By Ryan Rogers
LSUsports.net
(3/14/01)
There’s an old cliche that says competition brings out the best in you. That cliche is being validated this season on the LSU baseball team by a pair of junior college transfers.
Zeph Zinsman and Bryan Moore are two of the hottest hitting Tigers out of the gate this season. The pair has another thing in common. They are both competing for the starting first base job. As it turns out, the two have a number of things in common.
Zinsman transferred to LSU via Mission Junior College in Santa Clara, Calif.. Since his arrival to LSU’s campus, Zinsman has been on a tear at the plate. He is batting .328 with a team best 7 HR and 17 RBI. He was named Baseball America Player of the week after a four home run, two double and single weekend in a three game series versus Duquesne. In that series he hit three home runs in one game.
“It’s been great since I’ve gotten here,” says Zinsman. “I’ve had a really good time going to school at LSU and hanging out with the players on the team. With the fans and Baton Rouge, LSU has been everything I expected it to be.”
Zinsman attributes LSU hitting coach Turtle Thomas to his success at the plate.
“He’s really worked with me a lot. He helped me work the kinks out of my swing and its paid dividends for me so far.”
Not lost amongst the hitting barrage that Zinsman has displayed is Bryan Moore’s hot bat. Moore, a transfer from Indian River Community College in Fort Pierce, Fla., is batting .435 with 4 HR and 19 RBI.
Moore shined in the Arizona St. series where he went 5-for-5 with two home runs en route to leading LSU to a 15-7 victory in game two.
“I’ve been swinging the bat early in the count so I can look to hit the first fastball I get. It’s been a little overwhelming to me (success). It’s going great,” says Moore.
Moore, like many other players, is enjoying his time at LSU.
“It’s been great with the fans and the people in the town,” adds Moore. “Everyone treats you so nice around here. We would draw about 20 fans a game where I used to play at, now I play in front of 7,500 every game. That’s exactly why I came to LSU.”
Zinsman and Moore have handled the battle for first base like every coach dreams that two players would. Instead of growing weary of each other and dividing the team over the issue. They have elevated each others game and become very close friends in the process.
“Bryan and I are very close friends,” says Zinsman. “We hang out together all the time. We have a very strong relationship and we respect each other’s abilities tremendously. We understand that we have to play hard come game time.”
“We have probably the strongest relationship on the team,” says Moore. “We’re both keeping our heads up. One day I’ll play the bag and he’ll DH. Another day he’ll play the bag and I’ll DH. As long as we both continue to play well I think things we’ll work out great.”
LSU head coach Skip Bertman has rotated the two big hitters at first base and DH successfully this season. In reality, there can be no loser in this situation. If one player does separate himself from the other and takes over the first base position full-time, the other will still be in the lineup everyday as a DH.
Regardless of who’s playing first base, both players are only interested in one thing.
“I want to go to Omaha,” says Moore. “We need to take it one game at a time and try to get to Omaha,” says Zinsman.
A little depth is never a bad thing. LSU is blessed to have two very talented players at the position. It’s a problem some coaches wished they had. Especially when it’s being handled in the manner Zinsman and Moore are handling it.
Bertman is looking for leadership on his young squad in 2001. Moore and Zinsman are doing their part in setting a good example for their teammates.