OMAHA, Neb. -- The decision to put Jake Slaughter in the lineup Wednesday came on something of a hunch.
LSU coach Paul Mainieri put the freshman first baseman in the No. 9 spot in the order because he liked how Slaughter hit the ball during a three-fielder version of baseball the team commonly plays during practice.
The decision paid off when Slaughter hit a three-run homer during the Tigers' five-run second in a College World Series victory against Florida State.
"He was hitting a lot of balls really hard and looked like he was confident," Mainieri said.