Ever since he could remember, sophomore outfielder Antoine Duplantis wanted to don the colors of LSU. It runs through his veins and like a true Tiger, he bleeds purple and gold.
He comes from a long line of LSU athletes. His mother, Helena,competed in the heptathlon and played volleyball, while his father, Greg, was a pole vaulter for the Tigers.
He even took a shot at pole vaulting for a short period of time, actually competing in the sport up until his 8th grade year.
However, something always seemed to tug at his heart strings. He always had a love for the game of baseball.
“I always knew growing up that I wanted to get into baseball, so that is what I did and I stayed with it,” said Duplantis. “I remember seeing pictures of myself in preschool always dressing up as a baseball player. I used to bug the heck out of my parents to play catch with me in the backyard.”
He knew that wearing purple and gold pinstripes was always what he wanted.
“I think most kids that grow up in Louisiana want to come to LSU and I was the same way,” Duplantis said. “Even if my parents had not come to LSU, I still would have come here. Ever since I have been watching LSU baseball, I have wanted to come here so it is a dream come true.”
Coming in as a true freshman, Duplantis made an instant impact on the field, solidifying himself as worthy of a starting role on the team. He was and is held in high regard by his peers and his coaches.
“Antoine has been one of the best players in our program from the time he got here, and in my opinion, one of the best players in the SEC,” said coach Paul Mainieri. “He has always been a good hitter. He can run, play defense, steal bases, what is there not to like?”
With his hitting ability, Duplantis has established himself as a key fixture in the starting lineup for LSU. In fact, he has never hit below the third spot in the starting nine.
“It’s huge batting in the top of the order, especially in that one or two-hole,” said Duplantis. “Here at LSU people are going to come after you pitching, so it is very important that you get on base as much as you can so that the guys behind you can get you in.”
Duplantis got off to a slow start in 2017, as he did not record a hit in the first three games of the season, going 0 for 12.
“I don’t like to call them slumps, I just was not getting any hits,” Duplantis explained. “I was making good contact, but I was hitting balls right at people.”
That slow start did not last long. Since those first three games, Duplantis has been on a hot streak that would make professionals jealous.
He recorded 23 hits and 13 RBI in a 13-game stretch, pulling his average up to .354. He was also leading the team through the early portion of the scheduled with seven steals.
“That is a big part of Antoine’s game,” said Mainieri. “He gets on base, steals bases to put a lot of pressure on the opposing team. That is what makes him so special, he is an all-around player, whether it is offensively or defensively.”
The Tigers will need Duplantis to be at his best for the remainder of the season, as the SEC schedule is now in full swing.
Duplantis sees this as an opportunity to grow, not only as a player but as a team. He looks forward to the challenges that those great opponents bring.
“We’ve played some good ones in TCU, Baylor, and Texas Tech and we were right there with them,” Duplantis said. “I still think we have a lot of improving and jelling to do as a team, and I think we have not even reached our full potential yet. I think there are a lot of good things to come and I want to see how we do against the high competition of the SEC.”