For Cody Glenn, the 2013 baseball season has been a breakout performance to say the least.
The 6’4″ south paw from Houston came to LSU after being drafted in the 15th round by Toronto out of high school. During the 2012 season, Glenn saw action in eleven games including three starts, finishing the year with a 5.62 ERA with six walks and 16 strikeouts in a total of 16 innings pitched.
So far in 2013, Glenn has not only worked his way into a starting role for the Tigers, but he has also developed into a staple in the Tigers’ weekend rotation, as he has proven to be both consistent and effective. He has made 14 appearances, all of which have been starts, for a record of 7-2 thus far.
While Glenn currently has an ERA of just 2.41 to add to his resumé so far this season, possibly the most impressive aspect of Glenn’s performance this spring has been his ability to grow and improve with every outing.
Following Wednesday’s 3-0 victory over Alabama, LSU head coach Paul Mainieri was very impressed with Glenn’s performance, saying “He really answered the call and pitched a tremendous ballgame for us. He was as sharp as I have ever seen him with all three of his pitches.”
Alabama head coach Mitch Gaspard shared similar sentiments saying “We tip our hat to LSU and Cody Glenn. He was outstanding. He changed speeds and moved the ball around. We couldn’t get any good swings off.”
As Glenn has had a very successful season so far due largely in part to a fantastic repertoire highlighted by a low-90s fastball and a fantastic slider that is his go-to strikeout pitch, the most noticeable difference to his performance on the mound as of lately is an unwavering confidence.
While Glenn’s performance on the mound this season is clearly impressive to those who have seen him on the mound, his performance also has a positive effect on his teammates on the field.
“Cody has done that for us all year; he sinks his fastballs so he gets a lot of ground balls so we’re always awake. That’s a tribute to Cody, he does a good job with that and keeps us all up in the game and it’s really easy to play defense behind him,” said LSU freshman shortstop Alex Bregman.
As part of a pitching rotation that includes two of the strongest college pitching prospects in the country in Aaron Nola and Ryan Eades, it would be easy to get lost in the shuffle. However his confidence, comfort and fantastic repertoire have combined to allow Glenn to make a name for himself in the conversation of elite college pitchers.
With the NCAA Tournament fast-approaching and Glenn on top of his game, the potential to draw attention to his talent on the national stage while helping his team advance through the tournament is ever present.
