As a high school senior, the thought of becoming an LSU Tiger never crossed the mind of left fielder Ryan Patterson. Now, Patterson is trying to get LSU back to Omaha while enjoying life as a second-year Tiger.
“There’s no better place to play than [LSU],” Patterson said. “It’s an amazing atmosphere to play in. It’s just a great place to play.”
After getting drafted by the Kansas City Royals late in the 2001 Major League Baseball draft straight out of high school, Patterson elected to go to Texarkana College, where he batted .439 with 19 home runs and 75 RBIs.
“I was going to junior college just to play ball,” Patterson said. “I didn’t get recruited that much [out of high school.] I just wanted to give myself a chance to play.”
Patterson said because he was a two-sport athlete in high school, he was not able to pursue all of the colleges he wanted to attend.
“I was a football player also, so I didn’t get to do all the showcasing,” Patterson said. “I was playing football during the fall when all the other guys were going around and talking to colleges.”
When Patterson’s parents decided to move to New Orleans during his time at Texarkana, Patterson decided to make a trip to Baton Rouge for a weekend series with Alabama.
“[The fans] were so into the players,” Patterson said. “I sat in left field, and all the fans just love the players out there.”
Following his first year at Texarkana, Patterson received a phone call from LSU assistant coach Turtle Thomas while playing summer ball in Nebraska.
Although Patterson was drafted again in 2003, this time by the Atlanta Braves in the 34th round, he decided to try his luck with LSU.
“I wanted a chance to play in front of a bunch of people,” Patterson said. “[I wanted] to prove to myself and other people that I can hit off the best pitchers in the country.”
Proving his ability has been no problem for Patterson since he arrived in Baton Rouge last season.
Primarily used as LSU’s designated hitter, Patterson finished the 2003 season with a .350 batting average, 16 home runs and led the team in total bases with 163.
Patterson’s first at bat as a Tiger took place in the 2003 alumni game, facing former Tiger pitcher Jason Scobie.
“It was very nerve-racking, to say the least,” Patterson said. “When I went up to the plate, my knees were shaking.”
Stepping up to the plate is not as nerve-racking for Patterson anymore as he currently is ranked third on the team with a .341 batting average. Patterson also ranks second on the team in home runs (9), first in RBIs (49) and first in doubles (18).
Despite being three games back of first place, as well as getting swept by Arkansas at home, Patterson said losing is just a part of the game.
“We really learn a lot by failure,” Patterson said. “Baseball is a game of failure.”
Patterson added the losses to Arkansas only benefited the team.
“When we lost to Arkansas, our team came closer than ever before,” Patterson said. “We’re on our own pretty much, so we have to come together as a team.”
With a tough road series coming up this weekend when the Tigers travel to Lexington to take on Kentucky, coming together as a team is a necessity.
“You can’t have any individuals on the team,” Patterson said. “We’re a team full of team players.”