Former top LSU baseball recruit enters the transfer portal

The No. 2 ranked shortstop from Arizona in the 2023 recruiting class has entered his name into the transfer portal.

The No. 2 ranked shortstop from Arizona in the 2023 recruiting class has entered his name into the transfer portal after only one season on the bayou. [autotag]Ryan Kucherak[/autotag] appeared in 16 games for the Tigers last season and only had 12 at-bats. He finished the season 3-for-12 (.250) with two RBI.

LSU doesn’t have many infielders remaining from last season’s team. [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] are likely both going pro, [autotag]Ben Nippolt[/autotag] is out of eligibility, [autotag]Austen Roellig[/autotag] is headed to Utah, and all three catchers are gone with [autotag]Alex Milazzo[/autotag] and [autotag]Hayden Travinski[/autotag] graduating and [autotag]Brady Neal[/autotag] heading to Alabama.

That only leaves [autotag]Stephen Milam[/autotag], [autotag]Michael Braswell III[/autotag], and possibly [autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag] (who is mainly used as an outfielder but appeared in 10 games at second base). Milam is 100% coming back unless he enters the transfer portal but the status of Braswell III and Pearson are both unknown at the moment. Both of them will likely hear their names called in the 2024 MLB D]draft but they both still have one more year of eligibility.

Either way, there is work to be done to fill some holes in the infield in the transfer portal.

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LSU baseball gets back in the win column against McNeese on Tuesday night

After falling out of the baseball polls for the first time in a year, the Tigers bounced back with a blowout win on Tuesday.

After falling out of the baseball polls for the first time in a year, the Tigers looked to get some good news. They got just that with a 16-0 victory over McNeese.

[autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] got the scoring started in the bottom of the first inning with a solo homer. [autotag]Paxton Kling[/autotag] followed that with an RBI single and [autotag]Stephen Milam[/autotag] cleared the bases with a three-RBI triple to give LSU a 5-0 lead.

In the bottom of the second inning, [autotag]Mac Bingham[/autotag] was credited with two RBI via a bunt single to increase the lead to 7-0.

In the bottom of the third inning, Jones homered once again. This time it was a two-run shot that extended the lead to 9-0.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, [autotag]Jake Brown[/autotag] hit a two-run homer to right field to increase the LSU lead to 11-0. [autotag]Ben Nippolt[/autotag] was then hit by a pitch with bases loaded to score another run and a wild pitch resulted in [autotag]Alex Milazzo[/autotag] scoring to give LSU a 13-0 lead. Jones then hit his third homer of the night as his three-run bomb gave LSU a 16-0 lead.

LSU will be back in action on Friday night when they take on No. 4 Tennessee in Knoxville.

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LSU baseball dominated by Southern in midweek loss Monday night

Unfortunately, this is not an April Fools’ joke. The Southern Jaguars dominated the LSU Tigers at Alex Box Stadium on Monday night.

Unfortunately, this is not an April Fools’ joke. The Southern Jaguars dominated the LSU Tigers at Alex Box Stadium on Monday night.

Southern won the game 12-7 and LSU did not lead at any point. LSU cut the lead to 3-2 entering the fifth inning but that was as close as they could get.

[autotag]Kade Anderson[/autotag] started on the mound as the Tigers looked to bounce back against Southern after being swept by Arkansas.

In the top of the second inning, Southern got on the board first with a three-run homer against Anderson to give them a 3-0 lead. In the bottom of the fourth inning, [autotag]Ben Nippolt[/autotag] hit a sacrifice fly and [autotag]Alex Milazzo[/autotag] had a sacrifice bunt to cut the lead to 3-2.

In the top of the fifth inning, Southern did some damage against [autotag]Christian Little[/autotag] and [autotag]Justin Loer[/autotag] as they scored five more runs to increase their lead to 8-2. In the bottom of the fifth, [autotag]Hayden Travinski[/autotag] had an RBI groundout and [autotag]Brady Neal[/autotag] hit a two-run homer to cut the lead to 8-5.

In the top of the sixth, an LSU error led to another run for Southern as they increased their lead to 9-5. In the bottom of the sixth, [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] scored on a wild pitch to cut the lead to 9-6.

In the bottom of the eighth, Jared Jones hit a sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 9-7. In the top of the ninth, [autotag]Michael Braswell III[/autotag] committed his second error of the evening leading to another run for Southern. A fielder’s choice and another error led to more runs for Southern as they increased their lead to 12-7.

LSU will host No. 6 Vanderbilt this weekend. Game 1 of the series is scheduled for Thursday at 6 p.m. CT.

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LSU survives extra innings against Georgia to take Game 1

LSU got a much-needed win in Game 1 and will look to clinch the series against the Bulldogs on Friday.

