#4 Raph Rhymes Season 2025
2013 SEC Academic Honor Roll
2013 First-Team All-SEC
2013 NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team
2013 First-Team All-Louisiana
SEC Player of the Week (May 20, 2013)
2012 First-Team All-American (Collegiate Baseball, ABCA, NCBWA)
2012 Third-Team All-American (Baseball America)
2012 Dick Howser Award Finalist
2012 SEC Player of the Year
2012 SEC Academic Honor Roll
2012 ABCA First-Team All-South Region
2012 Louisiana Hitter of the Year
2011 SEC Academic Honor Roll
2011 Louisiana Newcomer of the Year
2011 First-Team All-Louisiana
MLB Draft: 40th round in 2011 (Pittsburgh); 30th round in 2012 (New York Yankees); 15th round in 2013 (Detroit)
A first-team all-American who led the nation in hitting in 2012 with a .431 average, becoming the first LSU player to lead the NCAA in batting average … completed his superb three-year LSU career with a .373 batting average … transferred to LSU prior to the 2011 season after enjoying a remarkable junior college year in 2010 … attempted to walk-on to the LSU team in the fall of 2008 but a roster spot was not available for him … transferred to LSU-Eunice, where in 2010 he was named a first-team All-American and the Junior College National Player of the Year, leading his team to the Division II JUCO national title … received his LSU degree in sports administration in May 2013 … selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 15th round of the 2013 MLB Draft and signed with Detroit in the summer of ’13.
2013 Season
Started 65 games in left field and three at DH, batting .331 (84-for-254) with 15 doubles, one triple, four homers, 46 RBI and 53 runs … voted first-team all-SEC by league coaches for second straight year … No. 6 in SEC in 2013 in runs scored (53) and No. 10 in the league in RBI (46) … named to the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional All-Tournament Team, batting .455 (5-for-11) with two RBI and one run … named SEC Player of the Week May 20 after leading Tigers to series win over Ole Miss; 4-for-8 in the series with one double, two homers and five RBI … launched game-winning HR in bottom of eighth inning of Game 2 (May 17) to erase 4-3 Rebels lead and lift LSU to 5-4 win … also had a inside-the-park HR in Game 1 of the Ole Miss series on May 16 … 5-for-10 in LSU’s three-game sweep of Florida (May 2-4) with two doubles, one RBI and three runs scored … 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored vs. South Carolina (April 27) … recorded the fifth four-hit game of his career on Feb. 22 vs. Southeastern La.; 4-for-5 with two 2B, five RBI and three runs .. delivered the game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth inning on Feb. 21 to lift LSU to a 6-5 walk-off victory over BYU.
2012 Season
Led the nation with a .431 (100-for-232) cumulative batting average, setting a school record and becoming the first LSU player to lead the NCAA in hitting … collected 11 doubles, four homers, 53 RBI and 44 runs on the year … started in 61 games (39 in left field, 19 in right field and three at DH … finished No. 1 in the SEC in batting average, No. 1 in hits (100), No. 1 in on-base pct. (.489), No. 5 in RBI (53), No. 6 in slugging pct. (.530) and No. 8 in total bases (123) … batted .566 (43-for-76) on the year with runners in scoring position … batted .458 (49-for-107) in SEC regular-season games with three doubles, three homers, 18 RBI and 18 runs … established LSU record for singles in a season with 85, breaking previous school mark of 78 singles … launched two-run homer in first inning of NCAA Regional final versus Oregon State (June 3) … hit .455 (5-for-11) in the Ole Miss series (May 4-6) with one RBI and four runs … hit .538 (7-for-13) in the Georgia series (April 27-29) with one homer, one RBI and two runs scored … in the Tigers’ series at No. 2 Kentucky (April 20-22), he hit .667 (8-for-12) with two doubles, one homer, four RBI and three runs … Rhymes was 4-for-4 in Game 3 against the Wildcats with one double, one homer, three RBI and two runs … batted .600 (6-for-10) in the Alabama series (April 13-15) with one double, three RBI and three runs … named SEC Player of the Week on April 2 as he enjoyed a phenomenal week at the plate, batting .588 (10-for-17) with one homer, six RBI and three runs … batted .583 (7-for-12) in the Tigers’ three-game sweep of third-ranked Arkansas (March 30-April 1) with one homer, six RBI and one run … hit .455 (5-for-11) in March 23-25 series at Auburn with two RBI and one run scored.
2011 Season
Started all 56 games (49 at DH, five in RF, two in LF) for the Tigers, batting .360 (77-for-214) with 18 doubles, three homers, 42 RBI, 43 runs and eight steals … batted .412 (28-for-68) with runners in scoring position … batted .339 (39-for-115) in SEC games with eight doubles, one homer, 16 RBI and 19 runs … batted .379 (22-for-58) over the Tigers’ final 15 games with seven doubles, one homer, 12 RBI and 14 runs … finished No. 6 in the SEC in batting average (.360) … 6-for-12 in the Mississippi State series (May 19-21) with two doubles, one homer, three RBI and five runs … 6-for-14 in Tennessee series (May 13-15) with three doubles, two RBI and five runs … his two-run double in April 17 game versus Auburn proved to be the difference in the Tigers’ 3-2 victory … batted .385 (5-for-13) in the Cal State Fullerton series (March 11-13) with five runs scored … 2-for-3 vs. Princeton on March 5 with two doubles and three runs scored; launched first career Division I homer vs. Princeton on March 4 … 3-for-5 with two doubles, two RBI and one run vs. Holy Cross (Feb. 26); collected career-best four RBI in Feb. 25 win over Holy Cross.
Prior to LSU
2010 Division II National Junior College Player of the Year … 2010 NJCAA Division II 1st Team All American … led LSU-Eunice to the 2010 JUCO Division II national title, batting .483 with 31 doubles, four triples, 12 homers, 98 RBI and 15 steals … struck out only nine times in 238 at-bats in 2010
High School
Three-time All-State selection at Neville High School … four-time All-District selection and three-time All-Area choice in high school … captain of the baseball team his senior season … All-District as a football wide receiver in his senior season
Personal
Full name is Raphael Ray Rhymes IV … parents are Ray III and Carol Rhymes … has one younger sister, Savannah … his grandfather, Ray Rhymes Jr., was a baseball letterman at LSU in 1954 and 1955 … majoring in sports administration-commerce at LSU … born October 22, 1989.
Rhymes’ LSU Career Highs
At-Bats: 7 at Alabama (4/20/13)
Hits: 4 four times; last vs. Southeastern La. (2/22/13)
Runs Scored: 3 six times; last vs. Southern (4/10/13)
Doubles: 2 seven times; last vs. South Carolina (4/27/13)
Triples: 1 at Alabama (4/19/13)
Home Runs: 1 several times; last vs. Ole Miss (5/17/13)
RBI: 6 vs. Grambling (2/28/12)
Stolen Bases: 1 several times; last vs. UL-Lafayette (6/2/13)