It is time to open your cracker jack box and head to the ballpark because baseball season has arrived.
The LSU baseball team kicks off the season Saturday with “Opening Day 2003,” a series of activities sponsored by the Tiger Baseball Alumni Foundation. The events begin at 9 a.m. at Alex Box Stadium with the annual YMCA Baton Rouge Kids’ Clinic and features an autograph session with current and former LSU baseball players as well as a home run derby.
Opening Day 2003 concludes with the fourth annual Alumni Game at 4 p.m. The 2003 Tiger baseball team will face a squad of former Tigers who are currently on a professional baseball roster.
LSU holds this year’s bragging rights after beating the Alumni team a year ago, but LSU head coach Smoke Laval said winning is not the main objective for the weekend.
“Our veterans are only going to get one at bat a piece, and pitchers that have never pitched before will pitch one inning a piece,” Laval said. “After the second inning, you’ll see a whole new lineup. We’ve just got to see who can play in front of 6,000 or 7,000 fans.”
The list of former Tigers includes two major leaguers — Armando Rios and Russ Johnson.
Rios plays outfield for the Pittsburgh Pirates and was a member of the 1991 and 1993 LSU national championship teams. The College World Series named Rios to the 1993 all-tournament team.
Johnson garnered an All-America selection and Southeastern Conference Player of the Year in 1994 and was a member of the 1993 national title team. He currently resides on the Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ roster.
“Some of them have national championship rings and some of them don’t,” Laval said. “But they all have definitely paved the way for where this program is today.”
After facing each other all fall, the Tigers are anxious to see how they fare against different opposition.
“That’s going to be fun,” Laval said. “Getting a different look and seeing how the guys react. That part is outstanding for us. Let alone we’re playing against a lot of professional players, so that will be great.”
Laval served as an assistant at LSU under Skip Bertman from 1984-1993 before leaving to become head coach at the University of Louisiana-Monroe for seven years, 1994-2000.
Laval said his favorite part about the weekend is having the chance to see his former players.
“We do this so they can come back and visit with us a little bit and reminisce and talk about old times,” Laval said. “They are special people, and I think that’s why they do come back and revisit once a year.”
The LSU baseball team won five national championships during the past 12 seasons and is arguably the top program in the country, and according to Laval, the Alumni Game is a direct result of that.
“A lot of clubs [have an alumni game] every other year, but our guys keep showing up each year, and I think it will get better and bigger,” Laval said. “It’s not like this has been going on for 15 years. I’m anxious to see where the program will be as far as the Alumni Game is concerned in about another four or five years.”
The Tigers will play under the new version of the “Intimidator,” the billboard display above the right field wall of Alex Box.
The billboard still depicts LSU’s five NCAA baseball titles with an image of a roaring tiger, but now it has a special tribute to the late Wally Pontiff.
An image on the bottom left of the board reads, “31 Wally,” in honor of Pontiff, who wore No. 31 and was a two-time All-SEC third baseman. Pontiff passed away last summer of heart abnormalities.
The LSU baseball team will wear the same logo on the back of their game caps throughout the season.