#3 Mike Fontenot Season 2024
2001 First-Team All-Southeastern Conference
2001 NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team
2001 Second-Team ABCA All-South Region
2000 The Sporting News National Freshman of the Year
2000 Collegiate Baseball National Co-Freshman of the Year
2000 Baseball America First-Team Freshman All-American
2000 Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year
2000 College World Series All-Tournament Team
2000 NCAA Baton Rouge Regional All-Tournament Team
Major League Baseball Draft:
1999: Tampa Bay Devil Rays (21st round, 625th overall)
2001: Baltimore Orioles (1st round, 19th overall)
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2001)
First-Team All-SEC selection at second base after batting .339 (103 for 292) with 13 doubles, 14 home runs, 64 runs and 50 RBI … Helped the Tigers lead the SEC in batting (.318) on the way to an SEC Western Division title (18-12) … Ranked No. 9 in school history with a .347 batting average … Earned his second varsity letter … Was able to forgo his final two seasons of college eligibility due to his age … Entered the 2001 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft and was selected 19th overall in the first round by the Baltimore Orioles … A 2001 pre-season all-American (Baseball America) regarded as one of the top pro prospects in the country after enjoying a magnificent freshman season in 2000 … Dubbed preseason SEC Player of the Year by Baseball America.
FRESHMAN SEASON (2000)
Received National Freshman of the Year recognition as LSU’s starting second baseman, batting .353 (103-for-292) with 13 doubles, three triples, 17 homers, 64 RBI, 93 runs and eight steals…became the third LSU player to win National Freshman of the Year award, following second baseman Todd Walker (1992) and pitcher Brett Laxton (1993)…Fontenot’s 17 homers set an LSU freshman record, surpassing the previous mark of 15 established by Blair Barbier in 1997…Fontenot’s 93 runs scored in 2000 led the SEC and represented the third-highest total in league history…LSU’s leading hitter in the NCAA Tournament, batting .432 (16-for-37) in nine games with four doubles, two homers and nine RBI…named to the College World Series all-tournament team as he hit a team-best .462 (6-for-13) with two doubles, one homer, two RBI and six runs…4-for-9 in the NCAA Super Regional versus UCLA with two RBI and two runs…named to the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional all-tournament team, hitting .400 (6-for-15) with two doubles, one homer, five RBI and five runs…batted .353 (6-for-17) in the SEC Tournament with two doubles, five RBI and six runs…homered twice in May 13 win over Alabama, driving in three runs…also homered twice in win at SE Louisiana (March 14)…5-for-9 in two-game Vanderbilt series (March 17-18) with two homers, two doubles, four RBI and six runs…9-for-16 in three-game Central Florida series (March 3-5) with two homers, four RBI and five runs…recorded a 12-game hitting streak which ended April 4 versus New Orleans.
HIGH SCHOOL
A four-year baseball letterman at Salmen High, where he earned numerous honors…a 1999 first-team all-state selection, and the all-Metro MVP as selected by the New Orleans Times-Picayune…batted .556 (40-for-72) in ’99 with 13 doubles, two triples, 13 homers, 42 RBI, 18 steals and 38 runs…was also named the ’99 St. Tammany Parish MVP and the district MVP…was also a first-team all-state, all-Metro and all-parish selection in his junior, sophomore and freshman seasons…helped lead Salmen to the 1996 state title as he batted .445 as a freshman…for his four-year career, he batted .535 (140-for-262) with 35 doubles, 11 triples, 30 homers, 128 RBI, 139 runs and 57 steals…Salmen posted a 75-21-1 record during his career…also earned two letters in football as a return specialist, defensive back and wide receiver…garnered first-team all-parish and all-district honors in football.
PERSONAL
Full name is Michael E. Fontenot Jr….parents are Michael E. Fonenot Sr. and Lisa Lauren Fontenot…has two younger brothers, Christopher and Seth, and a younger sister, Jennifer…hobbies include hunting and fishing…chose to attend LSU because of its academic reputation, and “it is by far the best baseball program in the nation”…credits his father with having the greatest influence on his athletic career…born June 9, 1980.