LSU athletes are widely regarded as some of the most talented in the Southeastern Conference, if not the country.
But every so often, even these perceived juggernauts run into competitors who leave them in awe.
For the LSU softball and baseball teams, conference and postseason play provides opportunities to showcase their talents across the nation, all the while facing some of the toughest competition their sports have to offer.
Senior shortstop Austin Nola said he was amazed with the batting of Anthony Rendon in the 2009 Baton Rouge Super Regional. Rendon, then a freshman third baseman at Rice, went on to become the sixth overall pick of the Washington Nationals in the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft.
“It didn’t matter who was pitching or how hard the guy was throwing, [Rendon] looked the same,” Nola said. “He never looked like he was overswinging, he always put solid contact on the