TOP-RANKED LSU BASEBALL OPENS PRESEASON PRACTICE FRIDAY IN ALEX BOX STADIUM, SKIP BERTMAN FIELD1/27/2023  Photo By: LSUsports.net Da Boot Sports 1/27/2023 LSU Sports Communications By: William Franques BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU baseball team held its annual Media Day activities and opened preseason practice on a sunny Friday afternoon in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. LSU, a consensus No. 1 in the college baseball preseason polls, opens the season at 6:30 p.m. CT on Friday, February 17, when the Tigers play host to Western Michigan in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. LSU returns 11 position players with starting experience and nine pitchers who recorded innings last season. The roster also features several talented transfers who are capable of making an immediate impact, along with a highly-touted class of true freshmen. Jay Johnson is in his second season as LSU’s head coach after leading the club to a fourth-place finish in the SEC in 2022, marking the Tigers’ first Top 4 league finish since 2017. He addressed the assembled media Friday in the Champions Club of Alex Box Stadium and outlined his formula for handling high expectations that come with a No. 1 ranking. “The expectations from me to our players are very clear,” Johnson said. “In terms of core values and in terms of what this team needs to do to be successful, it’s to prepare at the highest possible level. They’re expected to give everything they have to executing what their job is in order for the team to win. “The No. 1 ranking is awesome, I think it’s great. You can utilize it for recruiting; I think young people want to go to schools that care about baseball and give them a chance to be successful. We have that here.” The LSU lineup is highlighted by junior centerfielder Dylan Crews, a 2023 preseason All-American, the 2022 SEC Co-Player of the Year and a consensus first-team All-American last season. Crews is joined by several other accomplished veterans like junior first baseman/preseason All-American Tre’ Morgan, senior outfielder/infielder Gavin Dugas, junior shortstop Jordan Thompson, junior outfielder/DH Brayden Jobert and sophomore outfielder Josh Pearson. Other position players with starting experience include junior catchers Alex Milazzo and Hayden Travinski, senior first baseman/DH Cade Beloso, sophomore outfielder Josh Stevenson and senior infielder Jack Merrifield. The veterans are joined by several talented newcomers, including impact transfers like third baseman/preseason All-American Tommy White (North Carolina State) and infielder Ben Nippolt (Virginia Commonwealth). A group of skilled LSU true freshmen features infielder Gavin Guidry, outfielders Paxton Kling, Mic Paul and Zeb Ruddell, and catchers Brady Neal, Jared Jones and Ethan Frey. “Offensively, we have more guys this year that are balanced in terms of speed, power, hitting skills and defensive aptitude,” Johnson said. “Several of our returning players have made tremendous improvement since last season, and I’m excited to see how that translates to the games.” The Tigers’ pitching staff boasts a number of accomplished arms, including junior right-handers Ty Floyd, Blake Money, Bryce Collins, Will Hellmers and Garrett Edwards, junior left-hander Riley Cooper, and sophomore right-handers Grant Taylor and Sam Dutton. Sophomore left-hander Javen Coleman, who underwent Tommy John surgery early last spring, is making solid rehabilitative progress and may return to the mound at some point this season. High-profile transfers like junior right-hander/preseason All-American Paul Skenes (Air Force), sophomore right-hander Thatcher Hurd (UCLA) and junior right-hander Christian Little (Vanderbilt) are projected to make an immediate impact upon the staff. JUCO transfer left-hander Nate Ackenhausen will bolster the pitching corps, as will a stable of true freshmen hurlers that includes left-handers Griffin Herring, Nic Bronzini and DJ Primeaux, and right-handers Chase Shores, Aiden Moffett and Micah Bucknam. “I’m really excited about (first-year pitching coach) Wes Johnson and the methods by which he develops our pitchers,” Johnson said. “Wes is one of the preeminent pitching coaches in the nation at any level. Someone who watched our pitchers in the fall mentioned to me how complete and professional their deliveries are, and that’s a by-product of their work with Wes.” Jay Johnson said the Tigers will embrace the opportunity to live up to their lofty preseason ranking. “We play a game in 21 days, and we’ve got 18 practice sessions until then,” he explained, “so we’re looking forward to starting the process. We’ll focus on maximum effort toward preparation and toward executing what the game requires in order for the team to be successful.” Below are videos of Jay Johnson's press conference and player interviews from Friday's Media Day event.
