LSU baseball player Hayden Travinski brought new meaning to the term student-athlete.
The Tigers catcher meshed baseball with academics with a unique bat. Travinski swung a stick that resembled a No. 2 pencil when LSU played Northern Illinois on Thursday.
Here’s a look at the special pencil bat in action:
When you have to take the SAT but baseball is life.
Check out the bat that Hayden Travinski is using today😂
This is literally a No. 2 Ticonderoga pencil, definitely a unique concept. @WAFB pic.twitter.com/4L3b2ihwAy
— John Eads WAFB-TV (@JohnEadsWAFB) February 22, 2024
Travinski hasn’t needed a gimmick to stand out on the diamond. The graduate student entered Thursday as a career .302/.412/.612 hitter through 116 games.
Last year, Travinski batted .356 with 10 home runs and a 1.157 OPS for the national champions. The 23-year-old decided to return to Baton Rouge for a sixth season.
“Over the course of the years, I’ve just come to love the program and what the program means to me,” Travinski said, per WAFB 9’s John Eads. “I was just thankful to be asked back, I thought it was just a better opportunity for me to get reps.”
LSU coach Jay Johnson said he feels this season is “his time” to shine as “one of the best hitters in the country.”Â
So far, so good. Travinski was named SEC Co-Player of the Week with Georgia’s Slate Alford after collecting seven hits and two walks in three games for the undefeated Tigers.
He’ll make it a point to sharpen his skills with the SEC powerhouse while writing a strong ending to his college career.