Lying in bed with a virus was not the way Bo Pettit wanted to spend the first two weeks of his senior baseball season.
As Kansas laid the pine to LSU pitching during its sweep of the Tigers the second weekend of the season, the right-handed pitcher could only listen to his team play on the radio.
“I felt like I was letting the team down,” Pettit said. “Listening to the games is tough. I wasn’t able to really tell what was going on. I wanted to be out there.”
He was not only unable to play, but he was unable to join the team in the dugout, and while the LSU baseball team opened the 2003 season in Alex Box Stadium against Northwestern State, Pettit was in bed.
He thought the illness that sidelined him was mononucleosis. He was really weak and unable to move around. After undergoing a blood test, he received the only good news of the week.
“It was just a bad virus that lasted two weeks,” Pettit said. “Most people get it for a day or two. So far, I think I’m the only person in Baton Rouge to get it.”
Pettit decided to return for his senior campaign after the Minnesota Twins drafted him in the 13th round of the MLB draft. He came back to play baseball for LSU and contend for a national championship.
Now that he is healthy, Pettit is ready to get his first start for the Tigers (6-4) Sunday at 3 p.m. in Long Beach, Calif., against No. 9 Long Beach State (8-4).
“I am glad to be back,” he said. “The two weeks off really made me want to get back out on the mound. It would be nice to start my first game at home, but I’m just ready to get out there.”
He was scheduled to start this past Sunday for the Tigers, but a rain storm canceled Friday night’s game, reducing the three-game series to two and causing Pettit to miss another start.
He finally took the mound for the first time this season in the eighth inning Sunday against Houston with the Tigers holding a 5-0 lead.
He entered the game with no outs and two men on base, and after walking the first batter he faced, he retired the next six Cougars and picked up the first save of his career.
“I just tried to stay focused and concentrate on one batter at a time,” Pettit said. “I wanted to keep all the runners on base.”
Head coach Smoke Laval said it is important to get Pettit back into the rotation before the start of Southeastern Conference play.
“Getting Pettit back is a real plus for us,” Laval said. “He solidifies the rotation, and I’m excited for him that he is back healthy.”
Last season Pettit posted a record of 9-7 while appearing in 19 games. Through 121 innings pitched, he accumulated an ERA of 3.35 and led the team with 121 strike outs.
“Good pitching goes a long way,” Laval said. “It can cover up errors, bad hitting and losing streaks.
LSU pitcher Jake Tompkins said he is excited that Pettit is back in the rotation.
“It allows us to do different things with the pitching staff,” Tompkins said. “We can bring in Nate Bumstead from the bullpen like we’ve wanted to do from the beginning.
“If we’re undefeated going into Sunday’s game, we are all confident that Pettit will complete the series sweep. If we haven’t won a game yet, he can make sure that we get out of the series with at least one win.”
Barring any more unforeseen circumstances, Pettit should have the opportunity to step up to the mound for the beginning of Sunday’s game as the 14th-ranked Tigers try to get a winning streak started against the Dirtbags of Long Beach State.