Twenty-one games into the season, junior college transfer catcher Hunter Feduccia is quietly turning into one of LSU’s best players.
Feduccia came to LSU from LSU-Eunice where he thrived behind the plate and in the batter’s box.
Feduccia was named the 2016 and 2017 LSU-Eunice Defensive Player of the Year, and was also named the 2016, Gold Glove Award winner in 2016 with a fielding percentage of .997 as a catcher.
The experience and leadership that Feduccia exhibits behind the plate has been valuable to the young LSU team. With the loss of key players from last year’s team, coach Paul Mainieri’s expectations were high for the first year catcher at the start of the season.
“Feduccia played last summer in the Northwoods league with a wood bat,” Mainieri said. “In 50-55 games, he hit seven or eight home runs. I would expect him to do that this year.”
Feduccia has been great for the Tigers predominantly hitting fifth in the lineup with a .316 batting average and a team high of 18 RBIs.
“Being in the five hole, there’s easily gonna be guys on base, and I’m just trying to do my job,” Feduccia said.
Even though Feduccia has been one of LSU’s best players, the beginning of the season did not start out as easily.
Feduccia was diagnosed with a hairline fracture of the third metacarpal. The injury occurred when the unprotected top of Feduccia’s catcher’s mitt was hit by a teammate’s bat during a follow- through swing.
The injury sidelined Feduccia for the opening week of the season, but being able to dress as an LSU Tiger for the first time was special for the first-year player.
“I was just glad to be in the dugout and just being a part of the team and getting to soak everything in,” Feduccia said. “You know I had fun.”
Feduccia is trying to replace one of LSU’s best players from last year’s team catcher Michael Papierski. Papierski was a two- year starter behind the plate and a leader on the 2017 team that went to Omaha.
Papierski set the standard for LSU catchers moving forward when he left the program last year after getting drafted into the Houston Astros organization.
Like Papierski, Feduccia has been dominant behind the plate committing no errors and throwing out 10 of 12 runners trying to steal.
“He reminds me of Papierski in his junior year,” Mainieri said. “Papierski made a big jump his senior year so hopefully he will continue to get better back there,” Mainieri said. “Clearly we are the best team we are with him back there.”
Feduccia has been a key player for the LSU team, bringing stability and a certain level of “coolness,” as Mainieri would say, that allows him to excel.
Feduccia was a late bloomer in his baseball career, not starting at Barbe High School until his senior year.
Despite the late start, Feduccia has thrived at every level seamlessly improving as the competition gets stiffer.
The rate at which Feduccia has improved is a source of excitement for Mainieri moving forward in the season.
“I don’t even know if Hunter Feduccia realizes just how good a ball player he’s capable of being,” Mainieri said. “He can really be an outstanding player if we can just get him to shift it into another gear. Just to give a little bit more and give a little bit more focus and intensity. I think the kid could be a tremendous all-around ball player that could really do a lot in his post LSU days, as well.”
