 Larson won the MVP for the 1997 College World Series.After his successful college season with the LSU Tigers, he was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1st round (14th overall) of the 1997 amateur entry draft.He had one of the most prolific years in college baseball history, his one year of NCAA Division 1 Baseball, where he hit 40 home runs and had 118 RBIs with a .381 batting average.