LSU junior third baseman Christian Ibarra trots out to his position at the “hot corner,” fielding ground balls during infield practice before the first pitch of the inning. The 5-foot-7 Ibarra casually goes about his business, making his routine throws to first base as he prepares himself for the inning ahead.
Then the insults begin.
“Hey, are you [former Tigers third baseman Tyler] Hanover’s little Mexican brother?” one opposing fan screams. “You’re not that good compared to Hanover. I don’t think you can take it.”
Ibarra’s heard it all this season from Tulane to Tuscaloosa. At this point, the third baseman is used to the heckling he receives from opposing fans.
“They usually just start in the first two innings, and then if I don’t say anything or make any reaction toward them, then they usually just be quiet after that,” Ibarra said. “Just a bunch of drunk people telling me off and stuff.”
Recently, the LSU baseball team has been diving full force into the heart of Southeastern Conference play, and with that comes the conference’s vivacious fans.
The squad has travelled to Mississippi State, Missouri, Arkansas and Alabama since the start of the 2013 campaign, and depending on which Tiger you ask, the fans have been rowdy.
Both Ibarra and senior first baseman Mason Katz acknowledged that Alabama’s fans surprisingly didn’t give them too much trouble.
But several players noted the Arkansas series as one to remember. LSU took two of three contests in Fayetteville in mid-April, and the fans were sure to make their presence felt to the visiting Tigers.
“I was impressed [with the Arkansas fans],” said LSU senior left fielder Raph Rhymes. “They stayed on us the entire game, and they never let up. I mostly got stuff about my hair, which I understood. I got a lot of ‘Joe Dirts’ and ‘princesses’ and that kind of stuff. That’s all part of it. They love their school, and I think it’s fun to go into somebody else’s yard.”
The Tigers have done a good job dealing with the pressure of playing on the road, as they have won 11 of 14 games away from Alex Box Stadium.
LSU coach Paul Mainieri said he doesn’t pay attention to the heckling his squad receives from opposing fans.
“I never hear it,” Mainieri said. “I’m always so focused on the game.”
Instead, Mainieri tries to have his players ready for the verbal bashing they’ll receive on the road.
“I try and prepare the kids, because I know they’re going to get a lot of that on the road, as I’m sure our fans do to other players when they come here,” Mainieri said. “I just tell them, ‘Just remember that the people who are yelling at you don’t know you personally, and they don’t really care about you, so you can’t take anything that they say seriously.’”
“I got a lot of ‘Joe Dirts’ and ‘princesses’ and that kind of stuff. That’s all part of it.”
