BATON ROUGE — Six LSU players were named to the 2001 All-Southeastern Conference baseball teams selected by the league’s head coaches, it was announced on Monday.
Among the Tigers honored was pitcher Lane Mestepey, who was named first-team all-conference and the SEC Freshman of the Year.
LSU second baseman Mike Fontenot and third baseman Wally Pontiff were also first-team selections.
Shortstop Ryan Theriot, first baseman Bryan Moore and outfielder Todd Linden were named to the second-team all-conference squad.
Mestepey, a native of Zachary, La., posted a 9-3 mark with a 3.61 ERA during the regular season as LSU’s No. 1 starting pitcher. In 107.1 innings, he recorded 32 walks and 58 strikeouts, and he allowed just four home runs.
Mestepey’s designation as Freshman of the Year marks the second straight season an LSU player has claimed the honor, as Fontenot was named the SEC’s best freshman in 2000.
Fontenot, a sophomore from Slidell, La., was one of two unanimous first-team selections this season — the other was Auburn outfielder Gabe Gross. Fontenot batted .359 (65-for-181) during the regular season with 12 doubles, 10 homers and 38 RBI.
Pontiff, a sophomore from Metairie, La., is batting .344 (76-for-221) with seven doubles, one triple, seven homers and 48 RBI.
Theriot, LSU’s team captain, is batting .359 (80-for-223) with 15 doubles, three triples, one homer and 40 RBI. Theriot, a Baton Rouge native, is LSU’s leading hitter in SEC games, batting .374 (46-for-123) with 11 doubles and 18 RBI.
Moore, a junior from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is the Tigers’ leading hitter overall, batting .385 (79-for-205) with 21 doubles, six homers and 43 RBI.
Linden, a junior from Bremerton, Wash., is hitting .317 (66-for-208), and he leads LSU in homers (16) and RBI (62).
The Tigers, ranked No. 9 this week in the ESPN/Baseball Weekly poll, depart Tuesday for Birmingham, Ala., to compete in the SEC Tournament. LSU, the tournament’s No. 2 seed, will face seventh-seeded Florida at 1 p.m. Wednesday.