It might have taken a year for sophomore Dustin Weaver to get things together, but the hard work and patience might just pay off.
His reward may be a starting spot at catcher Friday night under the lights of Alex Box Stadium.
Sidelined last year after receiving a medical redshirt due to a knee injury, Weaver has the slight edge in the battle for the starting nod at the position according to assistant coach Turtle Thomas, who also coaches the catchers.
“Weaver seems like he is the edge-to-head in the No. 1 slot,” Thomas said. “He’s been catching well. He seems to have much more confidence and a better feel for the system.”
Weaver said there are many reasons why he performs well in practice. He attributes some of his improvement to Thomas.
“I feel a lot more confident than last year,” Weaver said. “I worked with Turtle a lot more. I listened to what he said and took it from there.”
Last year was Weaver’s first in Baton Rouge. A product of St. Amant High School, he transferred here after his freshman year at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond.
There he started 24 games and batted .259 with one home run and 15 RBIs.
Weaver said he learned a lot from last year’s starting catcher Chris Phillips, who emerged as one of the Tigers’ solid performers.
      “[Phillips] worked really hard,” Weaver said. “He worked good with the pitchers. I’m trying to take from him and get in really good with the pitchers so they can have confidence in me.”
Freshman Matt Liuzza also will get a good bit of playing time. Liuzza garnered district MVP and was a member of the Class 5A All-State team at Rummel High School.
The 6-foot, 190 pound catcher batted .419 with 12 home runs and 52 RBI as a junior in high school.
Thomas said Liuzza has been catching well. He said Liuzza has a good arm and a good stroke at the plate but still warns against expecting too much from the true freshman catcher.
“It’s hard for any freshman to hit on a consistant basis,” Thomas said. “They’re facing better pitching. Pitchers have more velocity, better location and more pitches. They go through mini slumps along the way.”
Weaver understands the competition at catcher. He said the fact that Liuzza is a solid player pushes him to improve in order to gain a significant amount of playing time.
“I’m really looking forward to Friday,” Weaver said. “I know I’m not going to play every game because Liuzza is a good catcher. He’s a good enough ballplayer to take my spot.”