Tag: Steven Milam

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.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

LSU baseball cleans house at LSWA Awards

The Tigers took home four of the five major awards from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.

Every year the [autotag]Louisiana Sports Writers Association[/autotag] (LSWA) names an All-Louisiana Baseball team and gives out five major baseball awards. The five major awards are Hitter of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Coach of the Year. Three LSU players took home four out of those five awards.

Let’s start with the player who took home two of those awards by himself, [autotag]Luke Holman[/autotag]. Holman was the recipient of the Pitcher of the Year award and the Newcomer of the Year award. The Alabama transfer was the No. 2 pitcher in the rotation for the Tigers this spring and he was incredible on the mound. He finished the season with a 9-4 record and a 2.75 ERA as he struck out 127 hitters and only walked 33.

The Hitter of the Year title went to [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag]. Tommy Tanks production at the plate actually dipped this spring but he still finished the season with a .330 batting average with 12 doubles, one triple, 24 homers and 70 RBI.

The Freshman of the Year award went to [autotag]Steven Milam[/autotag] who became the starting second baseman for LSU baseball this spring and became one of the most clutch players on the team when the Tigers needed him the most. Milam finished the year with a .326 batting average with 12 doubles, three triples, eight homers and 40 RBI.

The other major award was Coach of the Year. That award went to LSU Eunice’s Jeff Willis who led the LSU Eunice Bengals to a 56-8 record and an NJCAA Division II National Championship.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

LSU baseball’s Steven Milam earns Freshman All-American honors from D1Baseball

Steven Milam’s play this season has earned him a spot on the D1Baseball Freshman All-American team.

[autotag]Steven Milam[/autotag] entered the 2024 season as a backup middle infielder but he ended up as one of the most pivotal players on the team.

Milam became the starting second baseman early in the season and played in 63 games for the Tigers. He finished the year with a .326 batting average with 12 doubles, three triples, eight homers and 40 RBI.

Some of his biggest plays happened in the postseason. Milam hit a homer to save the day for LSU against South Carolina in the SEC tournament and he hit two homers against Wofford to help LSU win their first game of the Chapel Hill Regional.

Milam’s play this season has earned him a spot on the D1Baseball Freshman All-American team. Milam is a First-Team All-American and was the only Freshman Tiger to be recognized as an All-American by D1Baseball.

The Tigers have lost a lot of players to the transfer portal this offseason but I am glad Milam has not been one of them.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

LSU baseball’s Steven Milam named Freshman All-American after strong finish

LSU’s Steven Milam was named a Freshman All-American after a strong finish to 2024.

The postseason honors are rolling in for LSU second basemen [autotag]Steven Milam[/autotag] after a breakout freshman campaign. Milam was named a 2024 First-Team Freshman All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

The recognition comes on the heels of Milam’s electric finish to 2024, which saw him crush walk-off homers in the SEC semifinal against South Carolina and again in the regional opener against Wofford.

Milam wasted no time claiming the second base job early in the year. On the season, he hit .326 with a .516 slugging percentage. With just 36 strikeouts in 221 ABs, his bat-to-ball skills were among the best in the SEC.

Milam’s power surge came down the stretch, but he still finished the year with eight homers.

Ranked as the top recruit in the state of New Mexico, Milam ended up at LSU after going undrafted in the 2023 MLB draft. Headlined by Milam, LSU’s 2023 freshman class looks promising, especially at the plate.

With [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] off to professional baseball, Milam will likely be the biggest name in LSU’s lineup next year. With another step forward, he’ll be one of the SEC’s top middle infielders and put himself on MLB radars.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

LSU baseball freshman Steven Milam invited to USA Baseball Collegiate National Team training camp

LSU’s postseason hero will get some work with Team USA this summer.

After an impressive true freshman season at LSU, [autotag]Steven Milam[/autotag] will get some work with Team USA this summer.

The Las Cruces, New Mexico, native was one of 56 players selected to take part in a two-game scrimmage series with the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. The intra-squad series will take place on June 26 and 27 in Cary, North Carolina.

Milam was a regular starter for the Tigers, batting .326 with eight home runs and 40 RBI. He also hit 12 doubles and swiped seven bases.

He was named to the SEC and NCAA regional All-Tournament teams, hitting walk-offs in back-to-back weeks for the Tigers. Milam was also named a 2024 Freshman All-SEC selection, and he could be poised for an even bigger sophomore season in 2024.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

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.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Jay Johnson breaks down LSU baseball’s ability to fight back in games

“That’s just who we are now,” Jay Johnson said after Friday’s comeback win over Wofford.

