Tag: Baseball Transfer Portal

Jay Johnson’s message to LSU targets in transfer portal: ‘There’s only one place to come play’

Johnson used his postgame press conference after Thursday night’s win over Wake Forest to do some recruiting.

LSU will be playing for its seventh national title against the Florida Gators this weekend.

After back-to-back gutsy wins from the bullpen, the Tigers outlasted Wake Forest in a winner-take-all game for a spot in the College World Series final on Thursday night.

As has been the case all year, transfers came up huge for LSU in this game, and with portal season already in full swing, Johnson used his postgame pulpit as a chance to offer a message to targets.

“If you’re one of the best players in the transfer portal, there’s only one place to come play,” he said in his press conference.

[autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] — the top pitcher in the country and potential No. 1 MLB draft pick — started the game and went eight shutout innings with nine strikeouts in what may be his final appearance with the Tigers.

He’s a transfer from Air Force. The pitcher that relieved him and finished the shutout in the final three innings, [autotag]Thatcher Hurd[/autotag], is a transfer, as is the man whose bat secured the win for LSU in [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag], who hit a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 11th.

The Tigers are already off to a good start in the portal, landing South Carolina infielder [autotag]Michael Braswell[/autotag] and Xavier pitcher [autotag]Justin Loer[/autotag].

Based on Johnson’s comments and the way he handled last offseason, they are likely just the first of many.

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LSU baseball lands a left-handed pitcher in the transfer portal

While everyone has been focused on the Tigers trying to make a run in Omaha, LSU received some great news in the transfer portal. 

While everyone has been focused on the Tigers trying to make a run in Omaha, LSU received some great news in the transfer portal.

[autotag]Justin Loer[/autotag], a left-handed pitcher from Xavier University, has announced his commitment to LSU via his Twitter. Loer pitched 57 innings this season as he was a star out of the bullpen for the Musketeers. He finished the season with a 6-3 record, seven saves, and a 1.89 ERA with 63 strikeouts and 22 walks.

Loer is a guy that can be used out of the bullpen or as a weekend starter by [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] next season. He led the Musketeers to a regional final against Oregon after beating Vanderbilt in Nashville. We will cross that bridge when we get there. For now, the Tigers are 1-0 with Omaha.

LSU will face No. 1 Wake Forest on Monday night at 6 p.m. as [autotag]Ty Floyd[/autotag] will look to lead LSU to a 2-0 record and to put LSU one win away from playing for a national title.

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LSU baseball lands transfer shortstop from South Carolina

Michael Braswell appeared in 105 games over the last two seasons, becoming a Freshman All-SEC selection in 2022.

The Tigers are still focused on winning a ring as they compete at the College World Series in Omaha this weekend, but coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] is already working to ensure that LSU has a championship-caliber roster once again in 2024.

On Thursday, the Tigers picked up their first transfer portal commitment in former South Carolina shortstop [autotag]Michael Braswell[/autotag], who announced his commitment on his Twitter account.

Braswell is a sophomore from Mabelton, Georgia. He has appeared in 105 games over the last two seasons, and he was a Freshman All-SEC selection in 2022.

He saw his production dip a bit this spring. His batting average dropped from .284 to .255, though his on-base percentage rose slightly to .372. He currently has one home run, eight doubles and 23 RBI on the year.

With starting shortstop [autotag]Jordan Thompson[/autotag] likely heading to the draft, Braswell will have the chance to vie for an immediate starting spot in Baton Rouge.

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LSU outfielder enters transfer portal

Josh Stevenson has only seen 10 at-bats so far this season.

[autotag]Josh Stevenson[/autotag], a sophomore outfielder from Youngsville, is entering the transfer portal, according to D1Baseball’s transfer tracker.

Stevenson has 75 at-bats in the last two years for the Tigers, but only 10 so far this year. In 65 ABs last season, he hit .200 with one home run and nine RBI.

Tiger fans might remember Stevenson for scoring the winning run in the comeback against Southern Miss in the regional last June.

Stevenson made 15 starts in left field for LSU in 2022 but saw his playing time diminish in 2023 as fellow sophomore [autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag] took over much of the left-field duties.

Perfect Game ranked Stevenson as the 17th-best recruit in Louisiana’s 2021 class and ranked him 500th nationally.

Steven’s older brother, Andrew, played at LSU from 2013-15.

