Trosclair Leading Ragin’ Cajuns Into 2016 Season [VIDEO]

Every pitcher on the Ragin' Cajuns' roster will tell you, Stefan Trosclair is not the man you want to mess with in the batters box.

When asked who scares them the most in batting practice, the answer is the same every time: Stefan Trosclair. In his first season as a Cajun, he swatted twice as many home runs (16) than any other player on the squad (Kyle Clement 8, Dylan Butler 8), led the squad in RBI's (53), and he was second in batting average (.338) and stolen bases (15). After being named a preseason All-American by Louisville Slugger, the rest of the country knows what to expect when he's at the dish.

Of all his skills, leadership gets overlooked the most. It's hard to think a guy who has only been on campus for a year would command as much respect as he does, but he earned it the old fashioned way.

Hard work will take you a long way under Tony Robichaux, and Trosclair put the sweat in.

"I’m a senior and I’m a returner. I played a lot of innings last year and guys look up to me, I think," Trosclair said. "I embrace it and I learned a lot from BT [Blake Trahan]. "

Trosclair turned double-plays with Trahan last season all the way to a Super Regional, and now the smooth short stop is moving up the ranks for the Cincinnati Reds.

The two still stay in touch, but the lessons the rest of the team learned from the always cool, calm and collected Trahan live on. He walked the line that many great athletes too, warding off emotions threatening to distract from the game and then letting them out when your teammates need it the most. If Trosclair can channel that same leadership, the Cajuns could be poised for something special again this season.

"He was a great leader on and off the field," Trosclair said. "We learned so much from him, just his energy, and his passion and attention to detail."

Attention to detail was Trosclair's focus this offseason. Work ethic tends to rub off on those around you, and Coach Robe's recent success rides on the stiff back of blue collar effort.

The transfer from LSU-Eunice broke out in a major way last season, earning him an array of honors and preseason praise. The attention is deserved, but he understands it holds no bearing on this season's outcome.

Expectations create sticky situations. If you set the bar too high, the only result is disappointment. Two straight seasons in a Super Regional create a bench mark that could easily overwhelm the teams to follow. This year's squad will look to Trosclair's bat to spark the lineup and his skilled glove in the field to back up some young pitchers.

The honors are nice, but he's not exactly hanging them up on the wall in the locker room.

"I’m honored to get awards, but it’s from what we did in the past and it has nothing to do with this season," Trosclair said.

Things could have turned out much differently for Troclair and the Cajuns.

He faced one of the biggest decision of his life when it was time to leave LSU-Eunice, and he chose to spend the next two years of his baseball journey with Coach Robichaux and the Ragin' Cajuns. He said his growth as a man, and as a player, are something he will cherish and carry with him.

As movie-like as it may sound, his destiny with the Cajuns came to him in a dream. You can't make this stuff up.

"I had a dream about it, that I came here. I actually had a dream about going to Eunice also," Trosclair said with a smile. "I’ve loved every second of it and I’m happy where I’m at."

Since Trosclair's dreams predict the future, so what about Omaha? On top of graduating from the university, reaching baseball's highest stage is surely something he dearly wants to check off his list. So, has Stefan seen Omaha in his dreams?

"Not yet, but I’m sure it’s coming…"