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Baseball: Fuselier Comes to Terms With PiratesBaseball: Fuselier Comes to Terms With Pirates Baseball: Fuselier Comes to Terms With Pirates
University of Louisiana outfielder Alex Fuselier evolved into a well-rounded baseball player in his three seasons as a Ragin’ Cajun, improving his numbers each season. On Thursday, the St. Martinville native chose to accept a new challenge and strive for continued success.
Fuselier will forego his senior collegiate season at UL as he signed a professional contract Thursday afternoon with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. He was recently drafted in the 21st round of the MLB Draft by the Pirates. Fuselier improved his offensive numbers each year for the Cajuns (.245 as a freshman, .295 as a junior, .308 as a junior). This past season as the Cajuns’ leadoff hitter he posted a .308 average with four homers, 21 RBI and a team-high 14 stolen bases. Fuselier closed out his junior campaign hitting safely in 29 of the last 35 games he played. During the stretch, which began in mid-March, he recorded four separate seven-game hitting streaks. He registered 10-plus hits in all four seven-game hitting streaks with his best stretch coming April 2-12 (.483, 14-of-29). A two-time recipient of Capital One Academic All-District honors, Fuselier scored a career-best 46 runs in 2011, a tally which ranked fifth in the Sun Belt Conference during regular season play. "It’s tough to leave UL," Fuselier said. "But, I’m grateful for the blessing and the opportunity to achieve a lifelong dream." Fuselier was one of two Ragin’ Cajuns drafted in last week’s MLB Draft (T.J. Geith, 39th round, Tampa Bay). Contract details were not immediately disclosed and he is expected to depart Lafayette on Sunday to report to PNC Park in Pittsburgh for a physical before heading to State College, Pa., to join his teammates. Fuselier will be suiting up for the Pirates’ Class A-Short Season affiliate State College Spikes of the New York-Penn League. "It’s always a great opportunity for players to advance from our University to professional baseball," Ragin’ Cajuns head baseball coach Tony Robichaux remarked. "Alex (Fuselier) came into our program undrafted out of high school and through hard work developed into a professional player.
Fuselier will join several notable Cajuns in professional baseball, the most prominent being current Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy. The list of notable Cajuns in the minor league ranks includes: Chad Beck, Scott Dohmann, Danny Farquhar, Chase Lambin, Dayton Marze, Zach Osborne, and Greg Wilborn. — Ragin’ Cajuns —
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