Heralded Frosh Pitcher Ready for Season

A connoisseur of sports since he was small, Randy LeBlanc, Tulane's highly touted freshman pitcher, engaged in just about every sport a boy could.

Abita Springs, La., native Randy LeBlanc, a sought-after freshman right-hander, will pitch for the Green Wave this season. (Photo by Ryan Rivet)

“I played football for a couple of years, then skipped a few, and I played two years of basketball,” LeBlanc said, “but baseball, I never skipped baseball. Ever since I was five, playing T-ball, baseball is the only sport that I have played every year.”

His Green Wave baseball team will open the season on Friday (Feb. 18) with a three-game series at Turchin Stadium against Sam Houston State University.

LeBlanc spent most of his summer around his Abita Springs, La., home playing in baseball leagues, not taking a spot on a traveling summer team until his junior year of high school, but after some major league scouts came to watch an opposing pitcher one night last spring, LeBlanc's name spread far and wide.

The 6-foot 4-inch right-hander came to Tulane as one of the most sought-after arms in the region and was a 16th-round selection of the Florida Marlins in the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft. But he was not always an intimidating force on the mound.

“I was little my freshman year, maybe 5-10,” said LeBlanc. “I shot up to about 6 foot 2 my junior year, but I still wasn't throwing very hard. My senior year, over the summer, I ran it up to 88 (mph) one time and in the spring it just clicked.”

LeBlanc has dealt with some stressful situations the past few months, trying to negotiate a contract with the Florida Marlins and, then, arriving on campus for his freshman season, but he is ready to start his collegiate career.

“I am just ready for opening night,” said LeBlanc with a smile.

His first opportunity to toe the rubber will come Sunday (Feb. 20), when he makes his first collegiate start.

Greg Campbell is assistant athletics communication director.