It was a 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation that struck fear into junior college hitters.
En route to becoming runners-up for the 2013 NJCAA Divison II National Championship, LSU-Eunice featured two starting pitchers — one southpaw and one right-hander — who combined for 24 of the squad’s 52 victories.
Now both will sport LSU uniforms in Alex Box Stadium.
Juniors Brady Domangue and Zac Person bring strikingly similar skill sets to the table. They both feature a high 80s fastball with an above-average breaking ball.
They also bring similar personalities, which is one reason they bonded while developing their skills in Eunice.
“Whenever you spend two years with a teammate, you want the best for them,” Domangue said. “He works just as hard as I work, and to be able to go to the same place, especially a place like LSU, that’s huge. To be able to spend our whole college career together and to be able to root for each other still is a pretty cool deal.”
Domangue was the first to commit from the duo, as LSU originally spotted him when LSU-E participated in a round-robin tournament in the fall. He committed immediately after receiving an offer from LSU.
Person heard the news about his own recruitment a few days later.
The Eunice native visited LSU with his family. The Person household was centered around LSU fandom, so Person was sure to accept the offer to play for the Tigers.
His former Bengal teammate enjoyed hearing the news.
“I was just happy,” Domangue said. “I gave him a big old hug, and I was just excited. We were both pumped up.”
Person said being on the field in Alex Box was a dream come true.
“It’s a blessing to even be able to play on this field every day,” Person said. “It’s the most exciting thing to me. Every day we walk out of the locker room and come out into this dugout, and we just see the huge scoreboard and The Intimidator, and it’s just beautiful.”
One question mark heading into the 2014 season involves how the duo will transition to the Division I competition when the Tigers kick off their season on Feb. 14.
Last season, Person struck out 98 batters, never losing a game in his LSU-E career. Heading into the new campaign, his role hasn’t been set by LSU coach Paul Mainieri, though he is expected to take on a role in the bullpen. His 10 strikeouts per game at Eunice make him a formidable threat on the mound.
He said the transition has been difficult thus far.
“The challenge of competing with your own teammates every day is a lot greater than it was at LSU-E where they still have good players, but it’s not like some of these guys who are some of the best players I’ve ever seen,” Person said.
LSU pitching coach Alan Dunn now has two new toys to tinker with throughout the year, and he said he is ready to see what both could bring to the bullpen.
He said Domangue brings the intensity while Person provides an under-control style.
In the end, though, one main quality stands out to Dunn.
“Obviously, they bring winning to the program,” Dunn said. “There’s nothing to replace that. When they have won, then they’ve been doing something right. You combine all of that, and you’re talking about guys who have the chance to be successful at this level.”
“Obviously they bring winning to the program. There’s nothing to replace that. When they have won, then they’ve been doing something right.”