With LSU now a week into its season, all focus has turned to baseball. But before the season, Cole Freeman received a special honor.
The senior second baseman was awarded the No. 8 jersey to wear for the Tigers this season, a storied tradition for LSU baseball.
Similar to LSU’s football team — which passes down the No. 18 jersey to seniors — LSU coach Paul Mainieri gives the No. 8 jersey to a deserving senior or team leader.
Many past players who donned the No. 8 jersey have gone on to play in the MLB, including Houston Astros shortstop Alex Bregman, Detroit Tigers outfielder Mikie Mahtook, Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Jake Fraley and Mason Katz.
“Those names right there are in LSU history,” Freeman said. “For me to get a chance to put my name with them, it’s an absolute honor just for my name to be on there. I’m going to do whatever I can to wear the number proudly.”
Bregman is now a third baseman and shortstop for the Astros organization.
He recently finished his first action in the big leagues last season, batting .264 with eight home-runs and 34 RBI’s after being drafted second overall in the 2015 MLB Draft.
Mahtook saw his first action in the 2015-16 season with the Rays after being taken in the first round of the 2011 MLB Draft. Through 2016, Mahtook has a batting average of .231 with 12 home runs and 30 RBI’s.
Fraley was selected in last year’s draft to the Rays organization and played in the minor leagues this past season. Fraley batted .238 and stole 33 bases in his first season in the minors.
Katz, a New Orleans native, wore the number and is now in the minor leagues with the St.louis Cardinals organization. Katz was drafted in the fourth round of the 2013 MLB Draft and has career averages of .251 with 30 home-runs and 138 RBI’s.
Freeman added that he is honored to be wearing the number and wants to live up to the best version of himself, not to those who have previously worn the jersey.
“I’m going to live up to the player that I am,” Freeman said. “I’m not going to put any more pressure on myself than I need too. I’m going to go out and play baseball the way that I’ve always done it.”
The second baseman also believes many others deserved to wear the jersey, which makes it even more special to him.
“There’s multiple people on the team that I think deserve the number,” Freeman said. “I got a text from Coach Mainieri asking if I wanted to wear the number, and I told him, ‘Listen, I’d be absolutely honored, but as long as you think I can wear it out of respect to people before, then I would be more than proud to wear it.’”
Freeman hasn’t disappointed the Tigers so far with his play. Through the first four games of the season, the senior has batted .462 in the leadoff spot for the Tigers with three RBIs.
“No matter what number is on my back, I’m going to be there for my teammates,” Freeman said.
With LSU now a week into its season, all focus has turned to baseball. But before the season, Cole Freeman received a special honor.
The senior second baseman was awarded the No. 8 jersey to wear for the Tigers this season, a storied tradition for LSU baseball.
Similar to LSU’s football team — who passes down the No. 18 jersey to seniors — LSU coach, Paul Mainieri, gives the No. 8 jersey to a deserving senior or team leader.
Many past players who donned the No. 8 jersey have gone on to play in the MLB, including Houston Astros shortstop Alex Bregman, Detroit Tigers outfielder Mikie Mahtook, Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Jake Fraley and Mason Katz.
“Those names right there are in LSU history,” Freeman said. “For me to get a chance to put my name with them, it’s an absolute honor just for my name to be on there. I’m going to do whatever I can to wear the number proudly.”
Bregman is now a third baseman and shortstop for the Astros organization.
He recently finished his first action in the big leagues last season where he batted .264 with eight home-runs and 34 RBI’s after being drafted 2nd overall in the 2015 MLB Draft.
Mahtook saw his first action in the 2015-16 season with the Rays after being taken in the first round of the 2011 MLB Draft. Through 2016, Mahtook has a batting average of .231 with 12 home-runs and 30 RBI’s.
Fraley was selected in last year’s draft to the Rays organization and played in the minor leagues this past season. Fraley batted .238 and stole 33 bases in his first season in the minors.
Mason Katz, a New Orleans native, wore the number and is now in the minor leagues with the St.Louis Cardinals organization. Katz was drafted in the fourth round of the 2013 MLB Draft and has career averages of .251 with 30 home-runs and 138 RBI’s.
Freeman added he is honored to be wearing the number and wants to live up to the best version of himself, not to those who have previously worn the jersey.
“I’m going to live up to the player that I am,” Freeman said.“I’m not going to put any more pressure on myself than I need too. I’m going to go out and play baseball the way that I’ve always done it.”
The second baseman also believes many others deserved to wear the jersey, which makes it even more special to him.
“There’s multiple people on the team that I think deserve the number,” Freeman said. “I got a text from Coach Mainieri asking if I wanted to wear the number, and I told him ‘Listen, I’d be absolutely honored, but as long as you think I can wear it out of respect to people before, then I would be more than proud to wear it.’”
Freeman hasn’t disappointed the Tigers so far with his play. Through the first four games of the season, the senior has batted .462 in the leadoff spot for the Tigers with three RBIs.
“No matter what number is on my back, I’m going to be there for my teammates,” Freeman said.
LSU junior outfielder Jake Fraley (8) bats during LSU's 11-1 victory against Southern University on Tuesday, April 5, 2016 at Alex Box Stadium
