If LSU senior first baseman Mason Katz had a dollar for every RBI he has collected during the 2013 season, he’d be able to buy himself a steak dinner and a dessert to cap off the meal.
Katz led the Tigers with 13 home runs in 2012 while his 52 RBIs were the second most of any Tiger last season. He recorded those numbers over the entirety of the five-month campaign.
In the first three months of the 2013 season, Katz has eclipsed those totals from 2012. He currently leads the Tigers with 13 home runs and 55 RBIs, three more than he collected during all of last season.
Katz’s success at the plate has not been a quiet feat this season. Every time he leaves the on-deck circle and digs in the batter’s box, the crowd in Alex Box Stadium intensifies. Thousands of eyes focus on the veteran infielder, as he can begin a fireworks show with a simple swing and the ping of aluminum.
“Mason Katz is having a ‘National Player of the Year’-type of season,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “Katz’s work ethic is incredible. He has talent, but he doesn’t take it for granted. He works so hard at it. He loves it, he’s passionate about it and he wants to win so badly, and all that hard work comes into fruition once the game starts.”
Katz attributes the increased productivity to a number of factors, one of which is the work he’s done with the LSU coaching staff.
“I worked a lot with [LSU hitting coach] Javi [Sanchez] on sticking with my approach,” Katz said. “It’s been a huge thing for me. In the past when I would get into an RBI situation, I would try to do too much. I’ve done a really good job of sticking to my approach. I try to hit the ball to right-center, and it’s really working.”
Katz also noted that his teammates were one of the primary reasons for the boost in his stats in 2013. Freshmen Mark Laird and Alex Bregman, junior Christian Ibarra and senior Raph Rhymes hit around Katz in the batting order, and they are all hitting for a .320 batting average or higher.
“I love all the RBI chances,” Katz said. “The way those guys in front of me have been getting on base has been incredible this year. I feel like every time I come up to the plate, either Bregman or Laird is in scoring position, and Raph is on first. It’s been one of those years that if I hit the ball, it’s an RBI.”
LSU’s first baseman isn’t the only one enjoying the productivity, though. His teammates also benefit from Katz’s video-game numbers at the plate, as batters in front of him get the opportunity to see better pitches. The RBIs have also come in clutch situations for the Tigers, most notably being a go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the 10th inning against Mississippi State.
“It’s without a doubt almost every single time, there’s about a 99 percent chance that he’s going to drive us in if we’re on base,” Bregman said. “When we get on base early in the game, we know Mason is going to come through for us. Later in the game when you need a clutch hit, Mason’s going to do that, too.”
“When we get on base early in the game, we know Mason is going to come through for us. Later in the game when you need a clutch hit, Mason’s going to do that, too.”
