Tag: Paul Skenes

LSU’s Jay Johnson constructed Tigers’ loaded baseball roster with a national championship in mind

Johnson saw clear areas of need after 2022’s disappointing finish at the Hattiesburg Regional.

Coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] came into an LSU program rich with both history and expectations last spring, and though the 40-22 season that ended in the final round of the Hattiesburg Regional was nothing to scoff at, one thing was clear: This team wanted more.

Johnson embarked on a talent acquisition quest this offseason to try to take this team to the next level, and the result was a transfer haul that included two-way player [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag], who will be LSU’s ace on the mound this season, and [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag], who is coming off a dominant hitting season as a freshman at NC State.

In an interview with SiriusXM previewing the 2023 season, Johnson said those moves were made with a championship in mind.

“It’s funny because during part of the recruiting process, I was the only coach on staff during this time because my assistants got power five head coaching jobs,” Johnson said. “You know, I actually think it goes back a lot further than the summer time. It goes back to last year. We did a probably an underrated job in the transfer portal for the 2022 season. I’m very pleased with what we accomplished last year, winning 40 games, had the highest SEC finish for LSU in five or six years, and Jacob Berry had a lot to do with that. Tyler McManus had a lot to do with that. Riley Cooper had a lot to do with that. Eric Rezyelman had a lot to do with that.

“And when I looked at the transfer portal, it’s really hard to picture last year’s team without the guys that we added. So when we looked at this last summer coming up, we want to contend for a national championship. I want to high five coach Rooney in Omaha. So where were we short?”

Johnson elaborated on LSU’s portal strategy, which saw needs at both pitcher and in the lineup with [autotag]Jacob Berry[/autotag] and [autotag]Cade Doughty[/autotag] moving on to the professional ranks.

“We were short with starting pitching talent,” Johnson said. “And then we were going to lose Jacob Berry and Cade Doughty you know, first and second round draft picked hitters that were kind of the core of our lineup. So we addressed all of that in the portal this year. And it was pretty intense. It was pretty intentional with how we did what we did and very excited that we got the results of getting these guys on our team.

“They all bring something pretty unique from a player and person standpoint to this group. And we’re certainly going to be better because we have those five players.”

The Tigers are going to look a lot different this spring, and they’ll enter with sky-high expectations. LSU will toss its first pitch of the season on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. CT vs. Western Michigan at Alex Box Stadium.

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No. 1 LSU vs. Western Michigan: How to watch, stream, preview for season-opening baseball series

The unanimous preseason No. 1 team makes its long-awaited season debut on Friday afternoon.

The unanimous preseason No. 1 LSU baseball team is set to make its long-awaited debut on Friday night against Western Michigan for a three-game series at Alex Box Stadium to kick off Year 2 under coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag].

The Tigers are coming off a 40-22 (17-13 SEC) run in Johnson’s first season, which ended with a loss in the final round at the Hattiesburg Regional to top-seeded Southern Miss. But after an offseason haul that featured the top transfer and recruiting classes in the nation, this team has a title on its mind.

The Broncos are coming off an 18-36 season and are hoping for more success this campaign, but it will have to start against arguably the most formidable roster in the sport.

“We’re taking one game at a time, trying to do things in the context of winning that day,” Johnson said in a release. “To win Division I baseball games, you have to do things right. The goal is to put our players in positions to have success, and we’ll figure out what our best team looks like as we move forward.

“Two years ago, my last Arizona team – which ended up going to Omaha – opened the season by splitting four games with Ball State, which is from the same conference as Western Michigan. That Ball State team was very good with a really good pitching staff, so we’re preparing to face a strong challenge from Western Michigan.”

LSU has won 21 consecutive season-opening games dating back to 2001, and the Tigers will look to keep that streak alive when they begin the season on Friday afternoon. Here’s everything you need to know to follow the opening weekend series.

LSU names starting pitchers for opening series vs. Western Michigan

Paul Skenes will get the nod on Friday night, as we expected.

Coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] named LSU’s starting pitching rotation for the opening series against Western Michigan, and unsurprisingly, [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] will get the nod to begin the season on Friday night.

[autotag]Riley Cooper[/autotag][autotag] and [autotag]Chase Shores[/autotag] have been tabbed as the other two starters for the Tigers this weekend.

Cooper came to LSU with [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] from Arizona. He has started in three games in the past two years and has been chiefly used as a critical piece in the bullpen. Cooper has had a great fall camp and coach Johnson has all the confidence in the world that Cooper can go out and make a quality start.

Shores was the No. 1 right-handed pitcher in Texas for the class of 2022. He came to the Bayou with all types of fanfare. Since he showed up, he has been one of the most impressive pitchers on the roster, so Johnson has decided to give the young guy his shot.

He will start against Western Michigan on Sunday at 12:30.

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Predicting LSU baseball’s starting pitching rotation in 2023

Here’s how we expect LSU’s mound rotation to look this spring.

The undisputed No. 1 team in college baseball this year, the LSU Tigers, are getting ready to rock once again.

Here, we are going to take a look at my prediction for LSU’s starting pitching rotation before Game 1. All of this is subject to change, and I could be very wrong, but these are my opinions.

The one thing we know for certain is that [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] will be the Friday night starter. He will be the ace on this team. There is a chance LSU could have three starting pitchers from the transfer portal being their top three guys in the rotation.

We will have to wait to find out on Feb. 17 in the season opener against Western Michigan. For now, here’s how we expect the rotation to look.

LSU ace pitcher Paul Skenes pledges NIL earnings to charity

Skenes is donating his NIL earnings to Folds of Honor, which supports families of fallen or disabled military members and first responders.

In an ever-changing landscape of college athletics, the NIL was introduced to help athletes benefit from their name, image and likeness. There are a lot of guys who are using that money for all different types of things, and some of them are using that money for good causes.

Paul Skenes is one of those guys.

Skenes transferred to LSU after a couple of years at Air Force where he starred as a pitcher and as a hitter. He is one of the best pitchers in the country, and he is projected to be an early-round draft pick in this year’s MLB draft.

When he was asked what he would do with his NIL money he chose to donate it to Folds of Honor, which provides educational scholarships to spouses and children of fallen or disabled military and first responders. He put a link on his Twitter page that re-directs people to Folds of Honor where they can donate if they choose to.

Any fans who wish to donate can do so here.

Just a few hours after he posted that link, the donation page jumped from $234.80 to $2,156.80. It’s always good to see people using their influence for a good cause.

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Four Tigers named to baseball Preseason All-SEC teams by coaches

The Tigers’ roster is absolutely loaded in 2023.

On Thursday, the SEC coaches’ preseason conference poll was released — in which LSU was the overwhelming favorite to win the league — as well as their preseason All-SEC teams.

Four LSU Tigers made the All-SEC teams: a pair of familiar faces, and a pair of new ones. [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag], [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag], [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] and [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] all made the cut.

Crews and White both made the first team with Crews being selected as an outfielder and White being selected as a designated hitter and utility player.

What more do I need to say about Crews that hasn’t already been stated? He is the best player in college baseball, and he should be the No. 1 pick in the 2023 MLB draft. White was the best hitter in the ACC last year and he will hit a lot of dingers this spring for LSU.

Good luck pitching to him.

Paul Skenes and Tre Morgan were selected to the Second Team with Skenes being selected as a pitcher and Morgan being selected as a first baseman.

Skenes was one of the best pitchers in the country during his time at Air Force and his mystique has increased since he arrived at LSU. He is projected as a first-round draft pick in this year’s MLB draft, and he was recently named the Friday night starter for LSU.

Morgan is a man we are all familiar with. He is a wizard with his glove at first base and always seems to come up with a clutch hit when the Tigers need it the most.

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LSU baseball assembled a dream team. Will it work?

LSU baseball has one of its most talented teams ever. Will it lead to a national championship?

