It all started in the back yard.
Like many before him, Hunter Newman‘s dream of playing collegiate baseball began in the back yard with his father, Earl, who had put up a batting cage behind their home in Bloomingdale, Ga., when Hunter was just four years old.
Newman spent countless hours in the cages taking cuts, practicing with his younger brothers and working with his father with all sights set on playing at the next level.
The Georgia boy took one trip to Baton Rouge, and didn’t just like the food. He thought the atmosphere, traditions and coaching staff were just what he was searching for. Having a chance to suit up in the Purple and Gold was a dream come true for Newman, who tossed one inning and one strikeout in his first collegiate appearance on Feb. 17, 2013, against Maryland.
After appearing in 13 games and going 2-0 in 2013, holding opponents to a .160 batting average, Newman was ready to start his sophomore campaign where he left off. However, bone spurs in his right shoulder led him to a pitcher’s worst nightmare and forced him to have a medical procedure and remain sidelined during the 2014 season.
Fast-forward to Sunday, Feb. 21, 2015. LSU had an 11-1 lead entering the top of the seventh against Boston College with one out, and Newman was called upon to make his first appearance of the season—his first since May 31, 2013.
The first batter he faced struck out swinging. The second walked, and the third grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the seventh. Newman worked his way out of the inning.
“I never thought I was going to pitch again,” Newman explained.
The thought ran through Newman’s mind, but his will to get back on the rubber pushed him through the countless hours of rehab and numerous bags of ice. The anticipation to get back out on the mound was palpable.
“That is a testimony to him wanting to get back and him putting in the time and the rehab,” LSU pitching coach Alan Dunn emphasized. “Rehab for a pitcher is such a lonely time because you feel like you’re on an island by yourself. You have to get there mentally. You have to grind it out.”
It was not an easy feat, but it was worth the work for Newman, who took the mound for the first time in the fall of 2014 and faced former LSU centerfielder Andrew Stevenson in a live batting practice session.
“My first pitch, Stevenson hit one out of the park, and I thought, ‘Well, this is going to start really well,’” Newman later joked.
As Newman said, he could only go up from there, and he did as he worked his way into becoming one of the Tigers’ most reliable late-inning guys.
In 2015, the right-hander boasted a 0.49 ERA in 36.2 innings pitched, posting a 3-0 record after coming out of the bullpen 24 times. He also accumulated four saves in SEC regular-season play.
“You just have to stay on the positive side of things,” Newman explained. “If you work hard, you’ll come back better. I took that mentality, and it’s worked so far.”
He’s continued to succeed during the 2016 campaign and had pitched 20.2 innings through the first 36 games of the season, making 16 appearances and holding opponents to a .183 batting average.
Coming out of the bullpen as a late-inning reliever was another obstacle that Newman had to get past, as he was a starter in high school and had made a couple of starts during his LSU freshman campaign. However, he’s grown accustomed to his role and has embraced the challenge of coming out of the bullpen during late-inning, high-pressure situations.
“It takes the weight off of your shoulders when you know that everyone trusts you to get the job done,” Newman explained.
After being around for the 2013 campaign and experiencing the 2015 College World Series trip, the junior is here to get his team back to Omaha in the quest for a national title.
His experience to the LSU pitching staff is key. After being in the program for over three years, the redshirt junior understands what he is capable of doing on the mound and what it takes to succeed both as a team and individually.
“He knows who he is as a pitcher, and he doesn’t try to get out of that zone as a pitcher, Dunn said. “He’s a guy who can go out there and command two pitches. When you do that, you can throw them in any counts. You have a chance to be really successful, and he’s been doing that for the last two years.”