At 6-foot-1 with talent and SEC experience, Stevenson should have no trouble finding a home in the portal. It’s unclear if Stevenson remains with the team through LSU’s postseason.

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Tulane transfer Jalen Cook announces return to LSU

Matt McMahon improved his backcourt with the addition of Cook, who began his career in Baton Rouge.

After a rough Year 1, [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] is giving the rebuild another go.

LSU has been active in the portal and has reportedly been involved with several players. McMahon landed one of the best transfers of his tenure yesterday with the commitment of [autotag]Jalen Cook[/autotag].

Cook began his career at LSU before transferring to Tulane. He averaged 18 and 19.9 points in his two years with Tulane. In 2020-21 with LSU, Cook appeared in 20 games, averaging 3.2 points per contest.

This is a big get for the Tigers. LSU struggled to score last year and lacked a dynamic backcourt presence. In Cook, McMahon now has a guy that scored almost 20 points per night over two years against decent American Athletic Conference competition.

Cook also made 2.2 three-pointers per night with the Green Wave to go along with 4.2 assists and 1.7 steals. Cook was a three-star recruit in the class of 2020 and the second-best recruit from the state of Louisiana.

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LSU basketball freshman Corneilous Williams enters transfer portal after taking redshirt year

Williams missed the entire 2022-23 season as he was rehabbing a shoulder injury.

LSU has seen some expected veteran departures to the transfer portal since its terrible 2022-23 season came to a merciful end, but it can now add a promising young player to the list of outgoing talent.

Freshman forward [autotag]Corneilous Williams[/autotag] entered the transfer portal, joining veteran guard [autotag]Justice Hill[/autotag] and center [autotag]Kendal Coleman[/autotag]. Williams spent the year rehabbing a shoulder injury, and the former three-star prospect from Meridian, Mississippi, didn’t appear in a game as he took a redshirt.

“After much thought and consideration, I have decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal and further my athletic career and education elsewhere,” Williams announced in a Twitter post. “I want to thank all my coaches, teammates, and fans that helped me along the way. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity I was given and the bonds and friendships I’ve made at LSU.”

The 6-foot-9, 210-pound player’s departure, along with Coleman’s, leaves LSU fairly thin in the frontcourt as things currently stand. This will almost certainly be addressed in the portal, but keeping and developing a pair of freshmen big men who impressed last season at times in [autotag]Jalen Reed[/autotag] and [autotag]Shawn Phillips[/autotag] will be key.

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LSU outfielder announces transfer destination

The redshirt junior entered the transfer portal after the 2022 season, and he announced his next step on Monday.

[autotag]Giovanni DiGiacomo[/autotag] is a redshirt junior outfielder from Naples, Florida, that has played at LSU for four seasons. Over those four seasons, he amassed a career .275 batting average with 12 doubles, three triples, six homers and 48 RBI.

Last season was statistically his worst season as a Tiger, as he only hit .206 in 36 games played. After LSU fell to Southern Miss in the NCAA Hattiesburg Regional, DiGiacomo announced he was going to enter the famed transfer portal to see what opportunities were possible outside of returning to Baton Rouge.

On Monday, DiGiacomo made the decision of where he would spend his next year playing college ball. He’s taking his talents to Durham, North Carolina, to be a Duke Blue Devil. Duke finished last season 22-32 and 10-20 in conference play. Its season ended in a three-game sweep by Virginia Tech.

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Collier Cranford announces his next destination

Cranford will follow assistant coach Dan Fitzgerald to Kansas.

[autotag]Collier Cranford[/autotag] recently announced that he is following former assistant coach/recruiting coordinator [autotag]Dan Fitzgerald[/autotag] to the Big 12 to join the Kansas Jayhawks.

Cranford was an infielder at LSU that played multiple positions, and in three years, he had a batting average of .158 with five doubles, 16 RBI and 13 walks.

Last season the Jayhawks finished 20-35 and 4-20 in conference play. As I previously mentioned, they nabbed a new head coach in Fitzgerald, one of the best recruiters in the nation. The only place Kansas can go from here is up.

LSU has been affected by the transfer portal both positively and negatively. The Tigers have lost a lot of infielders, especially middle infielders, to the portal, but they’ve also landed one of the best players in the nation in last year’s 2022 ACC Freshman of the year, [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag].

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