Baseball Players Return from Summer Leagues

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08/21/2009
by Bill Franques
Senior Associate Sports Information Director

BATON ROUGE -- LSU baseball players that participated in summer collegiate leagues are back in Baton Rouge, ready to begin fall semester classes on Monday.

Several Tigers excelled in summer league competition, sharpening their skills for the upcoming season as LSU seeks to defend its 2009 NCAA championship.

LSU outfielder Leon Landry, playing for the Harwich (Mass.) Mariners in the Cape Cod League, batted .364 (36-for-99) this summer with four doubles, two homers and 12 RBI in 24 games.

Infielder Tyler Hanover participated in the Cape Cod League All-Star Game in July at Fenway Park in Boston, and he hit .300 (27-for-90) this summer for the Yarmouth-Dennis (Mass.) Red Sox with four doubles, two homers and 16 RBI in 25 games.

LSU catcher Micah Gibbs, who slugged three homers in 18 games for Yarmouth-Dennis, was named an alternate for the Cape Cod League All-Star Game. The Red Sox roster also included LSU pitcher Austin Ross, who was 1-1 with a 1.93 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 23.1 innings.

Two other Tigers – infielder Matt Gaudet and pitcher Shane Riedie – were named All-Stars for the Hannibal (Mo.) Cavemen in the Prospect League. Gaudet had 12 doubles, four homers and 24 RBI for the Cavemen, while Riedie was 4-2 with a 2.63 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 41 innings of work.

LSU infielder Grant Dozar collected five homers, one triple, four doubles and 15 RBI in 33 games for the Cavemen.

Shortstop Austin Nola batted .291 for the Danville (Ill.) Dans in the Prospect League with five doubles, two triples, one homer and 17 RBI in 24 games. Nola hit for the cycle on August 5 in a game versus the DuPage (Ill.) Dragons.

Pitcher Spencer Mathews earned All-Star recognition in the Coastal Plain League, as he posted three wins, one save and a 2.19 ERA. Mathews recorded 44 strikeouts and nine walks in 49.1 innings (25 appearances).

Meanwhile, LSU outfielder Johnny Dishon and pitcher Ben Alsup excelled in the Valley League. Dishon batted .304 (41-for-135) with 11 doubles, four homers, 37 runs and 25 RBI for the Staunton (Va.) Braves, while Alsup was 3-0 with a 2.42 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 22.1 innings for the Luray (Va.) Wranglers.

LSU begins its full-squad fall practice session on October 13. The Tigers open the 2010 season on February 19 when the play host to Centenary in Alex Box Stadium.

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