Expectations.
Every fan has them, but for LSU fans, they’re exceptionally high. With a prominent baseball program that has produced 14 SEC Championships and six National Championships, every season has the potential to be memorable.
One of those special seasons was in 2009, the last time the LSU baseball team won a national title. After coming off of a trip to Omaha the previous year, the Tigers were expected to make it back, and win. Pitcher Matty Ott‘s expectations going into that season weren’t so high.
“I just hoped to make the travel squad my freshman year,” Ott said. “I just wanted to make the 25-man roster. Luckily, Coach (Paul Mainieri) gave me the opportunity to go in there and pitch, and the rest just happened. I didn’t expect it to turn out this way.”
Just making the travel squad quickly evolved into Ott becoming one of the most reliable pitchers on a talented staff. He allowed no runs in 28 of his 37 appearances on the mound that season. Ott did something else unexpected that year- he set a school record.
The LSU single-season saves record was 14, held by Rick Greene since 1991. In Ott’s first appearance in an NCAA Regional tournament he preserved a 3-2 LSU lead over Baylor in the 10th inning to earn his 15th save, and a place in the record books. The feat didn’t go unnoticed by his teammates.
“I was aware of (the record) because some of the guys on the team had brought it up,” Ott said. “You know it’s there, but you try not to think about it. It’s impossible not to, but it was just another goal to reach.”
For the dominant righty, déjà vu is now starting to set in. Ott has tied Greene as LSU’s all-time saves leader with 29. With one more save, Ott will once again rewrite the record books.
“It’s always cool to break records,” he said. “Obviously every save is important, but the 30th will be special. I’ll never forget it.”
Ott has the opportunity to break the record within the first month of the season, something he couldn’t do in 2009.
“If it happens, it’ll be good that it happens early in the season,” Ott said. “That way when the postseason and SEC tournament come, you’re ready to go and it’s behind you. It’s exciting. It’s going to be a special moment, but I don’t constantly think about it every day.”
Although talk of school records is once again surrounding Ott’s name, that was rarely the case last season. The Tigers didn’t resemble the championship team they were in 2009.
“The whole team chemistry was different,” Ott said. “We didn’t win the right games, we didn’t hit in the clutch, and we didn’t do some of the things we did in 2009. I blew two saves, and those were big SEC games. It could’ve made a big difference on whether we hosted (an NCAA regional) or not. You realize it was a tough season and you have to put it behind you.”
Ott did just that as he headed to Massachusetts this past summer to play in the prestigious Cape Cod League. He put up better numbers than his freshman LSU season, finishing the summer with a 0.44 ERA in 20.1 innings of work. He also participated in the 2010 Cape Cod League All-Star Game. All Ott had to do was remember why he plays the game he loves.
“At LSU you have 10,000 people at every game and fans expect so much of you, so you feel some pressure,” he said. “At summer ball, the biggest crowd was probably 500 people, and that was a big game. When you’re out there, you realize why you play the game. You go out there, have fun, and don’t think as much.”
Ott has carried that mentality into this season, hoping it will prove to be just as successful.
“Sometimes you rest on what you’ve done in the past, and there were a few days last year that I probably did that and didn’t realize it,” he said. “This year, every day I come to the field I’m trying to get better because I realize what can happen. You can go from up to down so quickly. The biggest thing is just to go out there and have fun.”
Although the expectations of LSU baseball fans may never change, Matty Ott‘s have. He no longer is concerned with making the travel squad, but now wants to be perfect in saves this season. If he achieves that goal, Ott is sure to have a special place in LSU history for many years to come.