Tag: jared jones

LSU baseball brings 7 top-100 signees to campus after 2024 MLB draft

The Tigers add an elite freshman class to a transfer portal haul that ranks No. 1 in the nation.

The 2024 MLB draft really couldn’t have gone much better as far as LSU’s purposes go.

While things were mostly chalky when it came to current players — with [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Michael Braswell III[/autotag] announcing their returns to Baton Rouge after they weren’t selected. And while several of LSU’s top high school signees — namely [autotag]Konnor Griffin[/autotag], [autotag]Cam Caminiti[/autotag] and [autotag]Kale Fountain[/autotag] — will sign with a professional club, the Tigers are bringing in an unreal freshman class.

In total, seven top-100 signees will reach campus. That’s in addition to a transfer portal class that already ranks No. 1 in the nation.

Outfielder [autotag]Derek Curiel[/autotag] announced his decision to attend LSU ahead of the draft, and he was joined by elite pitching commit [autotag]William Schmidt[/autotag] and prized catcher [autotag]Cade Arrambide[/autotag].

The Tigers had a disappointing season in 2024 coming off a national title campaign. Though they turned things around in the back half, they couldn’t get out of the Chapel Hill Regional.

Now, coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] is reloading with a roster that looks to be as competitive as any in the country.

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The stars are aligning for LSU baseball in 2025

LSU baseball has all the tools to win a national title in 2024. Now, it’s about putting the pieces together.

The summer of 2022 was a good one for LSU baseball. [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] knew players like [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] and [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag] were returning while adding superstars [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] and [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] in the transfer portal. It made LSU the consensus No. 1 entering 2023, with some calling it a dream team.

That group fit the billing, going on to win the national title a year later.

This summer has been a similar flood of positive news for Jay Johnson’s squad. According to 64Analytics, the Tigers have the top transfer class in college baseball. LSU survived the MLB draft largely unscathed and with a few surprises.

Star high school pitcher [autotag]William Schmidt[/autotag] pulled his name from draft boards and announced his decision to attend LSU. Key contributors from the 2024 squad, first baseman [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] and shortstop [autotag]Michael Braswell[/autotag], both announced their return to school.

I’m not saying the 2025 squad will be a dream team on the level of 2023. We may never see that assembly of talent again in college baseball. LSU hasn’t added a Skenes or White in the portal, but those players aren’t there every year. There’s no Dylan Crews or Tre Morgan either, even if LSU’s lineup does have potential to be among the nation’s best.

Regardless, LSU is positioning itself to be a true national title contender in 2025. Questions about the pitching staff remain, but the portal work has built enough depth for a few solid options to emerge. Jones should take another step forward as a slugger and second basemen [autotag]Steven Milam[/autotag] is set to become a superstar.

Don’t forget about [autotag]Jake Brown[/autotag], who had several impressive moments as a true freshman down the stretch.

It’s a team that will be battle-tested after facing adversity in 2024 and seeing its season come to a heartbreaking end in the Chapel Hill Regional.

Johnson, having managed a team filled with stars in 2023 and a team that needed some work in 2024, has proven he can win in different ways. Next year, we’ll see a combo of the two styles. It will be a team with strong portal reinforcements, but much of the core will come through high school recruiting and retaining what LSU already has.

After a disappointing 2024, the pressure will be turned on again next year. How this group deals with that will be something to watch, but the veteran presence is there.

Johnson knows his gig is the best job in the country. It’s because it doesn’t take much effort to assemble a team like this. LSU has all the tools to win another national title in 2025, now it’s just about putting the pieces together.

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LSU slugger Jared Jones confirms return for 2025 season after he went undrafted

LSU will get a big power boost on its roster in 2025 with Jared Jones returning.

LSU’s lineup got a huge boost entering the 2025 season on Tuesday.

After he went unselected in the 2024 MLB draft, Tigers first baseman [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag], a draft-eligible sophomore, confirmed that he will be coming back to Baton Rouge for his junior season.

After starting 47 games as a true freshman in 2023 while batting over .300 and hitting 14 home runs, the Marietta, Georgia, native took a huge step forward this spring.

He doubled his home run total to 28 — the fourth-highest single-season total in program history — while still batting .301. He also batted in 59 runs last season.

Jones’ slugging potential made him an intriguing prospect for some heading into the draft, but after he fell to Day 3, no team opted to take a late flyer on him.

Now, he’ll return to the Tigers in 2025 as he looks to be one of the top power hitters in college baseball.

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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 adds another power hitter in the transfer portal

Eddie Yamin IV has played catcher before but he spent all of the 2024 season as a first baseman. 

Recently, I mentioned how [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] was turning heads with his power during the MLB draft combine. As every day passes, it looks more likely that he will be drafted and won’t be coming back to LSU.

[autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] may have just found a guy who can fill that role at first base. [autotag]Eddie Yamin IV[/autotag] is a 6-foot-5 infielder/catcher from Dayton. He had a phenomenal year for the Dayton Flyers this season as he finished with a .342 batting average in 53 games played. He had 14 doubles, 13 homers, and 54 RBI and he had a .608 slugging percentage. He has played catcher before but he spent all of the 2024 season as a first baseman.

LSU has gone from a team that lost all of their catchers and their first baseman to a team that has two or three different options at each position. Johnson has been on fire in the portal and I don’t think he is stopping anytime soon.

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LSU’s Jared Jones is turning heads at the MLB draft combine

There is always a chance Jones decides to return to LSU for another season, but right now, he has the MLB’s eyes on him.

Ever since [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] arrived on campus at Baton Rouge, he has been putting on shows during batting practice and in games. His light tower power has resulted in 14 homers during his freshman season and 28 homers this season.

Jones has taken his talents to the [autotag]MLB draft combine[/autotag] and he took batting practice today at Chase Field in Arizona and he was hitting tanks left and right. He had the highest exit velocity of any hitter who participated. One of his hits had an exit velocity of 113 MPH.

The show he put on had MLB analysts raving about his power. [autotag]Lance Brozdowski[/autotag] and [autotag]Jim Callis[/autotag] of [autotag]MLB Network[/autotag] broke down some of his workout in the video below.

His power has never been the issue. The question at the next level will be, where will he play on defense? He has been working out as a catcher at the combine although he did not play much catcher at LSU. He could also be used as a first baseman or a designated hitter.

There is always a chance Jones decides to return to LSU for another season but right now he has the MLB’s eyes on him.

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Jay Johnson discusses LSU baseball’s upcoming draft decisions

LSU would get a big boost if players like Jared Jones and Griffin Herring elect to return.

Per usual, LSU baseball expects to have more than a few of its players selected when the MLB draft rolls around this summer.

Last year, [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] and [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] were the first and second overall picks. That high in the draft, the choice to go pro is easy. But as you get into the later rounds, players are faced with a choice — head to the minor leagues or come back to school.

“We’ll have as few as five and as many as 11, probably, that could get drafted from this roster,” [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] told the media, “I would guess the time the 2024 draft ends, we’ll have the most players drafted in the country over the last two years. We’re here to develop guys for professional baseball and no one does that better.”

LSU’s top three prospects are [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag], [autotag]Gage Jump[/autotag] and [autotag]Luke Holman[/autotag]. It would be a major surprise if any of those three returned to campus, but there are other names worth keeping an eye on.

[autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] is a draft eligible sophomore whose power tool is sure to grab the attention of some MLB organizations. According to MLB.com, Jones is the No. 119 ranked prospect in the draft.

There’s also pitcher [autotag]Griffin Herring[/autotag], who ranks No. 156 on the MLB.com draft board.

Herring excelled for LSU as a reliever in 2024, but Johnson said Herring would have a spot in next year’s weekend rotation.

Jones and Herring will have their chance to turn pro, but Johnson suggests you shouldn’t rule out a return for them and LSU’s other prospects.

“None of them are in a hurry to get out of here and I think they know their value here is strong,” Johnson said.

If key players return, along with LSU’s additions in the transfer portal, expect the Tigers to be back in contention for a trip to Omaha in 2025.

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LSU baseball adds a big-time slugger from the transfer portal

The Tigers landed one of the best sluggers in the country in the transfer portal.

[autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] has ventured into the black hole that is the transfer portal and he has stepped out with an Avenger. The Tigers have landed one of the best power hitters in the country from Indiana State.

[autotag]Luis Hernandez[/autotag] is a 6-foot, 190-pound sophomore catcher from Puerto Rico who was a star for the Indiana State Sycamores this season. He finished the season with a .359 batting average with 14 doubles, 23 homers, and 76 RBI. He had a .694 slugging percentage and showed power to both sides of the field.

Hernandez played catcher for the Sycamores but he can also play first base. LSU is losing two catchers, [autotag]Alex Milazzo[/autotag] and [autotag]Hayden Travinski[/autotag]. That leaves them with [autotag]Brady Neal[/autotag] as the main catcher on the roster. Hernandez could play behind the dish or he could play first base and the Tigers could use [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] as a designated hitter.

This is a huge pickup for LSU. He can bring instant pop to the lineup and make the team better.

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LSU baseball can’t close the door, season ends against North Carolina in regional final

LSU had the Tar Heels where it wanted them but couldn’t close the door as North Carolina won 4-3 in extras.

