Former LSU baseball player killed in auto accident

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) Former LSU baseball player Johnnie Thibodeaux died early Friday morning in Lake Charles from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. He was 28.<br> <br> Thibodeaux, of Lake Charles, was a four-year letterman for the Tigers from 1997-2001, and he played on LSU&#39;s 1997 and 2000 national championship squads.<br> <br> ``All of us in the LSU family express our heartfelt condolences to the Thibodeaux family,&#39;&#39; said LSU athletics director Skip Bertman, who coached Thibodeaux during his college career. ``Johnnie was a first-class young man, and everyone at LSU has been touched by this tragedy.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Thibodeaux played in 135 games for the Tigers as a third baseman and outfielder, recording a .267 career batting average with 15 doubles, eight homers and 49 RBI.<br> <br> Thibodeaux&#39;s best season came in 2000, when he batted .312 with 10 doubles and 14 RBI. He was named to the 2000 NCAA Baton Rouge Regional All-Tournament Team, batting .667 (4-for-6) in three games with three doubles and five RBI.<br> <br> Thibodeaux, who played at Barbe High School in Lake Charles, was an all-state third baseman, and he earned all-district honors as a wide receiver for the football team.<br> <br> Visitation was scheduled at Johnson&#39;s Funeral Home in Lake Charles on Sunday afternoon and Monday morning. Funeral services is scheduled at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Church in Lake Charles at 11 a.m. on Monday.<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)