Shreveport, LA -- (SBWire) -- 05/03/2013 --After 4 consecutive Red River Athletic Conference titles, you would think the LSU-S Pilots would garner much more MLB attention. The Pilots are a baseball team that is loaded with Division 1 worthy talent, playing in the NAIA, which unfortunately often gets overlooked. Just now wrapping up their regular season and winning the Red River Athletic Conference and tournament yet again, there are 2 players on the roster at LSU-S that deserve a hard look by Major League Baseball Scouts.
What was bad news for one Red River Conference team was a big win for the Pilots out of Shreveport. Following a hard fought 30-26 2011-2012 season, the University of Texas Brownsville Scorpions were forced to shut down their baseball program due budget cuts. Looking for a new place to play baseball, K.J. landed in Shreveport, LA to play for the Pilots. Siemien is now the starting right fielder for the LSU-S Pilots and quiet possibly one of the best hitters in the entire NAIA conference.
For the 2012-2013 season, K.J was named to the first team selections at the recent RRAC award banquet for good reason. Heading into the RRAC tournament, K.J. batted and astonishing .407 batting average with 1 home run and racked up 23 RBIs. K.J.'s incredible batting average include an impressive 10 game hitting streak that maintained through the RRAC tournament. Including tournament play, K.J. batted a total of 164 times, got 65 hits that included 12 doubles, 4 triples, 1 home run and 25 RBIs. K.J. finished up the regular season with an impressive 537 slugging %. Besides great hitting abilities, K.J. has base speed, stealing 15 out of 18 base stealing attempts. Watching this K.J. play in person, he has an amazing eye for the ball and makes battles at every batting attempt. K.J. is a kid that deserves a shot at the next level.
When it comes to awards, no others surpass what we believe to be the core of a solid baseball team in first baseman Kyle Pearson. Pearson is a 6-4 230 lbs Senior from Stonewall, LA and has unbelievable hitting abilities, power, dedication and character. During the 2011-2012 season, Pearson received the NAIA Champions of Character Award for the LSU Shreveport Pilots at the Paducah Convention Center during the banquet to kick off the 2012 NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round for the Paducah Bracket. Besides being named the RRAC player of the week on nearly a weekly basis, Pearson was named the 2012 RRAC Player of the Year.
For the 2012-2013 seasons, Pearson had an outstanding 2012 season as he helped lead the Pilots to an impressive 54-6 record and third place finish at the Avista-NAIA World Series. His stats included some impressive number that included: .353 avg, 22-doubles, five-triples, 14-homers, 66-runs batted in, 42-walks, and 13-15 in the stolen bases. He was also selected to the following: Louisiana Sports Writers Association First Team, NAIA First Team All-American, and to the Rawlings Gold Glove Team with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
During the 2012-2013 baseball regular season, Pearson started 55 games and finished with a .345 batting average. With 194 at bats, Kyle had 67 hits which included 15 team leading doubles, 1 triple and 7 home runs. Having an amazing an eye for the ball and making pitchers work, Kyle Pearson lead the team with 33 walks on the season and had an impressive .541 Slugging %.
Fortunately for the Pilots, K.J. Siemien is just a Junior and comes back for another year to enhance his MLB resume. MLB Scouts will have a chance to see K.J. play in the upcoming NAIA regions and will not be left disappointed. The kid is a diamond in the rough and needs a very close look from the next level of play.
MLB scouts have one more solid opportunity to see Kyle Pearson play ball as well. It's hard to watch the kid play baseball and not see the skill, passion, leadership and dedication he has for the game. It's our belief Kyle was a key contributor of the Pilots success over the last several years, including the 2012-2013 season. Letting such talent get overlooked would be a major mistake, the Kyle Pearson deserves a shot at the next level.