After an incredible day yesterday when the Tigers won two games to send the Chapel Hill Regional to a winner-take-all Game 7, the Tigers matched up with North Carolina one more time with the hopes of hosting a Super Regional. LSU had the Tar Heels where they wanted them, but they couldn’t close the door as North Carolina won 4-3 in extras.

Sam Dutton got the start on the mound and LSU was the home team once again. The Tar Heels started the game with three straight singles before [autotag]Javen Coleman[/autotag] came in to pitch. Coleman walked the first hitter he faced before forcing a double play. He then got the final out but North Carolina took a 2-0 lead.

LSU didn’t waste any time trying to answer those two runs as the Tigers got a run of their own on a [autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag] groundout to cut the lead to 2-1. In the bottom of the second inning, [autotag]Jake Brown[/autotag] hit a solo homer to tie the game 2-2.

In the bottom of the third inning, [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] got in on the homer party as he hit a solo shot to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead.

In the top of the eighth inning, [autotag]Will Hellmers[/autotag] walked the first batter he faced and that was the end of his afternoon. When LSU needed him the most, Hellmers gave the best pitching performance of his career. He finished the game after pitching 5.2 innings and giving up zero runs on two hits, four strikeouts, and two walks. It was the longest Hellmers has pitched in his career. His previous high was in 2021 when he pitched five full innings against Southern and New Orleans as a freshman.

[autotag]Nate Ackenhausen[/autotag] entered to pitch for him and he struck out the next three hitters to send LSU to the bottom of the eighth inning with a 3-2 lead. In the top of the ninth inning, LSU’s Ace pitcher [autotag]Gage Jump[/autotag] trotted out of the bullpen to try to close out the win. The Tar Heels led off the inning with a double to put the tying run in scoring position with no outs. After getting a strikeout, an RBI single tied the game 3-3. A lineout to second and a ground ball out sent us to the bottom of the ninth with a chance for LSU to walk it off.

[autotag]Brady Neal[/autotag] struck out, [autotag]Hayden Travinski[/autotag] hit a single to put the winning run on first, Brown flew out to center, and [autotag]Paxton Kling[/autotag] struck out to send us to extra innings.

The Tigers retired the first two hitters of the inning before an error gave the Tar Heels a runner in scoring position. LSU intentionally walked the next guy. Then with two outs and a full count, Carolina scored on an RBI single giving the Tar Heels a 4-3 lead. LSU had the top of the order due up in the bottom of the inning.

[autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] flew out on the first pitch he saw, [autotag]Steven Milam[/autotag] flew out to right for out number two and it was down to Jones to save the day. Jones reached on a walk to put the tying run at first. Pearson then came up to bat and flew out to center. The Tar Heels won 4-3 and the season ended.

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Griffin Herring hurls a gem against Wofford to keep LSU baseball’s season alive

After a rough start, LSU came back to win 12-6 and advances to the regional final against North Carolina.

LSU entered Sunday’s game facing elimination in Chapel Hill. The Tigers got a rematch against the Wofford Terriers who they beat in their first game of the regional. After a rough start, LSU came back to win 12-6.

[autotag]Nate Ackenhausen[/autotag] got the start on the mound but things did not get off to the type of start he would like. Wofford greeted him with five runs in the bottom of the first inning to get out to a 5-0 lead. In the top of the second inning, the Tigers began to claw their way back into the game. [autotag]Michael Braswell III[/autotag] hit a sacrifice fly and [autotag]Jake Brown[/autotag] had an RBI single to cut the lead to 5-2.

In the top of the fourth inning, [autotag]Ashton Larson[/autotag] hit an RBI single to cut the lead to 5-3.

The Terriers answered with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth to extend their lead to 6-3. In the top of the fifth inning, LSU tied the ballgame as [autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag] hit a two-run homer and [autotag]Brady Neal[/autotag] hit an RBI single to tie the game 6-6.

In the top of the seventh inning, LSU took their first lead of the ballgame when Brown hit a sacrifice fly and [autotag]Alex Milazzo[/autotag] hit an RBI single to give LSU an 8-6 lead.

In the top of the eighth inning, the Tigers extended their lead as Pearson hit an RBI double and Neal hit a two-RBI single to extend the lead to 11-6.

[autotag]Griffin Herring[/autotag] was the pitcher Jay Johnson called on to relieve Ackenhausen after his nightmare first inning. Herring was phenomenal. He finished the game after pitching 6.1 innings, giving up one run on five hits, seven strikeouts, and zero walks. [autotag]Kade Anderson[/autotag] entered the game to relieve him in the bottom of the eighth inning.

In the top of the ninth inning, [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] hit an RBI single and Pearson hit a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 13-6.

LSU advances to take on North Carolina in another elimination game on Sunday night at 5 p.m. CT.

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