Mikie Mahtook knows how to get results, and now his work at the plate is being rewarded. The LSU sophomore right fielder started the season as the No. 7 batter in the lineup and moved to No. 5 in the lineup Sunday. “Coach told me [Sunday] that I was going to hit in the five hole,” he said. “He told me to keep the same approach that I’ve been using all year and not try to be someone I’m not.” He said the switch didn’t affect him much as he went 2-for-4 with two RBIs in the 8-4 loss against Kansas. Mahtook climbed in the order because LSU coach Paul Mainieri said he wasn’t pleased with the offensive output of sophomore second baseman Tyler Hanover. “Tyler just hasn’t been doing it consistently enough,” he said. “I was worried about Mahtook in that spot right at the beginning of the year because Mikie is a very emotional kid.”But Mainieri said Sunday felt like the right time to move Mahtook up. “I didn’t want to put so much pressure on him by putting him in the middle of the order right away,” Mainieri said. “Really, he doesn’t have that much experience as a baseball player, and I just didn’t want to put him right in the middle of the order where, if he got off to a slow start, the emotion might start working against him.”Mahtook is No. 5 on the LSU roster in batting average for the season. He is batting .380 on the season with 19 hits in 50 at-bats. Mahtook is also No. 5 on the team with 14 RBIs and is tied for the team lead with nine stolen bases on 11 attempts.
DEAN HAS HOT WEEK AT PLATESenior first baseman Blake Dean batted .643 last week in LSU’s four games. The Crestview, Fla., native had nine hits in 14 at-bats on the week and was singularly responsible for LSU’s lone win against Kansas. Dean had a two-RBI single in the fifth inning to tie Saturday’s game at 2-2. He hit a go-ahead two-run homer to give LSU a 4-2 lead in the seventh inning. “The best way to describe Blake Dean is that he performs like a professional hitter,” Mainieri said in a news release. “He never panics, he’s always in control, and he came through in a big way for us today.”Dean was a one-man wrecking crew throughout the series. He batted .600 with one double, two home runs, five RBIs and scored three runs. Dean said he would have preferred LSU to win despite doing well at the plate. “Can’t take anybody lightly,” he said. “We start SEC play next weekend, so hopefully it’s a wakeup call. We’ve got to pitch a little better, hit a little betterand play better defense. Just prepare ourselves all around a little more.”Dean leads the team in average with a .424 mark for the season. He also has six doubles, four home runs, 22 RBIs and has scored 15 runs.
 
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Contact Johanathan Brooks at [email protected]