Gavin Guidry explains where his confidence on the mound comes from

LSU freshman relief pitcher Gavin Guidry has looked far from a freshman this postseason, coming up big for the Tigers in some key moments on the mound during their NCAA Tournament run to Omaha. Heading into his first College World Series game on Saturday versus Tennessee, Guidry was asked where his confidence has come from, explaining the impact his teammates have had on his play.

“I’ve always been pretty confident on the baseball field, but it helps whenever you have guys in the locker room that we have,” Guidry said. “The older guys, the new transfers, Paul (Skenes), Thatcher (Hurd), all the guys Christian (Little) that came in, they’ve welcomed all the freshmen from the very first day and made us feel like we weren’t freshmen.”

LSU did bring in a talent signing class this offseason, but their pitching staff specifically saw potential in their freshman class. This led to a specific turning point during the season when LSU’s freshman pitchers, including Guidry, were handed the keys to the car and the expectations of them grew.

“And then we got back from Christmas break and they kind of told us y’all aren’t freshmen anymore, just LSU baseball players. Like it’s time to kick it into gear, like we need y’all. Y’all’s class is really good and y’all are going to help us win a national championship,” Guidry explained. “And so they made it known that we were a big part of the team, so it kind of helped us just settle in.”

LSU’s veteran pitchers called their shot after Christmas, as the Tigers now find themselves a few games away from national championship glory.

Guidry actually did not come to Baton Rouge as a pitcher, still listed on the team’s roster as an infielder. He made the switch during the season, making his pitching debut in March versus Butler.

He’s come into his own as a pitcher, appearing on the mound three times this postseason for the Tigers, as he spoke about how he’s gained confidence in his pitching overtime despite not expecting to be a pitcher initially.

“Just trust,” Guidry said. “Trust in me, trust in my teammates, them putting a lot of trust in me. Coming up to me and telling me how good I am, this and that. Constantly just feeding positivity from the coaches, from the players.”

Guidry pitched 2.2 innings in LSU’s closeout victory versus Kentucky to advance to the CWS, recording his third save of the year allowing just one hit, no walks, and striking out four batters. He looked far from new to pitching on Saturday, as he also used self-motivation to keep his confidence and performance up.

“And then just myself, positive self-talk every single day during catch play and during bullpens, during pregame, then pregame bullpen right before I’m going to the game just always talking to myself. Just pumping positivity,” Guidry said.

Guidry and the Tigers take on Tennessee in their first game of this year’s College World Series this Saturday at 7 p.m. ET airing on ESPN.