The No. 1 LSU baseball team’s outfield is almost perfect.
The Tigers’ (37-7, 14-6 Southeastern Conference) unit has been a topic of discussion for the past few years. Junior outfielders Mark Laird and Andrew Stevenson have seen and heard all of the hype by now, but it hasn’t slowed either of them down.
Laird and Stevenson have had another dominating season guarding the fences of Alex Box Stadium, combining for no errors on the season in the Tigers’ 44 games played. Laird and Stevenson have been on the field together for 41 of those games.
While primarily known for their playmaking ability, their efficiency as defenders has gone relatively unnoticed. Laird has never committed an error in his time with the Tigers, while Stevenson has committed only three in his three seasons.
Their sure-handedness in the gaps has made it nearly impossible for hitters to stretch a double in the right-center field gap, and their skills have only grown.
“It was clear from the start that Andrew Stevenson could run balls down in the outfield as good as anybody I’ve ever known. His hitting needed a lot of work,” said coach Paul Mainieri. “Mark Laird had tremendous hand-eye coordination and a very consistent swing, but I don’t think many balls were hit 350-400 feet at Ouachita Christian High School, so he wasn’t really challenged defensively the way Stevenson probably was.
“To see the way both of them have improved during their time here has been very rewarding for me as a coach because I do believe they’re still great athletes, but they’ve become much more polished baseball players during their time here.”
Laird and Stevenson are no strangers to each other. They both arrived at LSU in the same year and have since developed alongside each other to become the ball-hawking duo standing today.
Laird said it makes playing right field a lot easier for him when he knows the strengths and weaknesses of who is playing in center.
“It helps to play with a guy who has been beside you for a while so you know what ball he can get to, what he can’t get to and what balls you know, ‘Okay, I know he’s not going to be there backing me up,’” Laird said. “It certainly helps knowing you have a smart and experienced defender beside you. We try to help, especially with our young bullpen going into the year. It builds confidence in them to throw strikes. That’s something we hope to do.”
While the duo can make it look easy at times, there’s plenty of hard work going into every jaw dropping play they make throughout each season.
Laird, who has 91 putouts and one assist in his 92 chances, said both him and Stevenson have learned a lot through their three years in Baton Rouge, helping them adapt to more high-stakes situations.
“We’re really experienced so we have gotten plenty of chances to run down balls, so our routes have improved. We’re getting to the ball quicker,” Laird said. “Just practice wise, we practice hard all through the fall and the spring. We go over every play you can imagine: balls off the wall, jumping catches against the wall, trying to rob balls. It’s something we take pride in, me and Andrew both.”
Stevenson has made the most outs of the three starting outfielders with 97, including assists on three outs for a total of 100 chances. Laird praised Stevenson for being “one of the best, if not the best, center fielders” he has ever seen.
While there’s plenty of nice words to go around, there’s a good bit of competition between the teammates, as well.
“We kind of challenge each other. When someone makes a big play we kind of want to make one too,” Laird said. “We kind of joke around with each other, but it’s something we take pride in. If he makes a big play or Jake makes a big play, then it’s like, ‘All right, when’s it coming.’ You’re just waiting for it to happen, so you don’t miss your opportunity to make one.”
With both starters sporting a 1.000 fielding percentage, their playmaking ability is invaluable for the No. 1 Tigers. The combination of speed and efficiency in the outfield has helped shut down opposing offenses this season.
“We certainly take pride in running down balls in every corner of the field. We try to not let anything drop,” Laird said. “That’s a big part of our game and we certainly use it.”
You can reach Jack on Twitter @Chascin_TDR.