Freshman second baseman JaCoby Jones was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week on Monday.
Jones went 6-for-8 in the LSU baseball team’s weekend sweep of Holy Cross with a home run, a double, four RBIs, four runs and two steals. He also had a 1.000 fielding percentage.
His stellar weekend included a 4-for-4 night in Friday’s series opener against the Crusaders. It marked the first four-hit night by a Tiger since former catcher Micah Gibbs completed the feat against New Orleans in 2008.
Jones hit .636 from the No. 9 spot in the lineup last week to raise his season batting average to a team-best .571.
“If anybody knows my coaching style, I love a really good hitter in the nine-hole,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “If you get anything out of him, now the lineup turns over, and you’ve got theoretically the best part of your lineup coming up.”
LSU (7-0) moved up one spot in the Baseball America poll to No. 19 after outscoring Holy Cross, 41-10, during the weekend series.
The Tigers skyrocketed in the Collegiate Baseball poll, jumping from No. 13 to No. 7, and in the USA Today poll, rising from No. 15 to No. 9.
Three SEC teams are in the top four of the Baseball America national rankings. Florida remained in the No. 1 spot, Vanderbilt moved up one spot to No. 2, and South Carolina moved up three spots to No. 4.
Cal State Fullerton, who the Tigers play March 11-13, rose from No. 12 to No. 7.
 
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Contact Rowan Kavner at [email protected]