On opening night of the 2010 LSU baseball season, Matt Gaudet blasted a double into play and got his first hit for the Tigers in nearly two seasons.He said he felt chills and thanked God for the moment because the road to Feb. 19 was a long and tumultuous one for the Metairie native.Gaudet has battled through back problems and roster size limitations during his time at LSU, and now the senior designated hitter is off to a successful start as he has cemented himself as one of the centerpieces of this season’s team.”It’s unbelievable,” he said. “It’s great to be back with all of my guys.”Gaudet made a name for himself in 2008 after transferring to LSU from Delgado Community College in New Orleans.He was expected to be a great contributor for the Tigers and hit a walk-off home run against Arkansas early in the season.”He came here in ’08 and started out the season as our starting DH and won a game for us against Arkansas,” LSU coach Paul Mainieri said. “Then he started to have back problems.”The back problems limited him to 21 games that season and indirectly cost him his 2009 season at LSU.Prior to the start of the 2009 baseball season, Gaudet became a victim of a new NCAA rule mandating that collegiate baseball teams could have no more than 35 players on the roster.Gaudet, who was still recovering from the injury, was on the chopping block.Mere weeks before the start of a season that saw LSU capture its sixth national championship, Mainieri told Gaudet he would not be coming along for the ride.”The way I was feeling, I couldn’t sit out all year, so they needed someone who could play,” Gaudet said. “We talked, and I just wasn’t the right guy to be on the team, I guess, last year.”Mainieri said the decision to choose which player he would release with his final cut was a difficult one.”It was the toughest decision I’ve had to make in 27 years,” he said. “I knew the kid didn’t deserve it. He didn’t do anything wrong, and he should have been on the team. It was just this silly rule that I had to abide by. It frustrated me terribly.”But the coach worked with Gaudet and eventually got him an assignment playing for the Hannibal Cavemen, a team based in Missouri.The Cavemen are a part of the Prospect League, a collegiate wooden-bat league.He maintained a .262 average with four home runs and 24 RBIs in 38 games in Hannibal and earned All-Star recognition.But Gaudet said he longed for the opportunity to play at LSU despite his great success in Hannibal.”[Being away] wasn’t the best,” Gaudet said. “I was still pulling for my guys everyday, and I still wished I was there.”Mainieri also kept up with his progress.”I talked to him on the phone several times during the summer and checked his box scores every day,” he said. “I talked to the coach a few times and kept tabs on him pretty well.”Gaudet was given the opportunity to rejoin the Tigers prior to this season, and now he’s back with a vengeance.He holds a .458 average with four home runs and 11 RBIs.”It’s a great story,” Mainieri said. “It’s a story of perseverance and grittiness and a great attitude.”—–Contact Johanathan Brooks at [email protected]