Former LSU outfielder [autotag]Paxton Kling[/autotag] recently announced his transfer destination. The sophomore from Roaring Springs, Pennsylvania, is heading back home as Kling has committed to playing for Penn State.
The Nittany Lions finished the 2024 season with a 29-24 record and went 12-12 in conference play. Despite their mediocre record and the struggles they faced this season, Penn State made some noise in the Big 10 conference tournament. They beat Illinois and then beat Michigan twice to advance to the conference championship game against Nebraska. Unfortunately, they came up short as they lost 2-1.
Kling was a recruit who arrived in Baton Rouge with a lot of hype surrounding him. People thought he could be the next [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag]. Defensively, I would say he was at that level. He is one of the best defensive center fielders in college baseball. The issue he had was slumping from the batter’s box.
Kling finished the 2024 season with a .222 batting average. That was a big drop from his .289 batting average in 2023. His slugging percentage dropped from .522 to .317 as well.
I still think he has the talent to be a star player. Baseball can be a cruel game at times. I hope he shines next season at Penn State.
Coming home💙🤍 pic.twitter.com/W9PcAs5PfG
— Paxton Kling (@PaxtonKling) June 29, 2024
Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.