Louis Coleman of Schlater took his lumps late in the season, but overall, he is pleased with his performance during his freshman year at LSU.
Coleman was hit hard in two of his final three starts on the mound - losing all three en route to a 5-6 record.
"I wasn't throwing as many strikes later in the season, and you can't afford to get behind batters in the SEC," the Pillow Academy product said. "The SEC was tougher than I had expected. If you make a mistake, leave a pitch up, these guys will usually make you pay."
Coleman, who became the first high school player in Mississippi to be drafted last June when he was picked in the 28th round of the 50-round draft by the Atlanta Braves, picked LSU just prior to the start of school last August after considering offers from Meridian Community College and Ole Miss. Coleman quickly caught the attention of the coaches in the fall and then had the Tiger fans buzzing in February when the newcomer had a strong showing in the LSU alumni game.
That performance earned him the Tigers' first mid-week start of the season against Centenary. He allowed an RBI double in the first and a solo home run in the second but then settled down to get the win. He went 52/3 innings in LSU's 15-3 win with eight strikeouts - pitching hitless baseball in his final 22/3 innings.
He won his second collegiate start and then got back-to-back no decisions in solid outings against Louisiana-Monroe and Tulane.
Then he got his first SEC start at Kentucky on March 19. He pitched well enough for the Tigers to win but got little run support in LSU's 6-3 loss. Coleman allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits in five innings while striking out three and walking two.
Two weeks later, Coleman had become a permanent fixture in LSU's SEC rotation.
"There were some tough times along the way, but my first season of college baseball was a lot of fun. Playing with so many talented guys and traveling around to the different ballparks in the SEC was really special," said Coleman, the 2005 Commonwealth prep player of the year. "I accomplished my goal of making the weekend rotation and had some success in a tough league. It was a great experience."
In 15 plate appearances, including 13 starts, Coleman finished with a 6.14 ERA. He allowed 60 runs (55 earned) on 95 hits in 802/3 innings while striking out 50 and walking 33. He gave up a team-high 15 home runs.
Coleman's top two highlights of the season came in outings against instate rival Tulane and SEC Western Division foe Alabama.
He allowed three runs on eight hits in 71/3 innings against Tulane while striking out five and walking one. In his team's 7-6 win over the Crimson Tide, Coleman had his longest outing of the year - missing a complete-game victory by one out. He allowed six runs on nine hits in 82/3 innings while fanning five and walking four.
"The Tulane game had a great crowd and great atmosphere, so that was a pretty special performance. And, of course, the Alabama win was a big one from an SEC standpoint and that I almost pitched my first collegiate complete game," he said.
After the April 14 win over Alabama, Coleman was riding high with a 4-2 record, but things quickly got tougher for the young pitcher. He went 1-4 from there, losing his final three outings.
Against Vanderbilt, he had his shortest stint of the season, allowing nine runs on six hits in 12/3 innings. Things weren't much better for him in the SEC Tournament against a red-hot Ole Miss team, as Coleman lasted just two innings, allowing seven runs on five hits and four walks.
Coleman said he learned a lot from his struggles and hopes to use that to become a better pitcher in 2007 for the Tigers.
"Pitching in the SEC isn't as much about velocity as it is about location. You have to concentrate on every pitch and keep the ball down," said Coleman, who says he averaged 89 miles per hour on his fastball and hit as high as 93 once.
Coleman and the rest of the Tigers are currently without a head coach after Smoke Laval was forced to resign a week ago today after a disappointing 35-24 season that saw LSU finish eighth overall in the SEC and miss NCAA regional play for the first time since in 18 years.
Coleman said he was somewhat surprised and disappointed with the decision to fire a coach who had a record of 210-109-1 and an SEC mark of 88-60-1 and led the Tigers to in the College World Series in 2003 and 2004 and won the SEC Championship in 2003.
"It's a little disappointing because these coaches are the ones who recruited me here," Coleman explained.
As far as a new coach is concerned, Coleman has heard the names of several candidates, including Ole Miss' Mike Bianco, Alabama's Jim Wells and Vanderbilt's Tim Corbin, but he wouldn't say if he had a preference.
"I had someone call from the athletic office, telling me they would get the best coach possible and that they would let me know when that happens."
While he's waiting word on a new coach, Coleman will be playing in an NCAA-sanctioned wooden-bat league in Danville, Ill., that is sponsored by Major League Baseball.
