On the heels of an impressive performance in LSU’s 7-1 win against Alabama on Saturday, LSU junior outfielder Raph Rhymes conducted a postgame interview with the Cox Sports Television crew airing the game.
It might have been the headset he was wearing, it might have been senior third baseman Tyler Hanover’s impish size, but Rhymes didn’t see it coming.
With a devilish grin, Hanover swiftly crept up behind Rhymes and smeared his face with a shaving-cream pie, prompting senior first baseman Grant Dozar to say in his best broadcaster’s voice, “And LSU’s leading hitter is missing the final game of the series with an eye infection.”
It’s all just another day at the ballpark and another example of a long line of mischievous stories involving these members of the LSU baseball team.
Sometimes lost in the box score, buried beneath the team ERAs and batting averages lies one of the most important aspects of a team’s success – the clubhouse dynamic.
“With football, you have a bunch of guys, probably 100 guys in the locker room,” Rhymes said. “In baseball, there’s one locker room, probably about 30 guys. You’re right next to each other. You’re in the clubhouse most of your time. We go to class and then we come to the clubhouse. We’re together pretty much 24/7.”
Fellow junior outfielder Arby Fields knows the difference between the two – he spent his freshman season on the Northwestern (Ill.) football team.
“As a team, you’re a lot closer to everybody on the team, as opposed to a football team where you’ve got almost [60 or 70] guys on the team,” Fields said. “It’s a lot easier to have personal relationships with everybody.”
Of course, being around one another all the time lends itself to some epic pranks.
Dozar, who was tagged along with fellow senior Beau Didier as one of the ringleaders of LSU’s clubhouse prank circus, is particularly fond of leaving his car unlocked with the keys inside.
His teammates picked up on the habit.
“Sometimes [Dozar will] walk out and his car will be on the levee,” Didier said. “We move it all the time.”
But Didier isn’t immune to car-key pranks, either.
Former LSU pitcher Anthony Ranaudo once froze Didier’s keys in a bucket used to collect batting practice baseballs. Didier said he had to hammer at the ice to get his keys back.
Didier has also had his car filled with balloons, some of which were filled with air and some of which were filled with water – Didier found out about this fact as he was popping the balloons to get in his car.
Some pranks are less grandiose than shifting the location of someone’s parked car, but they still have an effect. The most abundantly discussed prank is actually an enforcement of a team rule.
If a player leaves gear adrift – including cleats, batting gloves and bats – that gear will acquaint itself with an almost preposterous amount of duct tape.
“If you leave your glove out here, they’ll duct tape your glove and put it in your locker to teach you a lesson, like, OK, don’t leave your stuff out,” Fields said. “It’s funny but at the same time, it teaches you a lesson. … I think Cody Glenn has the most duct-taped gloves on this team. Tyler Hanover can duct tape a glove.”
It seems to be working. These Tigers, halfway through their conference schedule, have put together an impressive résumé so far.
They’re tied for the Southeastern Conference lead with an 11-4 record in conference play and have shown a knack at fighting through adversity.
They’re talented, sure. The Tigers probably wouldn’t be in the same position without players like Rhymes and sophomore pitchers Kevin Gausman and Ryan Eades.
But the same can be said of players like Didier and Dozar, keeping the team atmosphere loose.
“A team that is real close, they have a better feel for each other. I’ve been on a couple of teams, and this one is really close,” Rhymes said. “That helps on-the-field playing. We’re out there battling together, and everyone knows we have each other’s backs.”
 
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Contact Luke Johnson at [email protected].