Emergence of Jordan Thompson Proving to be Potential Season Changing Rise for LSU Baseball
Paul Mainieri has placed freshman shortstop Jordan Thompson into an elite class of "obsessive" LSU baseball players. Rain or shine, Thompson is always working on his craft and the latest results are starting to pay off for him and the Tigers.
Mainieri said the same thing about Alex Bregman many years ago and while it's unfair to compare Thompson to Bregman, the work ethic and dedication to getting better each and every day is what astounds Mainieri.
"One thing about Jordan Thompson, he loves the game, he works very hard at the game," Mainieri said. "He'll work all day long if you let him and he'll live in those batting cages. He's just obsessed with the game and he can't get enough of it and that's one of the reasons I've stuck with him."
That obsessive mindset is something that Thompson says he's just always had. As a six and seven-year-old, Thompson would beg his father to take him to the field every day to hit and field ground balls.
So even on a week like this, where rain has kept LSU from playing a midweek game and off the field, you better believe Thompson is finding ways to stay sharp.
"If there's no practice, I wanna practice. If you're not really getting better, you're getting worse," Thompson said.
By nature, Thompson has a bit of a pull swing, so much so that when he's stepped to the plate this season, defenses are starting to shift to the left side of the field because they know what's coming. But that all changed this last weekend against Kentucky.
En route to an 8-for-12 weekend against the Wildcats, Thompson started to hit the ball to the opposite field, something that he and hitting coach Eddie Smith have worked tirelessly on the last month or so.
"A lot of things we've been working on are starting to click so it really helps me with my confidence," Thompson said. "That's been the focus for me, hitting line drives over the second baseman's heads, that's my focus, It's definitely going to open up a lot more holes as I continue to put balls that way. The more I can hit the ball to those spots, the more I'll be able to help the team out and that's the main focus."
All of the sudden his batting average has sky rocketed from .231 right before SEC play to .295 after an impressive few weeks at the plate in SEC play. But it hasn't just been his bat that's improved mightily over the last several weeks. His glove has become one of the most consistent in the entire conference.
It all started to click a few weeks into the 2021 schedule. He was in and out of the lineup because he was just a little too passive in the field. He tried so hard to not make a mistake that he wound up becoming inconsistent at shortstop.
"The pace of play gets faster and faster so sitting back on balls isn't really an option because guys are a lot faster," Thompson said. "I think it took me a little time to realize that but I know how important it is for me to attack balls and get them over to first and second as quick as possible."
Thompson's glove has since turned a page starting with the UT San Antonio series right before the SEC schedule, becoming more aggressive and making plays all over the field. He's making difficult grabs look easy and has only committed five errors in 32 games, using his "rifle" arm and energy to pump up his teammates.
"He has just a rifle of an arm," catcher Hayden Travinski said. "He plays with a lot of energy, a lot of passion and as a teammate that's really cool to see. When your teammate consistently in the game, whether they're doing poorly or there 4-for-4, bringing that undeniable energy is really cool to see. He's done that the last few weeks."
All season long, everyone has marveled at the play of true freshmen Dylan Crews and Tre Morgan and rightfully so. But Thompson is proving every day that a third freshman should be thrown into that mix.
"He's really been a good player for us and he's going to get nothing but better, I think LSU has a really outstanding player on their hands with Jordan Thompson," Mainieri said.