As the Loyola baseball team looks to the second half of the season, Brian Mason and Kevin Fontenot are cautiously optimistic about breaking individual school records.
Mason, accounting senior, is soaring above Mike Ceravolo’s 2000 campaign, a year in which he hit .398. Mason is hitting .427 – nearly 30 points over the current record.
Fontenot, physics junior, is edging closer to topping John Wellmeyer’s 40 stolen bases – a record that has lasted for 15 years. He stands at 19 and has yet to have been caught stealing.
While Mason leads the conference in batting average, and Fontenot is second in stolen bases, neither is a lock to break a record. Not with another half of the season left to play.
Mason is doing just about everything at the plate. He’s getting on base more than 50 percent of the time, by far the highest mark on the team. He also leads the team in RBIs and triples.
Mason’s high average is a reflection of his discipline at the plate. He said he needs to keep up his good work ethic and practice batting curveballs and change-ups.
Head coach Gerald Cassard said he believes Mason will face more breaking balls and change-ups as pitchers try to fool him to get him out. But Cassard said Mason has the experience and ability to handle the situation. He believes Mason’s success is a combination of skill and luck.
Mason does not want to say he has a chance to break the record, since there are 25 games left to play.
He shares that apprehension with Fontenot, who needs another 21 stolen bases to break the record.
Fontenot “had no idea” he was on pace to break the single season stolen base record and did not know what the current record was. He said he believes that breaking the record is a definite possibility, due to the number of games left to play.
“It is easier for Fontenot to break the record, just because he doesn’t need a hit to get on base,” Cassard said.
Because Fontenot is a leadoff hitter, he has more plate appearances and more chances to steal bases. As he approaches the record, he will become more aggressive, Cassard said. Fontenot gets on base 40 percent of the time, giving him plenty more chances to steal. But it isn’t his priority to break the record.
“My priority is to win games,” Fontenot said. “But if I get the record, then it will be an honor.”
He said he’s aware that teams will be keeping an eye on him, and he added that LSU-Shreveport – whom the ‘Pack will face on March 15 – will play against him aggressively. Fontenot expects more pick-off attempts to hold him close to first.
He said that he wants to score runs – he already leads the team in the statistic with 28 – and help the team win.
Eduardo Gonzalez can be reached at [email protected].
