A tribute to family

There is no substitute for family, especially if that family showers you with the love and support necessary to make your dreams come true.
Just ask LSU Tiger pitcher Devin Fontenot.
Fontenot, the junior hurler, has always had the backing of his family every since he was a young athlete gracing the fields of play in Sheppard, Texas.
“My mom and dad sacrificed a lot to allow me to get to this point in my career,” stated a grateful Fontenot. “Any extra money that my parents would make was spent on me and my pursuit of playing baseball. My parents gave up a ton of their time after work to get me to my practices and games. I will always be thankful to them for going the extra mile.”
Part of Fontenot’s family support does not reside in the state of Texas, but rather in the little town of Basile. It is there that Fontenot’s dad, Kenny Fontenot has part of his family’s roots firmly planted.
In fact Kenny spent time at Basile High School, participating in football and track, even making it to the state meet in the javelin.
One of Devin Fontenot’s most ardent supporters is his great grandmother Betty Fontenot, the wife of the late Lindberg Joseph Fontenot. Betty, along with her son and Devin’s great uncle, Junior Fontenot, make sure they try and see every one of Devin’s games, even if it is just watching it on T.V. Add to that, his grandmother, Audrey Deason, and you get the cornerstone of a tremendous fan base.
“I can remember at an early age going to Basile to visit my grandmother and great grandmother,” said Fontenot. “My dad always made sure that we went to see our family there. I think that he wanted to share that love that he felt from his family. Because of that, I am really close to my grandmother, great grandmother and my great uncle. Even today they still communicate with me to give me encouragement and support. It is a blessing to have that behind me.”
With that family support, Fontenot has been able to make himself one of the go-to guys for LSU head coach Paul Mainieri. In his freshman season, Fontenot appeared in 29 games (with two starts), recording a 3-1 mark and a 6.18 ERA in 39.1 innings with 15 walks and 44 strikeouts. This past year, the sophomore upped his game, going 5-4 (with three starts) and produced an ERA of 3.71 in 51 innings of work. Fontenot struck out 54 and held opponents to a .180 batting average.
Fontenot’s greatest moment came in the Super Regional round of the NCAA baseball playoffs when he put on the greatest performance of an LSU pitcher in post-season history, going 6.1 innings in relief, while striking out 11 and holding Florida State to only one run. Iconic Seminole head coach Mike Martin was so impressed with Fontenot’s grit that he had a meeting with him even before he addressed the media.
That leave everything out on the field attitude that Fontenot exhibits more than likely comes from his time as a young pup playing sports in Sheppard. As Fontenot explains, playing different types of sports was all that he knew as a kid.
“I loved living in Sheppard, my mom Stacy’s hometown, because it was small,” commented Fontenot. “I was able to grow up playing all types of sports with the same group of friends. That was all we lived for. I started playing baseball when I was about four and basketball when I was about five or six. On top of that, I lived about five minutes from the park, so we would all get together and go play pick-up baseball games. It was a great experience.”
Around the age of nine, Fontenot began to distinguish himself from the other players in the Sheppard Little League system. It was there that Fontenot’s mom and dad thought it would be better for him to play select baseball in the Woodlands, about an hour drive away.
Fontenot’s dad, Kenny, would get off of work in Houston, drive to Sheppard and collect Fontenot to bring him to practice in the Woodlands. All the while Fontenot continued to thrive in the world of athletics in Sheppard, playing football, basketball and track in junior high (there was no baseball team).
But, according to Fontenot, it started to become too much for his parents, both in the amount of time it took to get him to his practices and the money spent on going back and forth.
“At one point, my mom and dad came to me and talked to me about moving to the Woodlands,” stated Fontenot. “They explained to me that it would be a better opportunity for me and the entire family. I knew it was going to be hard to leave my friends behind, but I also knew that they were only doing what was best for all of us.”
“My dad had already been taking me to the football and baseball games at the high school,” Fontenot continued. “So, I was going to a place that I was completely not unfamiliar with. I just remember it being a great atmosphere for baseball. Besides, I already knew some of the other kids there because I had played with them in select ball.”
Fontenot stepped onto the Woodlands Junior High campus, the third biggest junior high in the state of Texas, as an eighth grader and found himself at home. Fontenot played football, baseball and participated in track during his eighth grade year.
Once he entered high school his freshman year, Fontenot decided to focus on his first love, baseball. His talent and drive to be the best player he could be got him a spot on the varsity squad as a ninth-grader; something that does not happen to often at the Woodlands.
“When I made the varsity team, I was not intimidated because I was playing against older players,” said Fontenot. “I had the utmost confidence in myself and I knew I was up for the challenge. The upperclassmen were pretty accepting. I think the more I played and showed them what I was capable of doing, the more that they respected me. They set a good example for me and helped me to realize the opportunities in front of me.”
Fontenot got better and better each season, with his senior year turning out to be his best. During his time on the high school diamond, Fontenot also played summer ball with the Houston Select organization.
During his sophomore season and into the summer of that year, Fontenot began to get interest from several smaller universities around the country. As he continued to progress, bigger schools came calling for his services.
“Wichita State was the first school to actually offer me a scholarship,” said Fontenot. “But, as I worked harder and harder and became better on the mound, other schools started to become interested, including LSU. Then it came time to make a decision. My high school and summer coaches gave me some tremendous advice when they told me to make my own decision and not let anyone else do that for me.”
When it was time for Fontenot to decide on the university that he would spend the next four years playing for, there was no hesitation.
“LSU was a no-brainer for me,” commented Fontenot. “Ever since I was young, my dad would take me to LSU football games. The atmosphere was unbelievable. Even though I grew up in Texas, I have always been an LSU fan. Honestly, I did not know much about the LSU baseball program, but I knew how I felt on campus during football season. Once I started getting recruited by LSU, I started doing research on their baseball program. After that, I knew there was no other place to go than Baton Rouge.”
Now that Fontenot has settled in and made Tiger Town his new home, he has had time to reflect on what it was like to leave his home and become part of the campus and the baseball program. According to Fontenot, making the transition from a high school athlete to a college athlete has not come without some adjustment.
“The hardest thing about being a student/athlete in college is making time for everything that you must do to be successful,” stated Fontenot. “You have to learn to balance four or five things at one time. Even though we have people to help us with that, it is ultimately up to me to be disciplined enough to make that happen. There has to be a focus on your path and what you need to do to achieve your goals.”
Fontenot, a sports administration major, has a number of goals he hopes to achieve before he leaves the campus of LSU, including a National Championship. For now, Fontenot is focusing on getting better for his team and better as a person.
When asked what he would tell a young player who wanted to know what it would take to play on the collegiate level, Fontenot did not hesitate in his answer.
“Believe in God, be grateful to your parents, and stay focused on your path,” said Fontenot. “You should always have the attitude that ‘I want to do it” and not the attitude of ‘I have to do it’. Also, try to be remembered as a person that lived there life in the right way and treat people the way you wish to be treated.”
And as always, Fontenot knows that family is the key to keeping you on the right path.
“I am here only because of God, my family and hard work,” said an adamant Fontenot.