Tag: Baseball America

Where LSU stands in Baseball America’s preseason field of 64

The Tigers will enter the 2024 season looking to defend their national title from a year ago.

We’re just over a week out from the first pitch of the 2024 college baseball season as LSU looks to defend its national title in Year 3 under coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag].

There’s a lot of time between now and selection Monday on Memorial Day, but as things currently stand, there’s a lot of optimism surrounding the Tigers despite everything they lost from last year’s campaign.

LSU is universally considered a top-five team entering 2024, and in Baseball America’s preseason NCAA tournament field of 64 predictions, it’s the No. 2 national seed behind Wake Forest.

Baseball America’s Teddy Cahill projects a regional field in Baton Rouge that includes UConn, Louisiana and Southern. Based on this projection, LSU would host a super regional against Coastal Carolina if chalk won out.

Certainly, these predictions don’t mean much right now. But they do show that the expectations for this team are high, even without the top two picks in the 2023 MLB draft, Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

Some familiar faces make Baseball Americas’ Preseason All-American team

Baseball America names Aggies’ Jace LaViolette and Braden Montgomery to their Preseason All-American teams.

Once is a chance, twice is a coincidence, and three times is a pattern. Jace LaViolette and Braden Montgomery pull off the hat trick after being named to their third Preseason All-American team. After making the Perfect Game and D1Baseball Preseason All-American Teams, Baseball America named both to the second team in their publication.

LaViolette was named to every All-Freshman team he was up for last season and broke the freshman home run record and transfer Braden Montgomery was a Pac 12 All-Conference selection en route to a College World Series appearance. If things pan out how for Coach Jim Schlossnagle both will be part of a return to Omaha.

We are quickly approaching opening day, and the Aggies are ready to welcome McNeese State to Olsen Field on February 16th.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

Auburn claims top-25 ranking in Baseball America’s preseason poll

Solid pitching and a great transfer portal haul will make Auburn extremely competitive in 2024.

Auburn baseball is poised for another successful season in 2024.

The Tigers have earned a spot in another preseason poll, this time from Baseball America. The publication has included Auburn in its preseason top 25 by giving them the No. 23 slot.

Auburn will need to replace key pieces such as [autotag]Nate LaRue[/autotag], [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag], and [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag], but has a great returning cast led by [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag], [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag], and [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag]. Pitching-wise, the Tigers will be anchored by [autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag], who returns from a shoulder injury that sidelined him for most of the 2023 season.

Returning pitching, as well as a solid transfer portal haul, is what will make Auburn competitive this season says Baseball America.

The Tigers must replace a lot offensively, but brought in some exciting players through the transfer portal to bolster the offense. On the mound, Opening Day starter [autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag] is back and healthy after missing nearly all of last season. If he recaptures his exceptional 2022 form and [autotag]Chase Allsup[/autotag] makes a successful transition to the rotation, watch out for the Tigers.

Auburn is one of eight teams from the SEC that earned a top-25 ranking by Baseball America. Defending College World Series champion LSU is the conference’s highest-ranked team at No. 2 and is followed by Arkansas (No. 3), Florida (No. 4), Vanderbilt (No. 7), and Tennessee (No. 8) in the top 10. Texas A&M and South Carolina also grabbed a preseason ranking at No. 11 and No. 12 respectively.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

Florida ranked No. 4 by Baseball America to start 2024

Baseball America released its preseason college rankings on Monday and the Florida Gators are inside the top five.

On Monday, Baseball America became the fourth publication to rank the Florida Gators inside the top five to start the 2024 season.

The Gators check in at No. 4 behind Wake Forest, Lousiana State (LSU) and Arkansas. Perfect Game also had Florida in the No. 4 spot, while College Baseball Central and D1Baseball put the Orange and Blue at No. 2 in the country.

Florida returns 14 players from last year’s College World Series runner-up team, and Kevin O’Sullivan has added a strong recruiting class as well as transfers.

“The Gators last year finished as runners-up to LSU in the College World Series and look dangerous again in 2024,” the BA staff wrote. “Lefthander/first baseman Jac Caglianone, a Golden Spikes finalist last season, is perhaps the best player in the country and a building block both for the lineup and rotation. Florida has a powerful, potent lineup and if lefthander Cade Fisher makes an effective transition from the bullpen to Friday night starter, it has immense upside.”

Eight SEC teams made the top 25 in total. Besides the three clubs mentioned above, Vanderbilt and Tennessee control the Nos. 7 and 8 spots, respectively, while Texas A&M and South Carolina are at Nos. 11 and 12. Auburn is ranked No. 23 to start the season.

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

LSU ranked No. 2 in Baseball America’s preseason top 25

It is going to be another great season to be at Alex Box Stadium.

Baseball America has released its 2024 preseason top 25 and the defending national champions find themselves inside the top five of the initial rankings.

[autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] and the LSU Tigers are ranked as the No. 2 team in the country by Baseball America. That puts the Tigers just behind the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and just ahead of the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Florida Gators.

LSU had to beat all three of those teams en route to their 2023 national championship.

