Growing up in California, D.J. LeMahieu learned one thing—baseball is more enjoyable to play in 80-degree weather rather than 30-degree weather.

And that’s why the Brother Rice (Mich.) High School star decided to take his game from the frigid temperatures of Michigan to the warmer climate of the South next year.

LeMahieu already has signed on to play baseball for Louisiana State.

“Ever since I moved away from California, I kind of wanted to get back in the warm weather again,” LeMahieu said.

Officially, LeMahieu’s path to Louisiana State began in July, when schools finally could call him. LeMahieu already had been receiving interest from regional colleges. Their letters and questionnaires started rolling in during his sophomore year at Brother Rice, when he first realized that his goal of playing college baseball could become a reality.

But his reluctance to remain in a cold-weather climate motivated him to look beyond his Bloomfield Hills home to the college baseball meccas of the Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference schools.

“He wanted to play baseball in a warm-weather climate,” said Tom LeMahieu, D.J.’s father. “That started pretty high on his list after spending several springs in the Midwest. Trying to play baseball in the spring and getting snowed on, he started looking at other schools.”

Unofficially, though, Louisiana State found a place in LeMahieu’s mind when he was just 11 years old.

From the ages of 11 to 14, LeMahieu played in a baseball tournament in Omaha, Neb., at the same time of the College World Series. Tom LeMahieu can remember his son leaving each year with another College World Series t-shirt. And those team logos gracing the front of the shirts left a lasting impression on LeMahieu.

“Some of those College World Series teams were sort of embedded in his mind,” Tom LeMahieu said. “I know that. He would think, ‘Wow, they have a great program’ because he would remember them at the College World Series.”

Above all, a meeting with his parents, Tom and Joan, ironed out D.J.’s priorities which helped him select a school. He wrote down a ranking of certain aspects he was looking for in a college. His baseball background made it no surprise to what was at the top — the quality of the baseball program.

“He was very analytical about it,” said Tom LeMahieu about the recruiting process. “He listened to a lot of people, a lot of recruiters talk about their program. … He’s pretty intelligent on it, and he really came down to where he felt the most important thing was that they had a really solid baseball program and an environment he felt comfortable in.”

LeMahieu made official visits to North Carolina, Clemson and Louisiana State and drew interest from Michigan and Michigan State.

His final decision wavered between Clemson and Louisiana State. His father said it was tough for D.J. because both campus visits made each place seem like a perfect fit. Tom said it was a little surreal to think of D.J. going from watching Clemson reach the College World Series on a walk-off home run to having the chance to play in that kind of environment next season. In the end, it was Louisiana State’s coach, Paul Mainieri, who proved to be the deciding factor for LeMahieu. In 2007, Mainieri enters his first season as LSU’s head coach after years of success as the head coach of Notre Dame’s baseball program

“Everyone I talked to said that he is one of the best coaches to play for,” said LeMahieu, who is one of MidwestBaseballMagazine.com’s Top Midwest High School players. “He has great character. The Louisiana State program, it’s struggled a little bit the last couple years, but I know that he’s going to take the program in a different direction.”

Tom also pointed to Mainieri’s tenure at Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish’s close proximity to Michigan allowed LeMahieu to become familiar with Mainieri’s teams and coaching style.

The Brother Rice third baseman made the decision final this past November when he officially signed his letter of intent at Brother Rice. He had verbally committed to the Tigers in October, about two weeks after his visit to the school.

With his future home already lined up for next year, LeMahieu finally can focus on his senior season.

“It’s really nice to have that done with and move on and focus on the high school season—the task at hand,” LeMahieu said.

A four-year starter for perennial baseball powerhouse Brother Rice, LeMahieu went from a freshman hoping to make the team to one of the team leaders this season. He thanks the seniors on the team when he was a freshman for showing him the Brother Rice tradition.

“When I was a freshman, those guys really stressed treating everyone equally on the team, not putting themselves above anybody else,” LeMahieu said. “And this year especially, I’m trying to carry that tradition on by treating everybody equally.”

From one tradition-rich program to another, LeMahieu at least won’t have to worry about one thing next spring:     The weather dropping below freezing.

 This story is part of MidwestBaseballMagazine's Ballplayer Series