Eight games into the 2003 season, LSU shortstop Matt Horwath was lost for the year due to a right shoulder injury.
The injury required surgery, and some shuffling had to be done. Aaron Hill, the first-round selection of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2003, moved back to shortstop from third base, was named Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and the rest is history.
Now to 2004. Horwath was again named the starting shortstop, and again was injured early in the season, this time seven games in. Although the injury to his arm will not keep him out the entire season, it is unclear when he will return.
Now Derek Hebert, a junior native of New Iberia, has taken the reins at shortstop and has made the most of his opportunity. Hebert was batting .387 going into last night’s game at the University of Louisiana at Monroe in seven starts. He had committed two errors in 41 chances and has a 95.1 percent fielding clip.
“He’s doing an outstanding job, better than one would’ve expected,” said LSU coach Smoke Laval. “But he’s supposed to do that or else he wouldn’t be here. He’s practiced just as much as anybody else. Hopefully it’s not just an adrenaline rush here. Matt Horwath, whenever he gets healthy, will take some of that pressure off of him. He’s a saviour right now, but I’m really not surprised. I always kind of figured he could do that.”
Hebert started his college baseball career at McNeese State in Lake Charles, La., after being named all-state at Catholic-New Iberia High School in 2000. He said he just needed a change of scenery if he was going to take advantage of his baseball ability.
He transferred to El Camino College in Torrance, Calif., in hopes of being noticed by some bigger schools.
“I wanted to go to a better school,” Hebert said. “I knew I was not going to go anywhere if I stayed there.”
Hebert said his experience in California was incredible and quite different from his Louisiana upbringing.
“It was awesome,” Hebert said. “It was right on the outskirts of Los Angeles, and the weather was beautiful. Great baseball weather. A few guys on the team surfed, so they showed me how to surf a little bit. It was pretty fun.”
However, Hebert’s goal was to get back home and play at LSU, and his .385 batting average with six home runs and 69 RBIs did not hurt his chances.
Now that he is the starter at shortstop, he said he wants to follow in the footsteps of former LSU greats at shortstop such as Hill, Brandon Larson, Ryan Theriot and Jason Williams.
“Those guys are all great, and I always looked up to them when I was growing up,” Hebert said. “It feels real good to be playing where they played.”
Laval said replacing Hill is impossible, so some of the burden goes on the rest of the team to pick up its offensive performance. But he did say he is pleased with the production from the shortstop position.
“You’re not going to actually replace Aaron Hill,” Laval said. “So all the other guys have to be better in their offensive performance, and they are. Right now defensively, we have not missed a beat. The only thing that’s missing a little bit is Aaron’s leadership because he was the veteran with new guys around him. This year at shortstop, there are those guys [Hebert and Horwath] that are rookies with veterans around them.”
In Laval’s system, shortstops need to be versatile. Laval said that is exactly what Hebert brings to the table.
“He can do a little bit of everything,” Laval said. “He has just enough power and gap power that he can drive guys in if they’re on first base. He has just enough speed that he can steal a base. And if he would get a little more vocal for me and become a little more of a quarterback, it would complete the package. I’m not expecting that from him, but so far he brings a little bit of everything.”
Hebert said he is growing into the role of the quarterback on the field. He said his experience at McNeese State will help him become more of a leader.
“I kind of had to do it my freshman year when I was shortstop at McNeese,” Hebert said. “I think I am doing my job pretty much, so far.”