“Matty Ice” is back.
LSU junior pitcher Matty Ott allowed only one run in 20 1/3 innings out of the bullpen this summer for the Cape Cod League’s Harwich Mariners.
LSU coach Paul Mainieri said he’s sure Ott’s dominating summer has his confidence back up as he competes to be the closer once again. He said he is “pretty sure” Ott will be the closer this season.
“I think the summer is really important for a lot of players,” Mainieri said. “They just grow an awful lot during that time. In this particular case, it helped a player get back on track.”
Ott said Mainieri hasn’t told him if he is the permanent closer, but Ott said he has the impression he will retain that role if he pitches well in the fall.
“We do have young guys, and I’m going to have to earn that closer role,” Ott said. “It’s not just going to be given to me.”
Ott, whose 27 career saves at LSU are two shy of the school record, said it was comforting to pitch well in the summer after a rough sophomore year with the Tigers.
The Chalmette native was 2-4 with a 6.38 ERA, 40 strikeouts and 11 saves for LSU in 2010 after finishing his freshman season 4-2 with a team-best 2.68 ERA, 69 strikeouts and 16 saves.
Ott allowed only nine hits — all singles — in 15 appearances this summer. He recorded seven saves and two wins while tossing 19 strikeouts and only four walks.
Harwich field manager Steve Englert described the Cape Cod League as a “proving ground for the next level,” which scouts frequent.
“He was our go-to guy the whole summer,” Englert said. “He delivered that knockout punch.”
The talent in the league is undeniable. Former members of the Harwich Mariners include San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum, and Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Carlos Pena and shortstop Jason Bartlett, all of whom participated in the Major  League Baseball playoffs this year.
Ott, who was named the Allstate Sugar Bowl Athlete of the Month in August, managed a 0.44 ERA and a place on the Cape Cod League All-Star team despite pitching against top talent.
The prestigious league inevitably drew other Southeastern Conference players. Ott played with Tennessee pitchers Will Locante and Matt Ramsey, Alabama pitcher Adam Morgan and Alabama outfielder Taylor Dugas while with the Mariners.
“It’s crazy how when you play against them you form an opinion about them, and then when they’re on your team you wind up being best friends,” Ott said.
Players from across the nation flocked to the league, and all of them could hit well, Ott said.
“Just the quality of competition you play out there is basically like playing in the SEC,” Ott said. “It may even be a little tougher because you’ve got all those guys coming from every school.”
Ott didn’t lose a single game for the Mariners. The only game in which he allowed a run in the regular season still resulted in a 9-6 Harwich victory.
He said he felt completely relaxed even in pressure situations at the end of games.
“You went out there and remembered why you played the game,” Ott said. “It was for the fun of it. You go out there and have a good time.”
Ott said staying relaxed contributed to half of his success.
“The other half was mechanics,” he said. “I was rushing a little bit last season and not taking my time and rushing toward the plate. My arm couldn’t catch up with my lower body.”
Ott said he expects to be back to freshman form when he dons a Tiger uniform in 2011.
“When you go out and have a good summer it kind of refocuses you back to, ‘Hey, you’ve got this,'” Ott said. “‘Just go out this year, and show everybody you have it back.'”
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Contact Rowan Kavner at [email protected]