BATON ROUGE — The 2009 LSU Baseball team received its national championship rings at a special ceremony Saturday in Alex Box Stadium.
Each member of the squad was given his ring on the field by LSU Director of Athletics Joe Alleva and LSU Chancellor Mike Martin.
The ceremony, which was open to the public, began with a special video commemorating the 2009 championship run at the College World Series, followed by remarks from Alleva and Martin.
LSU head coach Paul Mainieri also addressed the crowd after the ring presentation.
“As a boy you dream of days like this,” Mainieri said. “Then the day gets here, and I can tell you it’s better than your dreams.
“This team was a special group of kids to work with. They deserve everything they get and this is their day, the 2009 national champions.”
Mainieri also thanked the fans for their support of the team during the 2009 season. LSU’s home attendance for the season was over 403,000.
“The fans of LSU baseball make LSU baseball what it is,” Mainieri said. “Thanks to all of you for everything you do.”
After the ring presentation, the 2009 team signed autographs and took pictures with fans on the concourse of the stadium.
“This is a special day for me,” former LSU pitcher and 2009 All-American Louis Coleman said. “It’s special to come back together as a team for something like this. It brings back a lot of good memories.”
“We enjoyed this so much,” Mainieri concluded. “I think we should do it again, and again, and again.”
(Press Release)
Other LSU Notes
- LSU head coach Paul Mainieri was inducted into the St. Thomas University Hall of Fame on Sunday, November 1. Mainieris was the head coach at St. Thomas from 1983 to 1988 prior to his first Division I job at Air Force. Four of his St. Thomas teams were ranked in the Divsion II top ten during his tenture.
- LSU is holding an on-going on-line auction for memorabilia from the old Alex Box Stadium. Things like infield dirt, framed pieces of net that hung behind home plate, seats, signs, and other memorabilia are available at www.alexboxauctions.net.