Jordan Brown- PHOTO BY:www.LSUsports.net
FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
BATON ROUGE — LSU senior pitcher Jordan Brown has decided to end his baseball career, coach Paul Mainieri announced Saturday.
Mainieri said elbow and knee injuries sustained by Brown have forced him to retire from the game.
“Jordan will remain enrolled at LSU and will continue to work toward his degree,” Mainieri said. “Unfortunately, his body just won’t allow him to compete at this level any longer. Jordan has been a great asset to our program, and we will certainly miss him this season.”
Brown injured his knee in June during the postgame celebration after LSU’s dramatic ninth-inning win over Rice in the College World Series. He developed a sore elbow this fall and was not able to participate in the Tigers’ intra-squad scrimmages.
Brown, a native of Luling, La., pitched at LSU last season after transferring from Meridian (Miss.) Community College. The right-hander posted a 5-0 mark for the Tigers, appearing in 20 games with 10 starts. He recorded a 5.40 ERA in 66.2 innings with 59 strikeouts and 28 walks. Brown was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 39th round of the MLB Draft.
Brown was the winning relief pitcher in the final game played in the original Alex Box Stadium, a 21-7 victory over UC Irvine in the NCAA Baton Rouge Super Regional. Brown also defeated Texas Southern as a starter in the opening game of the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional.
Mainieri said that although Brown will not play this season, he still counts against the NCAA-mandated 35-man roster limit because he received scholarship aid during the current academic year. As a result, LSU must compete this season with only 34 active players.
Mainieri said with Brown’s departure LSU now has 35 active players, forcing the Tigers to make one more roster move before the 2009 season begins on February 20.
“We will continue to evaluate our players and make a decision in order to comply with the NCAA roster rule,” Mainieri said.