LSU lost two of their star players from the 2023 team as [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] and [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] were drafted at No. 1 and No. 2 overall in the 2023 MLB draft. The Tigers lost those two and more impact players but they have a few stars returning.

[autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] is back at third base, [autotag]Thatcher Hurd[/autotag] is back on the mound as the Tigers’ ace and [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] is back at first base.

It is going to be another great season to be at Alex Box Stadium.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Tennessee ranked top 10 in 2024 Baseball America preseason poll

Tennessee ranked top 10 in 2024 Baseball America preseason poll.

2024 will be the seventh season for Tennessee under head coach Tony Vitello.

Vitello has compiled a 235–99 (87–63 SEC) record from 2018-23 at Tennessee. The Vols won the Southeastern Conference regular-season and tournament championships in 2022, while advancing to College World Series in 2021 and 2023.

Tennessee will open its 2024 season on Feb. 16 versus Texas Tech (8 p.m. EST) in the Shriners Children’s College Baseball Showdown presented by Kubota. The tournament will take place at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, home of Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers.

READ: 2024 Tennessee Vols baseball schedule

Ahead of the 2024 season, Baseball America released its preseason top 25 rankings. Below are Baseball America’s top 25 rankings, including Tennessee.

LSU pitcher named as one of the top 10 transfers by Baseball America

Luke Holman finished 2023 with a 7-4 record and a 3.67 ERA in 81 innings pitched.

Baseball America released its list of the top 10 transfers heading into this season, and there is one LSU Tiger that made the list. [autotag]Luke Holman[/autotag], a right-handed pitcher who transferred to Baton Rouge from Alabama was listed as the No. 8 player in the top 10.

Holman served as the ace for the Alabama Crimson Tide last season and he was slated to start Game 1 against the Tigers at The Box, but then the gambling debacle happened and Holman was scratched from starting. That led to former Alabama head coach Brad Bohannon being fired and Holman entering the transfer portal.

Holman finished 2023 with a 7-4 record and a 3.67 ERA in 81 innings pitched. He struck out 87 hitters and opposing batters had a season batting average of .186 against him.

Holman will be a starter for the defending national champion LSU Tigers this spring. Where he is in the rotation remains to be seen as [autotag]Thatcher Hurd[/autotag] returns after a stellar end to the 2023 season.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Aggie Pitching is in good hands with top assistant Max Wiener

New Aggie pitching coach Max Wiener is named as one of the top assistants in college baseball.

There is no doubt that the new pitching coach is already an asset to Coach Jim Schlossnagle’s staff, with multiple players expressing how much they enjoy his coaching style. Stanford transfer Braden Montgomery said as much earlier in the year.

Baseball America laid out its top ten hottest assistants on no part and Max Wiener has a well-earned spot. Below is only part of why he made the list:

During his time with Seattle, Weiner played a key role in developing several of the Mariners high-profile pitching prospects. Despite his age, Weiner’s knowledge and philosophies will go a long way in helping Texas A&M’s pitching staff both this year and beyond. Weiner is on track to be in play for a future head coaching position.

We can’t wait to see how much the pitching improves has an extremely inconsistent performance across the board last season.

The remaining list can be viewed at Baseball America (subscription needed)

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

Vance Honeycutt ranked 6th on Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects

UNC Baseball standout Vance Honeycutt ranked 6th on 2024 Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects.

North Carolina Tar Heel [autotag]Vance Honeycutt[/autotag] has cracked the top 10 of Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects, coming in at No.6th.

Honeycutt has been a big part of UNC’s success, becoming a household name in a two-year span. Since his arrival, Honeycutt has 122 hits, 37 home runs, 100 RBIs, and 48 stolen bases. Last season, Honeycutt was named ACC defensive player, ranked second on the team in runs (51) and stolen bases (19) despite missing the final ten games due to a lower-back injury.

Honeycutt has already inked his name in UNC history, becoming the first Tar Heel to have 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a single season.

The Diamond Heels will be counting on Honeycutt again this season as they hope to bring the ACC and National championship back to Chapel Hill.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Jared Jones receives Freshman All-American recognition

Jared ‘Bear’ Jones has been recognized by Baseball America as a Second Team Freshman All-American.

[autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] has been recognized by Baseball America as a Second Team Freshman All-American.

Coming out of high school, Jones was the No. 4 ranked catcher nationally and the No. 1 ranked catcher in Georgia by Perfect Game and ranked nationally as the No. 47 overall prospect.

Jones stepped onto the bayou as a catcher/first baseman and had a stellar freshman campaign. Jones had a .304 batting average with 12 doubles, 14 homers and 45 RBI. Jones spent most of the season splitting time with [autotag]Cade Beloso[/autotag] until Beloso became the everyday starter at first base.

Jones was 1-for-3 against the Gators in the College World Series final. He didn’t play as big of a role down the stretch for the Tigers, but if LSU is going to try to defend their title next season, Jones will be a big part of that title defense.

He will likely be the everyday starter for Jay Johnson’s Tigers as a first baseman next year.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=611345007]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.