Just like it did several times in last week’s SEC Tournament, the LSU baseball team found itself playing from behind late in Friday’s Chapel Hill Regional opener against Wofford.

The Tigers trailed 2-0 late into the game but ultimately battled back with some timely home-run hitting, emphatically capped off with a walk-off solo shot from [autotag]Steven Milam[/autotag] to break a 3-3 gridlock in the bottom of the ninth as LSU won 4-3.

Now, as they prepare to face North Carolina in the winners’ bracket, coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] said his team is learning to roll with the punches during games.

“First off, I want to give credit to Little, he pitched exceptionally well (for Wofford). That was the story for the beginning of the game.” Johnson said, per On3. “A lot of guys are going through a lot of firsts and this is their first NCAA Tournament game and they want to do well, but we have to work through some of that. (Gage) set a good tone in the top of the first inning, then we didn’t help him in the bottom of the first inning and that’s part of the complimentary baseball — we have to play better.

“Relative to the toughness aspect, that’s just who we are now. We got cut. We got blistered. We got punched in the gut 50 times in the first five weeks of SEC play, but we got out of the hospital and this is who we are now.”

Johnson will hope his team can take more control early in games, especially as it draws a matchup against the No. 4 national seed. But LSU is learning how to battle back and stay in games, and that’s an important attribute if this team wants to return to Omaha.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

Best photos from LSU baseball’s walk-off win over Wofford in Chapel Hill Regional opener

Steven Milam played the hero for LSU once again on Friday, hitting a walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth.

For much of Friday’s NCAA Chapel Hill Regional opener against Wofford, it looked like LSU was setting up for a date in the losers’ bracket.

It trailed 2-0 late into the game, and even as clutch solo home runs from [autotag]Steven Milam[/autotag], [autotag]Michael Braswell III[/autotag] and [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] all got the Tigers back into the game, it was still tied at three entering the bottom of the ninth.

That’s when Milam played the hero once again, crushing a walk-off solo homer as the Tigers won 4-3 and advanced to face top-seeded North Carolina in Saturday’s winners’ bracket.

As LSU looks to secure a spot in the regional final, here are the best photos from its dramatic win to open regional play.

Luke Holman to take the bump for LSU baseball in regional winners’ bracket against North Carolina

We could be in for a pitching duel in Saturday’s winners’ bracket showdown.

When LSU faces off against Chapel Hill Regional host and No. 4 national seed North Carolina on Saturday, it will have its ace on the mound.

After typical Friday starter [autotag]Gage Jump[/autotag] took the bump for Friday’s win over Wofford, which ended in dramatic walk-off fashion with a solo shot from freshman [autotag]Steven Milam[/autotag], [autotag]Luke Holman[/autotag] is set to start Saturday’s winners’ bracket contest against the Tar Heels.

Holman, a transfer from Alabama and the Saturday starter for most of the season, has a 9-3 record on the season and an impressive 2.54 ERA. He has struck out 116 batters on the year while walking just 32.

We could be in for a pitching duel as the Tigers will face North Carolina lefty Shea Sprague, who is 3-1 with a 4.02 ERA on the season.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

LSU’s Steven Milam makes history with 2nd walk-off in a week

With his walk-off on Friday, Steven Milam did something that hadn’t been done since 1948.

Less than week after Steven Milam’s walk-off homer against South Carolina in the SEC Tournament semifinals, he did it again. This time, the stage was even bigger, in the NCAA Tournament.

LSU trialed for most of the game but a series of late home runs lifted the Tigers over Wofford in game one of the Chapel Hill Regional. The final of which was Milam’s, keeping LSU out of the dreaded loser’s bracket.

It was a full count and once Milam turned on it, there wasn’t much doubt about it.

With the homer, Milam became the first LSU baseball player with two walk off hits in a week since third basemen Georgia Mire did it in 1948. He’s just a freshman, but the 5-foot-8 infielder from New Mexico is showing a knack for the big moment. If you need a big hit, there aren’t many hitters in the country you’d rather have than Milam right now.

Milam has eight homers on the year despite not hitting his first until April 19. His eight total bases against Wofford were a career-high, one better than the seven he totaled against South Carolina last Saturday.

Milam and LSU will now await the winner of North Carolina and Long Island in Game 2.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.