LSU has lost two conference series in a row and they are at risk of losing their super regional hosting rights. A good showing this weekend would prevent that, and LSU took care of business in Game 1 with an 8-5 win over Georgia, though it took 12 innings to get there.

[autotag]Brayden Jobert[/autotag] got the party started in the top of the second inning when he hit a two-run blast over the scoreboard in right field to give LSU a 2-0 lead.

With [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] on the mound, a two-run lead is usually enough to win the game. Not this time. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Georgia tied the game with a solo homer and an RBI single to tie the game 2-2 as we headed into the sixth inning.

In the top of the eighth inning, [autotag]Hayden Travinski[/autotag] broke the tie with a solo homer and [autotag]Jordan Thompson[/autotag] followed that up with a solo shot of his own to make it 4-2 LSU heading into the bottom of the inning.

[autotag]Riley Cooper[/autotag] took over for Skenes on the mound to start the bottom of the eighth. Skenes finished the game after pitching seven innings and allowing two runs on four hits, a walk and 12 strikeouts.

Cooper walked the first batter he faced and he was pulled for [autotag]Thatcher Hurd[/autotag]. Hurd struck out the first batter he faced, walked the next one and got out No. 2 on a fielder’s choice. Hurd got the next batter to pop up to short, but Thompson dropped the ball and a run scored to make it 4-3.

Hurd got the next hitter to pop up for out No. 3.

[autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] hit his first “Crews Missile” in a while to extend the LSU lead to 5-3 as we headed to the bottom of the ninth.

The first batter in the bottom of the ninth hit a solo shot, and just like that, it was a one-run game again. Hurd would stay in the game to try and finish the job. He got the next two hitters out quickly, but with only one out remaining, Georgia hit a solo shot to tie the game 5-5. The next hitter grounded out and we headed to extra innings.

Neither team could score a run in the top of the 10th so we headed to the 11th. Jobert was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. [autotag]Alex Milazzo[/autotag] advanced him with a sacrifice bunt. [autotag]Ben Nippolt[/autotag] came in to pinch-hit for [autotag]Gavin Dugas[/autotag], and he drew a walk to put runners on first and second with only one out.

The bases were loaded for Crews and White, but the Tigers failed to score after Crews struck out and White grounded into a fielder’s choice. Hurd retired all three Georgia hitters in short order and we headed to the 12th inning.

Travinski started the 12th inning with a double and then advanced to third on a wild pitch. [autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag] then hit a two-run homer to give the Tigers a 7-5 lead. Thompson followed that with a homer of his own to make it 8-5 as we headed to the bottom of the 12th.

Hurd retired all three batters he faced in the bottom of the 12th and LSU survived Game 1 against Georgia with an 8-5 win. The Tigers will go for the series win at 5 p.m. CT on Friday.

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Errors doom the Tigers in Game 2 loss to Kentucky

Mistakes ultimately cost LSU a chance to clinch the series against the Wildcats on Friday night.

LSU entered Game 2 against the Kentucky Wildcats on Friday night with a chance to win the series, but three errors from the defense doomed it in the end as the Tigers lost 13-10.

LSU got things started in the bottom of the first inning when [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] scored on a [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] RBI double to make it 1-0 Tigers after one inning.

The Wildcats took their first lead of the game in the top of the second inning when they hit a two-run blast to right field to make it 2-1. The Tigers answered back in the bottom of the inning when [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag] hit a two-RBI single to score [autotag]Ben Nippolt[/autotag] and [autotag]Jordan Thompson[/autotag].

In the bottom of the fourth inning, LSU scored three runs thanks to an RBI double from Crews and a two-run homer from White to give LSU a 6-2 lead.

Kentucky fought back in the top of the fifth inning when it hit an RBI single, and then [autotag]Brayden Jobert[/autotag] misplayed a flyball with bases loaded. That allowed three runs to score and the batter to get to third base. He was then brought in by the next hitter, and just like that, Kentucky had a 7-6 lead.

In the top of the seventh inning, Kentucky scored again on an RBI single with bases loaded, a bases-loaded walk, an RBI single and a sacrifice fly to make it 12-6 Kentucky heading into the bottom of the seventh. [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] scored on a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the seventh to cut the lead to 12-7.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, LSU loaded the bases with no outs before [autotag]Cade Beloso[/autotag] struck out. Jones then hit a two-RBI single to left field to cut the lead to 12-10. Jobert grounded out to first base, and Thompson struck out to end the inning.

In the top of the ninth, Kentucky added an insurance run on an RBI single to right field to make it a 13-10 game. The bottom of the LSU order was tasked with trying to make a comeback in the bottom of the ninth. [autotag]Hayden Travinski[/autotag] flew out to left field, [autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag] walked and Morgan grounded into a double play to end the game.

With the loss, LSU drops to 28-6 on the season and 8-5 in conference play. The first pitch for a decisive Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m.

