At a university where nearly every athletic program is nationally relevant, there’s never a shortage of options. There are always electric playmakers to be found.

The Reveille Athlete of the Week is LSU baseball first baseman Jared Jones.

Jones was essential in No. 7 LSU’s series win over No. 6 Tennessee, especially in Friday’s rain-delayed victory.

“You don’t get to see the everyday work he puts it behind these walls, but we have been putting in the work,” head coach Jay Johnson said. “And what a swing, when you ascend to that caliber, you get pitched differently, but he never gets down and stays positive.”

The Tigers’ most anticipated weekend yet was off to a slow start. Tennessee was first on the board in the sixth inning and racked up two more runs by the end of the ninth and well past midnight.

It was looking grim for LSU – scoreless and facing a shutout to open the weekend.

Everything changed in the final inning when Ethan Frey, Jake Brown and Tanner Reaves were able to round home base and even the score.

Hope was alive, but the Tigers had only one out left as Jones was up to bat.

On the first pitch, Jones hit it out of the park, bringing two hitters home with him.

The game-winner was his fourteenth home run of the season along with 12 doubles and 58 RBIs. He boasts an overall batting average of .354.

“He’s been working really hard these past few weeks, as it paid off tonight,” Johnson said after the game.

LSU lost the momentum in Game 2 on Saturday and fell 9-3, but rallied in the pair’s final matchup for a 12-2 mercy rule.

Jones claimed six putouts and was a part of key defensive plays that denied the Volunteers a chance to make a comeback. On offense, he made one run and had the second highest batting average of .358. Jones went 2-for-4 with a double and a walk in Sunday’s win.