When you look at the history of it, the No. 8 jersey for LSU baseball is quite similar to the No. 18 jersey for LSU football. The tradition for both started after the program’s last national championship and is given to the upperclassman who exemplifies the spirit of the program.
Lafayette native Antoine Duplantis will be the latest to receive the honor for the baseball team to wear the No. 8 jersey. The tradition started with former St. Thomas More Cougar Mikie Mahtook and has been continued by Mason Katz, Alex Bregman, Jake Fraley, and Cole Freeman.
“Antoine Duplantis embodies all of the characteristics that we value in our program,” Head Coach Paul Mainieri said about the junior outfielder. “He’s an outstanding ballplayer, an excellent student, and a young man who cares deeply about LSU and the impact our program can make upon the lives of others. It’s an honor he has worked very hard to earn, and we’re thrilled that our 2018 team has Antoine in a significant position of leadership.”
Duplantis is a member of the 2017 SEC Academic Honor Roll and has a .321 cumulative batting average in his first two years at LSU.
-Clint Domingue