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 Photo By: Phillip Cancilleri Da Boot Sports 1/23/2023 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA - On Sunday, January 22, LSU held their annual First Pitch Banquet for the upcoming 2023 baseball season. The event was a magnificent success as the sold out crowd was treated to an evening with Jay Johnson, several current players, along with former LSU greats, Ben McDonald and Alex Bregman and of course, Mike the Tiger. LSU is preseason ranked No.1 and expectations have never been higher for this 2023 baseball season. Head Coach Jay Johnson begins his second season in Baton Rouge and he's hit a grand slam with this season's top ranked recruiting class that's oozing with rich outstanding talent. We're only 25 short days away from the season opening three game series against Western Michigan beginning on Friday, February 17. Below are photos from the banquet provided by photographer, Phillip Cancilleri.... Photos Below By: Phillip Cancilleri *John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accpet Jesus as your Lord and Savior) A huge Thank You to Cardio Health Solutions owned by Ron Sancho for sponsoring our publication!  Da Boot Sports supports Autism Awareness   Photo By: LSUsports.net Da Boot Sports 12/20/2022 LSU Sports Communications By: Bill Franques BATON ROUGE, La. — LSU is ranked No. 1 in the 2023 Collegiate Baseball newspaper preseason poll released Tuesday, marking the 11th time in 12 seasons the Tigers will begin the year among the Top 10 teams in the nation. The top ranking represents LSU’s first appearance at No. 1 in a preseason poll since 2019. LSU wrapped up fall practice last month, and the Tigers will report back to campus in January to begin preseason workouts. The 2023 season begins on February 17, when LSU plays host to Western Michigan in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. “We had a very productive fall, and that’s a credit to the players,” said LSU second-year coach Jay Johnson. “We have a ton of new players, so building a concept of team with our outstanding group of returning players was a priority. We’ve learned a lot about our team, but we’re probably not quite ready to play a game. We were more deliberate in our teaching this year because of the amount of new players that we have, but the work was high-quality and led to lot of productivity. We’ll be ready to roll when the players return to campus in January.” LSU returns six position players that started in a significant number of the Tigers’ 62 games last season, including junior centerfielder Dylan Crews, a 2023 preseason All-American, the 2022 SEC Co-Player of the Year and a consensus first-team All-American last season. Crews is joined by several other accomplished veterans like junior first baseman/preseason All-American Tre’ Morgan, senior outfielder/infielder Gavin Dugas, junior shortstop Jordan Thompson, junior outfielder/DH Brayden Jobert and sophomore outfielder Josh Pearson. Other position players with starting experience include junior catchers Alex Milazzo and Hayden Travinski, senior first baseman/DH Cade Beloso, sophomore outfielder Josh Stevenson and senior infielder Jack Merrifield. The veterans are joined by several talented newcomers, including impact transfers like utility player/pitcher/preseason All-American Paul Skenes (Air Force), infielder/preseason All-American Tommy White (North Carolina State and infielder Ben Nippolt (Virginia Commonwealth). A group of skilled LSU true freshmen features infielder Gavin Guidry, outfielders Paxton Kling, Mic Paul and Zeb Ruddell, and catchers Brady Neal, Jared Jones and Ethan Frey. The Tigers’ pitching staff boasts eight hurlers that recorded innings last season, including junior right-handers Ty Floyd, Blake Money, Bryce Collins, Will Hellmers and Garrett Edwards, junior left-hander Riley Cooper, and sophomore right-handers Grant Taylor and Sam Dutton. Left-hander Javen Coleman, who underwent Tommy John surgery last spring, is expected to miss this season and return to the staff in 2024. High-profile transfers like right-handers Thatcher Hurd (UCLA) and Christian Little (Vanderbilt) are projected to make an immediate impact upon the staff. The staff features a gifted crew of true freshmen pitchers that includes left-handers Griffin Herring, Nic Bronzini and DJ Primeaux, and right-handers Chase Shores, Jaden Noot, Micah Bucknam and Aiden Moffett. A pair of JUCO transfers – left-hander Nate Ackenhausen and right-hander Kaleb Applebey – will also bolster the staff. LSU is one of 12 Southeastern Conference teams appearing in the Collegiate Baseball 2023 preseason Top 50, along with No. 2 Florida, No. 4 Texas A&M, No. 5 Tennessee, No. 7 Arkansas, No. 9 Vanderbilt, No. 22 Mississippi State, No. 24 Ole Miss, No. 37 Auburn, No. 39 Georgia, No. 47 South Carolina and No. 49 Alabama. LSU is scheduled to play exactly half of its 56-game regular-season schedule – 28 games – against teams ranked in the Collegiate Baseball preseason poll. Collegiate Baseball 2023 Preseason Top 50 Rank Team (2022 Final Record)