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Tigers baseball run-rules Grambling in midweek matchup

LSU welcomed Grambling into Baton Rouge after winning a series against the Arkansas Razorbacks, and the offense picked up where it left off.

LSU welcomed Grambling into Baton Rouge after winning a series against the Arkansas Razorbacks and the offense picked up where it left off with a 17-5 run-rule win.

The Tigers scored two runs in the first two innings as [autotag]Gavin Dugas[/autotag] scored on a [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag] RBI single and [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] scored on a Dugas sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.

In the top of the third inning, Grambling took the lead on a three-run homer against [autotag]Blake Money[/autotag] to give them a 3-2 lead. That lead didn’t last long as LSU scored five runs in the bottom of the third. [autotag]Cade Beloso[/autotag] and Jones hit homers and [autotag]Jordan Thompson[/autotag] scored on an [autotag]Alex Milazzo[/autotag] single to make it 7-3 Tigers.

The Tigers never looked back after that. LSU scored eight runs in the bottom of the fourth off of a Beloso single, a [autotag]Paxton Kling[/autotag] single, a [autotag]Ben Nippolt[/autotag] single, a [autotag]Brayden Jobert[/autotag] single, and some throwing errors to make it 15-3 LSU after four innings.

Grambling scored one more run in the top of the sixth to cut the lead to 15-4 but LSU got that run back and another as they scored two in the bottom of the sixth. Kling scored on a sacrifice fly by [autotag]Ethan Frey[/autotag] and [autotag]Hayden Travinski[/autotag] scored on a wild pitch to make it 17-4 after six innings.

[autotag]Micah Bucknam[/autotag] pitched the seventh for the Tigers and Grambling welcomed him with a solo homer to cut the lead to 17-5. That wasn’t enough to stop the run rule as the Tigers won big.

LSU will welcome the Tennessee Vols to Alex Box Stadium this weekend for what should be a great series. The first pitch for Game 1 is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT Thursday.

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Jared Jones named SEC Freshman of the Week

Last weekend against Samford, it was Jones’ world, and we were all just living in it.

Last weekend against Samford, it was [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag]’ world, and we were all just living in it.

Jones finished the series going 6-for-10 with four homers, 11 RBI and 5 runs. Those stats earned him SEC Freshman of the Week honors.

Jones is off to a hot start in his first season on the bayou. He currently holds a .356 batting average with 4 doubles, 6 homers, and 21 RBI.

[autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] is still trying to figure out how all of the puzzle pieces will fit into the lineup card every day, and Jones may be a Freshman, but he is making a case for being the starting first baseman for a majority of games this season.

Between Jones and [autotag]Cade Beloso[/autotag], LSU is in a good place at first base. We are still waiting on [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] to be back at third base to complete the infield, but so far so good. [autotag]Ben Nippolt[/autotag] and [autotag]Brayden Jobert[/autotag] have done well in his absence, though.

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Thatcher Hurd bites the Butler Bulldogs with run-rule shutout to cap off perfect weekend for LSU baseball

Thatcher Hurd used every pitch in his repertoire with a dazzling performance that gave the Tigers their third run-rule win of the weekend. 

[autotag]Thatcher Hurd[/autotag] had his best start of the young season so far as he was able to use every pitch in his repertoire against Butler on Monday night.

LSU once again used the long ball to carry them to a big, 11-0 victory over the Bulldogs. The Tigers’ offense came into the game averaging 15 runs per game, and this night was no different.

[autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] got the party started in the bottom of the first inning with a solo shot to center field and the rout was on from there. In the bottom of the second, LSU scored six runs as [autotag]Brady Neal[/autotag] hit a solo homer, [autotag]Paxton Kling[/autotag] scored on a fielding error, Jobert scored on a [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag] RBI double, [autotag]Gavin Dugas[/autotag] scored on an RBI groundout from Crews, Morgan scored on a [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] RBI single and White scored on a Neal flyout to make it 7-0 LSU after two innings.

LSU tacked on a couple more runs in the fourth and fifth innings as Kling hit a long homer down the left field line in the fourth and [autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag] scored on a Crews groundout to make it 9-0 after five innings.

Hurd’s night finished after he went six innings allowing three hits and no runs on 11 strikeouts and one walk. It was his most dominant performance of the season so far. He carried the momentum he gained from the Texas game into this one and it showed.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, [autotag]Ben Nippolt[/autotag] hit a two-RBI double to center to increase the lead to 11-0, giving LSU a shot at another run-rule victory. [autotag]Blake Money[/autotag] came in to pitch the top of the seventh inning to close out the game. He worked a clean inning with two strikeouts and a flyout to secure the win.

With the win over Butler, LSU moves to 11-1 on the year. The Tigers will have a day off tomorrow before welcoming the Lamar Cardinals to town on Wednesday night. The first pitch for that contest is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT.

