The last time the LSU baseball team played Tulane, it marked a negative turning point for the team.
The Tigers (28-17, 7-14 SEC) won their first game against the Green Wave (26-18, 6-9 C-USA) this season April 5, when they rallied in the eighth inning to secure a 7-5 victory in New Orleans.
But the win signaled the beginning of an ugly stretch in LSU’s schedule, where it went 3-9 in its next 12 games — including getting swept by both Vanderbilt and Arkansas and losing a non-conference game to Northwestern State.
After the Tulane game, the Tigers sported a .307 team batting average, but after the Vanderbilt sweep, LSU’s team batting average slipped to a season-low .285.
This time, things might be different for the Tigers, who look like they may have regained their winning attitude heading into tonight’s contest against Tulane at Alex Box Stadium.
The rediscovered swagger looks like it returned in the form of a celebration.
Sophomore outfielder Mason Katz punctuated his solo shot in Saturday’s win against Kentucky by imitating Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ signature title belt move.
Katz’s version of the celebration was inspired by the Texas Rangers putting up mock horns after a good play, and junior first baseman Grant Dozar suggested that LSU imitate the quarterback as a way to loosen up.
“Since we got swept by Vanderbilt, we were talking about things we could do that were fun,” Katz said. “So Grant got the idea that after we hit a home run we would step on home plate and throw on the Aaron Rodgers championship belt.”
The celebration may have worked — the team raised its average by five points last week while sweeping Kentucky and blowing the doors off Nicholls State.
LSU outscored its opponents by a 41-16 margin during the four-win week.
While the team may have heated up offensively, it will be up to freshman Ryan Eades (2-1, 5.11 ERA) to keep the Tulane bats at bay.
Eades has thrown 24 2/3 innings in 14 outings this season, tallying 21 strikeouts and 12 walks. The Slidell native lasted a career-best 5 2/3 innings in his last start against Nicholls State last week.
The main culprit for the offensive explosion was Katz, who returned to action after breaking his hand in the Auburn series.
Katz’s statline for the series was ridiculous. In 11 at-bats, the sophomore collected eight hits — six of which were extra-base-hits. He also drove in the winning run in Thursday’s come-from-behind thriller.
“I definitely never expected to do that when I was coming off an injury,” Katz said of his outburst. “I think jumping in front of [junior centerfielder] Mikie [Mahtook] helped. They don’t want to pitch to him so they give me pitches I can swing at, and that’s the key, me hitting them and not getting out early in the count.”
LSU coach Paul Mainieri said he knew Katz was ready to come back after last Tuesday’s game when he watched Katz in a game simulation against LSU sophomore pitcher Michael Reed.
Katz couldn’t get the ball out of the infield in his first several at-bats.
“I thought maybe he was being tentative because he’s afraid of being hurt,” Mainieri said. “And then in his last at-bat, he hit one out there at the Coca-Cola sign in left center field, just an absolute bomb, and everybody kind of sat up and took notice. I think it gave him a lot of confidence.”
 
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Contact Luke Johnson at [email protected]