BATON ROUGE, La. -- A 21-year-old third baseman for the LSU baseball team was found dead in his home Wednesday, the university said.

Wally Pontiff has found by family members in his bed at his home in Metairie, a New Orleans suburb.

The cause of death was not immediately known.

LSU spokesman Kent Lowe confirmed Pontiff's death but had no details.

"I don't have the words to express the feelings, the emptiness I feel,'' LSU athletic director Skip Bertman said. "It's tough to put into words here what the kids, teammates are feeling.''

Baseball coach Smoke Laval choked back tears during a news conference, and Pontiff's teammates sat somberly nearby, some crying.

Pontiff was taken in the 21st round of this year's draft by the Oakland Athletics, and had not decided whether to return to LSU for his senior year.

He was a member of the All-SEC second team this season and made the first All-SEC team the previous year.