Baseball: Freshman Gunner Leger’s role in UL’s Sun Belt win

Tim Buckley, The Advertiser, May 24, 2015

 

Gunner Leger.

 

TROY, Alabama – After coming out on the short end of a few close games lately – including a 2-1 loss at Appalachian State, eventual 5-0 loss to South Alabama and a big one a few days ago – UL pitcher true freshman Gunner Leger knew what he had to do Sunday.

It was the championship game of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, the Ragin’ Cajuns again were playing No. 1 seed South Alabama and runs almost certainly would be at a premium.

All Leger wanted was to throw strikes, baby.

And keep it close.

Again.

The Barbe High product did just that, throwing 69 of his 102 pitches over 8.0 innings for strikes as UL won 5-1 in the 12th inning behind Stefan Trosclair’s grand slam.

"I can’t go grab a bat and go out there and try to win the game by myself," Leger said, "so I knew I just had keep putting up 0s, throw strikes, and give my team a chance to win, and it worked out."

Leger – the Sun Belt’s Freshman of the Year – struck out four while allowing just five hits and one run, and senior Greg Milhorn took care of the rest with one strikeout and only one hit allowed over his 4.0 relief innings.

"Gunner did a great job on three days rest gutting it out and keeping it close," Cajuns coach Tony Robichaux said of Leger, who also threw 92 pitches in UL’s 8-7 tourney-opening loss to Troy, "because if you get behind too much on those arms (South Alabama pitchers Kevin Hill and Ben Taylor), you’re gonna be finished."

Hill, the Sun Belt’s Pitcher of the Year, and Taylor combined to allow just one run and eight hits until Trosclair’s grand slam.

Leger, meanwhile, was trying to just hang in as long as he could and hand things off to Milhorn, who was Robichaux’s next-up pitcher no matter what the circumstances.

"I think after the fifth it was kind of adrenaline," he said. "I knew that the team needed me, and really I was just trying to go out there and throw strikes.

"I really tried to get strike 1 once I got past the fifth and sixth inning, because I knew I was running low on pitches. So I just tried to get ahead, and it worked out."

Did it ever.

Cajuns Leger, Trosclair, closer Dylan Moore and outfielder Kyle Clement all were named to the All-Tournament Team.

"It wasn’t about me," said Leger, who started the season as a midweek pitcher, moved the weekends and became UL’s Friday-night pitcher shortly after going 8.0 innings in a 14-2 win at nationally ranked Alabama in early March.

"They needed me," he added, "and I knew I had to come here and do my best and step up a little bit. If I threw strikes, I knew my defense would play behind me and we’d put up some runs."

Sooner, or – as in this case – later.

ALL-TOURNEY

Cajuns named to the Sun Belt All-Tournament Team:

Outfielder Kyle Clement

Starting pitcher Gunner Leger

Closer Dylan Moore

Second baseman Stefan Trosclair*

* Named Most Outstanding Player