Two months ago, freshman Jared Foster was a football player.
He was a preferred walk-on, a practice squad quarterback helping the Tigers prepare for the BCS National Championship. He clung to dreams of stepping on the Tiger Stadium field and playing for the home-state team he cheered for as a child.
But once football season came to an end, Foster made a difficult decision between two sports.
He chose baseball — for good.
Five days before the start of baseball season, Foster announced he would quit football, which he played most of his life, and focus strictly on baseball.
“I’m actually going to hang it up and stick with one sport for once,” Foster said.
A Lake Charles native, Foster starred as a three-sport athlete in football, baseball and basketball at Barbe High School, gaining recognition as one of the top Louisiana quarterbacks in the 2011 class. He earned offers from several in-state schools, including Tulane, McNeese State and Louisiana Tech.
Instead, he spurned the scholarship offers and chose to enroll at LSU as a walk-on. That allowed him the opportunity to play both football and baseball, but Foster said he never had a No. 1 preference.
“I didn’t know what to expect from college sports,” Foster said. “I went day by day, and that’s how I made my move.”
Foster hit leadoff for the first time Tuesday against Grambling State, going 3-for-6 with three runs scored. He also drove home a run with a double to left field.
“It’s an honor,” Foster said. “Being at the top of the order is a change from being at the bottom. You see more pitches, get more at-bats.”
When asked if he deserves more playing time at the top of the order, Foster gave a humble, unclear answer.
“Whatever lineup works best is what’s best for the team,” Foster said. “So that’s what [Mainieri’s] going to do.”
But Mainieri was more sure that Foster has a future in the No. 1 spot.
“Yeah,” Mainieri said with a smile. “I would guess so.”
 
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Contact Hunter Paniagua at [email protected]