BATON ROUGE, La. – Seven current and former members of the LSU baseball squad received their diplomas Friday in a special graduation ceremony held in the Champion’s Club at Alex Box Stadium.
Team members receiving their degrees were pitcher Kevin Berry (sports administration), pitcher Joey Bourgeois (interdisciplinary studies), first baseman Mason Katz (sports administration), outfielder Raph Rhymes (sports administration), undergraduate assistant coach and former first baseman Blake Dean (interdisciplinary studies), equipment manager and former infielder Matt Fury (chemical engineering) and former catcher Jordy Snikeris (finance).
“This is an extremely significant accomplishment for these student-athletes,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri, who conferred the diplomas. “These are first-class young men who are going make significant impacts upon the lives of others in their chosen fields. Most people don’t realize how difficult it is to excel in athletics while working toward graduation. We are extremely proud of them for their great effort and for the sacrifices they’ve made to earn their degrees.”
The ceremony included opening remarks by the team’s academic advisor, Becca Hubbard.
“Becca means so much to our team because of the guidance and inspiration she gives to our players,” Mainieri said. “Her dedication to their academic success is a cornerstone of our program.”
The ceremony also included a commencement address from professor of biological sciences Dr. Scott Crousillac, who spoke of the players’ responsibility to continue to represent LSU in a positive manner as graduates of the university.
The ceremony concluded with an emotional speech delivered by Fury, who shared a few anecdotes about his fellow graduates and told them he cherished the friendships they had formed.