After receiving the reassuring news that Mason Katz and Raph Rhymes would return to the LSU baseball team for their senior seasons, Tuesday brought a more sobering reality of the MLB draft to the Tigers. Not surprisingly, junior closer Nick Goody tweeted that he will forgo his senior season and sign a contract with the New York Yankees, who drafted him in the sixth round. “It was an honor to be able to play for LSU! I’ve met tons of awesome ppl and made life-long friends! Best college experience! #foreverLSU,” Goody wrote in the tweet. Goody admirably filled the shoes of LSU all-time saves leader Matty Ott, compiling 11 saves with a 2.67 ERA while striking out 45 in 33.2 innings. Although widely criticized for his struggles at the end of the regular season and in the Southeastern Conference Tournament, Goody made an emphatic return in the clinching game of the Baton Rouge regional, striking out the side in the tenth inning to defeat Oregon State, 6-5. “That’s true closing right there,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri after the win. “That’s why you have to stick with people who have that kind of talent.” The Tigers also learned that compensatory-round picks and LSU commitments Joey Gallo and Jesmuel Valentin would abandon their scholarships and join their respective major league organizations. Gallo, a graduate of Bishop Gorman High School in Nevada, was selected by the Texas Rangers with the No. 39 overall pick and signed a $2.25 million contract Tuesday. “Officially a Texas Ranger!” Gallo tweeted Tuesday. Mainieri said before the Baton Rouge Regional that Gallo had high hopes of attending LSU, but predicted the pricy contract would be too much for him to turn away. Valentin, the son of 16-year major league veteran Jose Valentin, was drafted No. 51 overall by the Los Angeles Dodgers, where his father played one season in 2005. Scouts lauded Valentin, out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy, for his switch hitting abilities and ranging infield play. While he has not yet formally announced his plans, it is almost a foregone conclusion that sophomore ace Kevin Gausman will also leave LSU after he was selected No. 4 overall by the Baltimore Orioles.
 
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