Current and former LSU baseball players gathered at the Crowne Plaza on Friday night to commemorate the beginning of the 2011-12 season at the First Pitch Banquet.
After a season LSU coach Paul Mainieri called “unacceptable,” he said he’s looking forward to seeing a familiar sight after this season.
“I cannot wait to see another dogpile,” Mainieri said. “It’s been too long.”
Keynote speaker and former LSU standout Paul Byrd urged the current team to remain unselfish and become confident, pointing specifically to freshman pitcher Aaron Nola.
“If you can’t be confident in yourself, Aaron, as a freshman, no one else will be,” Byrd said.
Byrd also lauded the luxuries that the LSU baseball program provides to its players and fans, encouraging the team to relish them all.
He pointed to a conversation with former Braves star John Smoltz, who was astounded that the Tigers draw more than 10,000 fans per game.
“[Smoltz] said, ‘Do you realize they outdraw the [Miami] Marlins?'” Byrd remarked. “I guess I hadn’t thought of it like that.”
Representatives from the current team spoke on topics ranging from freshman class nicknames to sophomore pitcher Kevin Gausman’s embarrassing fishing story.
Colorado native Gausman recounted his first month on campus last year, when he mistakenly thought the LSU lakes were connected to the Gulf of Mexico. He even went so far as to describe to a girl he met on campus how he wished to catch “trophy fish” from the lakes.
Freshman outfielder Chris Sciambra drew the biggest laugh of the night while describing high school teammate and fellow freshman, pitcher Aaron Nola.
Sciambra said the team usually refers to Nola as “baby Nola” or “little Nola,” but issued a warning to senior shortstop and older brother Austin Nola.
“Look out Austin, because Eli [Manning] used to be Peyton [Manning]’s little brother too,” Sciambra said.
Senior infielder Beau Didier spoke on behalf of the five seniors, describing how they experienced “agony and the ecstasy” throughout their four years together. After some good-natured ribbing toward senior utility player Grant Dozar’s camera presence and senior infielder Tyler Hanover’s “diminutive stature,” Didier said the class has become a family.
“We are blessed in every aspect of our lives,” Didier said. “We realized that from day one, four years ago.”
Mainieri closed the evening by putting last season to rest, claiming he will go to his grave upset at the NCAA selection committee for not inviting the Tigers to a regional.
Mainieri said the team is anxious to get back onto the field and get into a game atmosphere against Air Force on Friday.
“I have the greatest respect for the Air Force Academy, but I feel sorry for them,” Mainieri said. “We’re going to take it all out on them Friday night.”
 
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Contact Chandler Rome at [email protected]