A week after one of LSU's right-handed pitchers said he will come back for his senior season, another did the same. Bo Pettit, following the lead of Jake Tompkins, said he is "100 percent sure" he'll be back in school in August and pitching for LSU in the spring.
Pettit, back in his hometown of Houston after a vacation to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., said Tuesday LSU has a great chance to get back to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., and he wants to be a part of it.
"I think it's a lot like in 2000," he said, referring to the Tigers' last national championship team. "All of the returning players got their feet wet. They knew what it would take to get to Omaha."
Pettit, drafted by the Minnesota Twins last month in the 13th round of the 2002 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, said the Twins made him one offer, but he turned down the offer and told the Twins he decided to return for his senior year at LSU.
"I had a chance to talk about it with my family," Pettit said, "and we figure the benefits of coming back next year will outweigh the benefits of leaving."
Pettit called LSU pitching coach Dan Canevari on Tuesday and told him he and Tompkins will share an apartment in Baton Rouge, and he said they're both excited about the upcoming season.
"Those guys watched the College World Series," Canevari said, "and they realize we've got a chance to have the best pitching staff in the nation next season."
Pettit was 9-7 last season with a 3.35 earned run average and 121 strikeouts in 121 innings. He had a personal best with 12 strikeouts in a game in February, then again a month later.
In the second half of the season, Pettit was 7-3 with a 2.64 ERA. In April he was named Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week on the strength of wins over Tulane and Georgia in a span of five days.
Tompkins (7-1, 2.68, four saves) was LSU's closer for the last half of the season. If left-hander Lane Mestepey is forced to redshirt for the 2003 season after undergoing shoulder surgery last month, LSU will move Tompkins back into the starting rotation, Canevari said, joining Pettit and Brian Wilson.
"Hearing the news from Bo was was kind of expected," Canevari said, "but the finality of it really closes down the recruiting season for us. We're still looking at a few hitters, but the pitching fell better than what we thought."
Pettit said he has 24 hours left to earn his degree in general studies with minors in business, sociology and technical sales. He said that was part of his decision.
"I'll definitely graduate," Pettit said. "That'll be good to get it out of the way. A lot of minor leaguers leave early and find out it's hard to come back and finish, so I'm glad I'll be finished when I leave LSU."
Wilson, a sophomore last season, and third baseman Wally Pontiff, a junior, are playing in the Cape Cod League. Pontiff hasn't announced if he'll be back or if he'll sign with the Oakland Athletics, who drafted him in the 21st round last month.
But Pettit said he and Tompkins and Pontiff all talked how good the Tigers could be next season if all of them come back. LSU finished the 2002 season 44-22 and ranked No. 11 in three national polls after reaching the Super Regional round.
"We're excited that we have the chance to be a pretty good team," Pettit said. "We can get LSU back to Omaha. It's been awhile."
