for us.”
McMullen has taken the leadoff spot by storm.
The combination of Stevenson, Foster, Sciambra and Jones went 21-for-85 (.247 average) while hitting first in the order.
McMullen has gone 15-for-39 (.385 average) at the top of the lineup.
“It’s huge when you can get the leadoff guy on that often,” said senior first baseman Mason Katz. “Then you have a guy with Mark [Laird’s] speed and potentially the best hitter in the country in [freshman shortstop Alex] Bregman up with two guys on. He sets the table for everybody, and if he doesn’t get a hit in his first at-bat, then he usually comes up and does it in his second one. He’s a huge run-producer for us.”
The Tigers have scored 86 runs in the 10 games McMullen has batted leadoff since the second game of the Missouri series, and LSU is 9-1 over that span. Overall in 2013, McMullen has hit for a .317 average with a home run, 14 RBIs, seven doubles, 14 walks and 12 runs scored.
McMullen doesn’t think about his playing time anymore. He only has one goal in mind when he steps up to the plate in the first inning.
“I just have to take it one game at a time and just keep having good at-bats,” McMullen said. “We’re trying to win baseball games. I’m not worried about if I’m going to be playing or not. If I’m in the lineup, then I’m going to do anything to help the team win.”
“He sets the table for everybody, and if he doesn’t get a hit in his first at bat, then he usually comes up and does it in his second one. He’s a huge run-producer for us.”
