Bregman steals Media Day
LSU coach Paul Mainieri spent most of his 50-minute press conference gushing about freshman shortstop Alex Bregman, who he hailed as one of the “hardest working kids he’s been around.”
The Albuquerque, N.M. native, who was pegged by Mainieri to be the Tigers’ No. 3 hitter, was immediately surrounded by reporters and cameras as he was one of the first Tigers to emerge from the clubhouse onto the field.
“It’s a tremendous honor coming in here,” Bregman said. “I’m so happy to be a part of this team. This team has great chemistry already and we’re really coming together as a family.”
McCune breaking through?
After a season marred with inconsistency that ended with him losing his spot in the weekend rotation, junior righty Kurt McCune is in the running for the closer role according to Mainieri.
While he also named junior right-hander Nick Rumbelow, senior southpaw Chris Cotton and Chabot College transfer Will LaMarche as other candidates, Mainieri did pinpoint a new feature of McCune’s repertoire.
“Kurt McCune has developed a really good pitch,” Mainieri said. “I won’t tell you what it is and give the scouting report away, but our hitters are having trouble with it.”
Long hair, don’t care
In what has become a trademark of both seniors’ appearances, left fielder Raph Rhymes and middle reliever Chris Cotton have flowing locks that would make other coaches grimace.
Unsure of what to call Rhymes’ hairstyle, Mainieri said he got the permission of the rest of the team to let the Monroe native keep what he termed to be a mullet , much to Rhymes’ delight as he flaunted it to reporters.
As for Cotton? Mainieri kept the explanation simple.
“Chris Cotton’s just good looking, let’s face it,” Mainieri said. “Let the kid wear his hair long.”
Katz wants to extend his stay
In light of LSU football star Josh Dworcazyk’s six-year career as a Tiger, senior infielder Mason Katz joked he’d like to petition the NCAA to stay in Baton Rouge.
Just wait for him to find a reason.
“I think I’ll petition for four more years here,” Katz joked. “If [Dworcazyk] can do it, why can’t I?”