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LSU baseball opens the weekend on a high note with decisive win over Butler

The Tigers began their four-game weekend with a 12-2 win over the Bulldogs.

After escaping Austin, Texas, with a 3-0 win over the Longhorns, the LSU Tigers looked to get back in the swing of things on offense against Butler to start the weekend. The Tigers did just that with a 12-2 win over the Bulldogs on Friday.

[autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] got the start for the Tigers and showed that he is in a league of his own. He pitched 6 innings allowing just one hit with 13 strikeouts and no walks.

The LSU offense started off very slow, but that is to be expected when you are used to pitchers throwing almost 100 mph and you face a guy that tops out in the high 80s.

In the bottom of the third inning, [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] got the Tigers on the board with an RBI double to right field to score [autotag]Ben Nippolt[/autotag] and make it 1-0 LSU after three innings.

In the bottom of the fifth, the floodgates opened as LSU plated six runs thanks to a 3-run Crews missile to right field, White scoring on a throwing error, and [autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag] and [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag] scoring on an [autotag]Alex Milazzo[/autotag] bunt single. That made the score 7-0 after five innings.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, LSU plated two more runs due to a fielding error and a Pearson flyout to right. [autotag]Micah Bucknam[/autotag] came in to pitch for Skenes and struck out one of the two batters he faced before he was pulled for [autotag]Griffin Herring[/autotag]. Herring retired the last batter of the inning in one pitch to maintain the 9-0 lead.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, [autotag]Ethan Frey[/autotag] hit an RBI single to center field to score [autotag]Mic Paul[/autotag]. [autotag]Cade Beloso[/autotag] followed that with a 2-RBI double to right field to make it 12-0 Tigers.

[autotag]Aiden Moffett[/autotag] got his first action of the year in the top of the eighth inning and he struggled with location as he walked three and allowed one run before [autotag]Gavin Guidry[/autotag] came in to get the final out of the eighth inning as LSU held a 12-1 lead.

Guidry stayed in to pitch the ninth inning. He struck out three straight batters but the last hitter reached as Travinski lost the ball. Butler then scored on an RBI double and [autotag]Sam Dutton[/autotag] came in for Guidry. Dutton retired the first batter he faced and LSU won 12-2.

LSU has a long weekend of games ahead of them as they face Central Connecticut State on Saturday and Sunday before playing Butler again on Monday.

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Gavin Dugas’ 9th-inning bomb lifts LSU past Texas in pitcher’s duel

Dugas broke a 0-0 tie in the top of the ninth as the Tigers survived a tough one in Austin.

LSU traveled to Austin, Texas, as champions of the Round Rock Classic and still holding the No. 1 ranking in the country. To escape with that ranking, it took all the Tigers had as a three-run bomb from [autotag]Gavin Dugas[/autotag] broke a 0-0 tie in the top of the ninth as LSU ultimately took a 3-0 win.

[autotag]Thatcher Hurd[/autotag] got his second start of the season trying to improve after struggling with his location in his first game. He showed some improvement as he went 4.2 innings against Texas, allowing zero runs on three hits, four strikeouts, and three walks. He is still working on his command, but not giving up any runs is a great start.

Through five complete innings, the score remained 0-0 as each team had three hits, but they couldn’t get any runs out of them. The Longhorns starting pitcher, Lebarron Johnson Jr. mowed through the LSU lineup as he pitched five innings allowing three hits on two walks and nine strikeouts.

Charlie Hurley came in to pitch for the Longhorns to start the sixth inning, but after walking [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag], [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag] reached on a fielder’s choice and [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] reached on a throwing error. David Pierce had seen enough. He made a call to the bullpen for David Shaw.

Shaw had a balk as soon as he came into the game but then struck out [autotag]Brady Neal[/autotag] to keep LSU scoreless. [autotag]Nate Ackenhausen[/autotag] remained in the game to pitch for LSU heading into the bottom of the sixth inning.

In the top of the ninth inning, Neal and Thompson walked to start the Tigers off with a runner in scoring position and no outs. [autotag]Ben Nippolt[/autotag] followed that with a strikeout for LSU’s first out. The Longhorns then brought in Andre Duplanter II to face Dugas.

Dugas, the man who embodies everything it means to be an LSU Tiger, had two runners on base with one out as he did what he does best. Dugas hit a three-run bomb to left field to put the Tigers on top 3-0 in the top of the ninth inning.

[autotag]Christian Little[/autotag], the transfer from Vanderbilt, was tasked with closing out the win for LSU. Little got Guillemette to foul out to Nippolt for out number one, He got O’Dowd to fly out to Jobert for out number two, and he got Powell to ground out to secure the 3-0 victory for the Tigers.

With the win, LSU moves to 7-1 on the season. The Tigers will be back in action this Friday as it welcomes Butler into Alex Box Stadium. The first pitch for that game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT.

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