Tag: lsu baseball

LSU’s Ashton Larson named an All-Star in the Cape Cod League

Ashton Larson played 19 games for the Anglers and finished with a .300 batting average, eight stolen bases and eight RBI.

LSU freshman outfielder [autotag]Ashton Larson[/autotag] played for the Chatham Anglers in the Cape Cod Summer League after having a good season with the Tigers. He carried that momentum to the Anglers and has been recognized as an All-Star in the Cape Cod League.

Larson played 19 games for the Anglers and finished with a .300 batting average, eight stolen bases and eight RBI. He will start in the outfield for the East Division in the All-Star game.

Larson finished his freshman season at LSU with a .298 batting average. He had nine doubles, three homers, and 16 RBI in 53 games played. The future of LSU baseball looks bright in the outfield between Larson and [autotag]Jake Brown[/autotag]. Both young guys had great seasons this year and both are having outstanding performances for their Cape Cod teams.

After the offseason LSU has had, [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] will have one of the best teams in the country once again next spring.

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2 LSU baseball commits appear on 2025 way-too-early mock draft

The 2024 MLB draft just ended, but it’s never too early to start thinking about the 2025 draft.

The 2024 MLB draft just ended but it’s never too early to think about the 2025 draft. MLB.com made a mini mock draft as they looked ahead to 2025.

Two LSU Tigers commits have made the top 20 of next year’s draft. [autotag]Brady Ebel[/autotag], a shortstop from Corona High School in California, and [autotag]Quentin Young[/autotag], a shortstop/outfielder from Oaks Christian High School in California.

According to MLB.com, Ebel, the son of Los Angeles Dodgers third base coach [autotag]Dino Ebel[/autotag], will be drafted by the [autotag]Toronto Blue Jays[/autotag] with the seventh pick of the [autotag]2025 MLB draft[/autotag]. Brady is viewed as one of the best pure hitters in next year’s draft and the Blue Jays could be in the market for a new shortstop with questions surrounding the future of Bo Bichette at shortstop.

MLB.com has Young being drafted by the [autotag]San Francisco Giants[/autotag] with the 12th pick of the draft. That pick would keep Quentin in his home state and send him to a team that could develop him very well.

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Top LSU pitcher signee officially inks professional deal with the Braves

One of LSU’s top signees in the 2024 baseball recruiting class won’t be making his way to Baton Rouge.

One of LSU’s top signees in the 2024 baseball recruiting class won’t be making his way to Baton Rouge after he was drafted in the first round of the [autotag]2024 MLB Draft[/autotag].

[autotag]Cam Caminiti[/autotag] had an incredible year for Saguaro High School as a Senior. He went 9-0 with a 0.93 ERA on the season, striking out 119 batters in 52 2/3 innings. At the plate, he hit .493. He helped lead his high school to its first state championship in 13 years.

The 2021 World Series Champion [autotag]Atlanta Braves[/autotag] drafted him with the 24th pick in the first round of the draft. The slot value for his pick was $3,556,300 so he signed for his exact value and the Braves did not overpay or underpay in order to sign him.

At just 17 years old, Caminiti throws gas. His fastball has topped out at 97 miles per hour and he has a killer breaking ball. He will now be sent to play rookie ball in the Braves farm system as he starts his journey to the majors.

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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 flips coveted Texas A&M pitcher signee

Cooper Williams — a top 75 player nationally — became the second Texas A&M player that LSU flipped Wednesday.

As the downstream effects of Jim Schlossnagle’s departure from Texas A&M for rival Texas continue to take their toll, LSU is the beneficiary from at least one piece of the fallout.

On Wednesday, left-handed pitcher [autotag]Cooper Williams[/autotag] announced that he would be decommitting from Texas and pledging to the Tigers. A 2024 recruit, Williams will join the team for the 2025 season.

It’s a big-time pickup for coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] and the staff. The Alvin, Texas, native is the No. 2 lefty in Texas and the No. 73 player overall nationally with a fastball that currently pushes 93 MPH, according to Perfect Game’s scouting report.

Williams was the second former Texas A&M commit LSU landed on Wednesday as it also added 2025 shortstop [autotag]Ethan Clauss[/autotag]. He was not selected in this past weekend’s 2024 MLB draft.

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LSU baseball lands a commitment from top prospect in Nevada

Ethan Clauss is the No. 42 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class.

[autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] landed an elite signing class in 2024 and managed to bring three top-15 prospects to campus. Now, he’s turning his attention to the 2025 class.

On Wednesday, the Tigers landed a commitment from shortstop [autotag]Ethan Clauss[/autotag], the No. 1 player in the state of Nevada and the No. 42 overall prospect nationally.

“I want to give praise to my Lord and Savior for giving me the ability to play the game I love,” Clauss said in a social media post. “I also want to thank all of my coaches, teammates, friends, and most importantly my family for helping me throughout my journey. Finally, I would like to thank (coach Jay Johnson). Geaux Tigers!”

Clauss becomes the 18th member of LSU’s 2025 class, but as we saw this weekend at the 2024 MLB draft, it will be a battle to get him to campus as he will certainly be a draftable prospect next summer.

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SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said he talked to Paul Skenes at MLB All-Star weekend

Greg Sankey stepped away from SEC Media Days to catch the Home Run Derby in Arlington on Tuesday night.

Paul Skenes added the latest accomplishment to his already impressive career on Tuesday, becoming the first rookie to start the MLB All-Star Game as a pitcher since 1995.

That All-Star festivities were held in Arlington, Texas, and it just happened to coincide with the 2024 SEC Media Days, which are being held in Dallas this week in anticipation of Texas and Oklahoma’s addition to the SEC.

SEC commissioner [autotag]Greg Sankey[/autotag] managed to slip away from his duties to catch the Home Run Derby, and that included catching up with Skenes, who turned in one of the best pitching seasons in league history.

“It was neat, in the fact at the Home Run Derby I sat down in the third base dugout with our T-Mobile friends. They were kind enough to host us there and Paul ended up sitting right in front of me,” Sankey said per On3. “They had all the All-Stars out in their team uniforms, which you knew everybody was, and so we had a five-minute chat.

“We were talking about Hoover, and Omaha, and his experience pitching in the SEC, and then you watch him walk out there to start a Major League Baseball game. You’re like, he was in that police motorcade to and from the Wynfrey a little over a year ago. So great for him, great for the league.”

After striking out 200 batters with a sub-2.00 ERA as LSU’s ace in 2023, Skenes quickly rose through the minors and made his Major League debut earlier this season.

He’s still undefeated as a starter and currently holds a sub-2.00 ERA at the highest level of baseball.

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Watch Livvy Dunne show off pitch grips with Paul Skenes at the MLB All-Star Game

Livvy Dunne showed off her four-seam fastball grip, though she conceded that she’s “more of a splinker girl.”

[autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] is only a couple of months into his MLB career, and he’s already etching his name in the history books.

On Tuesday night, Skenes became the first rookie pitcher to start the All-Star Game since 1995, and though he only threw for one inning, it was certainly an impressive frame.

He allowed just one baserunner on a walk to Juan Soto, but he capped off the inning by inducing a first-pitch groundout from Soto’s Yankees teammate Aaron Judge. Skenes threw just 16 pitches in the inning, 11 of which were strikes.

Also in attendance with Skenes was his girlfriend, LSU gymnast [autotag]Livvy Dunne[/autotag], who enters her fifth season with the Tigers in 2025. While Dunne is known for her feats on the floor, she also seems to be picking up some pitching hacks.

At Skenes’ prompting, Dunne showed off her four-seam fastball grip, though she joked that she’s “more of a splinker girl.” The splinker is Skenes’ hybrid splitter and sinker pitcher, which he has relied on heavily to this point in his pro career.

If LSU baseball coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] needs some pitching depth next spring, I know where he needs to call.

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Best photos of Paul Skenes and Livvy Dunne at the 2024 MLB All-Star Game

Paul Skenes became the first rookie pitcher to start the All-Star Game since 1995 on Tuesday night.

[autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] is quickly becoming one of the best young players in baseball just months into his rookie campaign, and the former first-overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft made some more history on Tuesday night.

He became the first rookie pitcher to start the MLB All-Star Game since 1995 and just the fifth all-time, getting the nod for the National League. It was an overall impressive showing as he allowed no hits or runs and just one walk as he worked through his lone inning of action in 16 pitches.

That included an out against Aaron Judge, arguably the top hitter in baseball.

It was surely a memorable experience for Skenes, who was joined in Arlington, Texas, by his girlfriend, LSU gymnast [autotag]Livvy Dunne[/autotag]. Here are the best photos from Skenes’ night at Globe Life Field.