BATON ROUGE — First-round draft picks Mike Fontenot and Todd Linden of LSU have signed pro contracts with their respective major league clubs. Fontenot, a second baseman, was the first-round selection (19th pick overall) of the Baltimore Orioles, and Linden, an outfielder, was the suppplemental first-round pick (41st selection overall) of the San Francisco Giants.
Meanwhile, LSU freshman pitcher Jason Vargas has left the team to return to his home in Apple Valley, Calif. Vargas, who was the 43rd-round selection of the Minnesota Twins, will likely enroll at a California junior college.
Though LSU will not have Fontenot, Linden and Vargas on its 2002 roster, the Tigers will feature six players who were selected in the 2001 draft.
Catcher Jonathan Zeringue and outfielder Jay Mattox, the third and fourth-round draft picks, respectively, of the Chicago White Sox, have opted to play at LSU and forgo their pro signing options. Zeringue is a product of E.D. White High School in Thibodaux, La., and Mattox is from Conway (Ark.) High School.
Outfielder Dustin Hahn of Galena High School in Reno, Nev., and first baseman Jason Columbus of New Mexico Junior College are also enrolled at LSU. Hahn was Baltimore’s 21st-round selection, and Columbus was chosen in the 49th round by the Cleveland Indians.
Two drafted members of LSU’s 2001 team, outfielder Sean Barker and right-handed pitcher Billy Brian, also will play for the Tigers this spring. Barker was drafted in the 46th round by the Toronto Blue Jays, and Brian was Cleveland’s 47th-round selection.
LSU’s 2002 squad begins its four-week fall practice period on Saturday, Sept. 22 in Alex Box Stadium. All intra-squad scrimmages during the fall will be open to the public.
The Tigers open the 2002 season Feb. 8 versus Birmingham Southern in Alex Box Stadium, beginning Smoke Laval‘s first season as head coach.