“Dream team.”

It’s the most conflicting phrase in sports — a term used more often before the fact rather than after. There’s a reason for that.

It’s because most dream teams turn out to be anything but. It’s rare for a team to go wire-to-wire and win the whole thing. The preseason favorite usually isn’t the one hoisting the trophy.

There’s no curse. It’s possible there are instances where the pressure gets to a team and it crumbles. Then there are cases where it’s clear the preseason favorite didn’t deserve that No. 1 spot. And sometimes, good teams just fall on some bad luck.

[autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag], now heading into his second year, has built LSU baseball’s best roster in some time. Still, that sells it short. This squad has a chance to be the entire sport’s best roster in some time.

It could be described as a “dream team.”

As the consensus preseason No. 1 team, the expectations have never been higher. This team is supposed to win it all, there’s no other way to put it. Here’s a closer look at the narratives surrounding this team as it enters 2023 with the highest of hopes.

Four Tigers land on Baseball America’s All-America teams

The Tigers’ roster is absolutely loaded in 2023.

The accolades continue to roll in for LSU baseball. This time, they come by way of Baseball America, which released its Preseason All-America teams this week with four Tigers making the list.

[autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag], [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] and [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] all made the First-Team while [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag] made the Second-Team.

Crews and Morgan are two superstars for LSU that have been with the Tigers for a while. Both of them represented LSU on Team USA last year. Crews, a centerfielder who is projected as the No. 1 player in the 2023 MLB Draft, is the best college baseball player in the country, regardless of position.

Morgan is a wizard with his glove at first base.

White and Skenes are both transfers. White came to LSU from NC State where he broke the school record for most home runs in one season by a freshman. Skenes came to LSU from Air Force where he was a star on the mound and at the plate.

LSU starts the season on Feb. 17 at home against Western Michigan.

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3 Tigers make D1Baseball’s preseason All-American team

Dylan Crews, Tommy White and Paul Skenes were all First Team selections.

D1Baseball.com recently released its preseason All-American teams and three LSU Tigers made it on the First Team: [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag], [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] and [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag].

Crews, regarded as the best player in college baseball, is listed as a First Team outfielder. Last season, Crews finished with a .349 batting average with 22 homers and 72 RBI. Crews is projected as the No. 1 prospect in the 2023 MLB Draft, but he has some unfinished business on the Bayou as he is trying to bring a championship back to LSU.

Now, for the new kids on the block. White is a star transfer from NC State. He is listed as a First Team All-American as a designated hitter. Last season, White finished with a .362 batting average with 27 homers and 74 RBI. White broke the NC State record for most homers in a single season by a freshman.

Skenes is listed as a utility player, that’s because Skenes is an anomaly. He can hit as well as pitch. Skenes was 10-3 as a starting pitcher with a 2.73 ERA and has a .312 batting average with 13 homers and 38 RBI.

The future looks bright on the Bayou for coach Jay Johnson and the Tigers. The season gets underway on Feb. 17 at Alex Box stadium vs.. Western Michigan.

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Jay Johnson names LSU baseball’s Friday night starter

Paul Skenes will be the Tigers’ ace on the mound to start the season.

Tiger fans, it’s the most wonderful time of the year once again.

That’s right, It’s baseball season. We are less than three weeks away from first pitch against Western Michigan, and head coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] met with the media on Friday to discuss some things about the team this season.

One of those things was the question of who will be the new No. 1 pitcher for the Tigers. [autotag]Blake Money[/autotag] was the Friday night starter last season, and he is back once again, but he is not going to be the No. 1 pitcher this time. That role is going to [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag], the transfer from Air Force.

Skenes is a 6-foot-6, 235-pound junior right-handed pitcher/utility player. Skenes actually played against LSU in 2021 when the Tigers started the season with Air Force. Since he arrived on campus, Skenes and fellow transfer [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] have been garnering all types of hype and headlines.

If they live up to anywhere near as good as we think they are, this will be a special season.