April 18, 2008

Baton Rouge, LA (UWIRE) -- With 21 incoming players and the nation's best recruiting class, LSU coach Paul Mainieri knew the Tigers' 2008 lineup would be filled with many underclassmen.

And while highly-touted prospects like Chad Jones, Rene Escobar and Matt Gaudet have yet to show what has made them Major League draft picks, lesser-known junior college transfer Derek Helenihi has taken the Southeastern Conference by storm.

"I've always been able to hit the ball well," Helenihi said. "I knew I could come out and hit the pitching here. It's a little different, but I knew I could do it from the get-go."

Before the season, Helenihi was expected to be primarily a utility infielder behind senior Michael Hollander, Escobar and Gaudet but has since become the Tigers' starting third baseman.

"I didn't start the first couple of games in the season, but I just told myself to keep working hard and to do the little things," Helenihi said. "If I did that, I knew I would be in the lineup eventually."

Helenihi began his college career playing two seasons at Ohlone College in Fremont, Calif., where he was named to the All-Coast Conference team and the All-Northern California team in 2007.

The Liverpool, Calif., native hit .371 for Ohlone, including four home runs and 36 RBIs before making the decision to transfer to LSU after his sophomore season.

At LSU, Helenihi has continued to shine at the plate with 20 RBIs and a team-high .354 batting average.

Helenihi hopes to continue his hot streak at the plate this weekend when the Tigers (23-13, 6-9) host the SEC's top team, No. 13 Georgia (24-12, 12-3).

LSU comes into the weekend after two losses in three games this past weekend at Ole Miss.

The Tigers were without senior pitcher Jared Bradford, who missed the weekend with a blister on a finger on his right hand.

Freshman Jordan Brown pitched seven innings in Friday's 2-1 loss to the Rebels but also developed a blister on his right index finger.

Mainieri said Bradford should be ready for the weekend, but he is not as optimistic about Brown.

"Right now, Brown couldn't pitch," Mainieri said following LSU's 11-2 win against Nicholls State on Tuesday. "He has a pretty significant cut on his finger."

Georgia enters weekend play with eight-straight conference wins, including a sweep of Kentucky this past weekend.

Bulldogs' junior shortstop Gordan Beckham has feasted on opposing pitchers all season and ranks at the top of the SEC in nearly every hitting statistic.

Beckham is hitting .432 with 16 home runs and 39 RBIs.

Junior right-handed pitcher Trevor Holder has anchored Georgia's pitching staff this season with a 4-2 record with a 2.08 ERA.

This weekend's series holds major ramifications for the Tigers, who are currently ninth in the conference standings and would not qualify for the SEC tournament if the season ended today.

The top-eight teams qualify for the conference tournament.

Helenihi said the Tigers can control their own postseason destiny if they play their best baseball the final five weeks of the season.

"We're really looking forward to this weekend to get back into the SEC tournament run," he said. "It's real important that we go out and play our game."

(C) 2008 The Daily Reveille via UWIRE