 Photo By: LSUsports.net Da Boot Sports 11/20/2022 LSU Sports Communications By: LSU Staff BATON ROUGE, La. – The Gold team was declared the winner Sunday in the annual LSU Baseball Purple-Gold World Series in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. The teams played an eight-inning game on Friday night and two six-inning games on Sunday, and the Gold earned the series win by virtue of having more points in LSU’s situational scoring system that rewards elements like quality at-bats and effective base running. Sunday’s games concluded the Tigers’ six-week fall practice period. LSU will open the 2023 season on Friday, February 17, versus Western Michigan in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. Gold junior shortstop Jordan Thompson was 2-for-5 at the plate on Sunday with a double and an RBI, and Gold freshman catcher Brady Neal produced a double and a walk. Freshman leftfielder Mic Paul collected a triple and a walk for the Purple. Gold starting pitcher Chase Shores, a freshman right-hander, worked two scoreless innings, allowing one hit with two strikeouts. Freshman right-hander Aiden Moffett followed Shores on the mound and fired two scoreless innings with no hits and five strikeouts. Junior left-hander Riley Cooper also recorded two scoreless innings for the Gold, allowing one hit with four strikeouts. Junior right-hander Ty Floyd turned in a dominant outing for the Purple, allowing no hits in three scoreless innings with four strikeouts.  Photo By: Terrill Weil Da Boot Sports 11/19/2022 LSU Sports Communications By: William Franques GAME 2 OF LSU BASEBALL PURPLE-GOLD WORLD SERIES CANCELED SATURDAY DUE TO RAIN BATON ROUGE, La. – Game 2 of the LSU Baseball Purple Gold Intra-Squad World Series was canceled Saturday to due rain. The Tigers will now play one 10-inning game at 2:30 p.m. CT Sunday in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field to conclude fall practice. Admission is free for Sunday’s game.  Photo By: Terrill Weil Da Boot Sports 11/18/2022 LSU Sports Communications By: William Franques BATON ROUGE, La. – Freshman centerfielder Paxton Kling and freshman leftfielder Mic Paul each homered Friday night to lead the Purple to a 7-3 win over the Gold in Game 1 of the LSU Baseball Intra-Squad World Series in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. The Purple-Gold World Series, which signals the completion of LSU’s fall practice period, continues with Game 2 at 12 p.m. CT Saturday, and admission is free. Fans attending the baseball game Saturday are advised to park in the free Hayfield Lot on Gourrier Avenue due to the LSU-UAB football game in Tiger Stadium. Kling was 2-for-3 on Friday night with one double, one homer and one RBI, and Paul went 1-for-1 at the plate with a homer, two walks and two RBI. Junior designated hitter Hayden Travinski lined a two-run single, and junior catcher Alex Milazzo contributed an RBI single to spark a three-run Purple outburst in the fifth inning. Junior third baseman Ben Nippolt highlighted the Gold offensive output with two hits, including a homer, and three RBI. Purple starting pitcher Will Hellmers, a junior right-hander, worked three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit with three strikeouts. Gold junior right-hander Blake Money also fired three scoreless frames in a starting role with one hit and two strikeouts.  Photo By: Michael Bacigalupi Da Boot Sports 11/14/2022 LSU Sports Communications By: William Franques LAFAYETTE, La. – Sophomore third baseman Tommy White hammered three home runs Sunday as LSU outscored UL Lafayette, 13-4, over the course of an 18-inning fall baseball scrimmage at “Tigue” Moore Field in Lafayette. The scrimmage was divided into two nine-inning segments – the Tigers held an 8-2 advantage in runs scored in the first half of the scrimmage, and LSU posted five runs in the second half of the scrimmage while limiting the Cajuns to two runs. White finished the day 6-for-8 at the plate with one double, three homers and five RBI, as LSU scored a total of 13 runs on 16 hits. LSU blasted four homers in the first half of the scrimmage, including two by White and one each by centerfielder Dylan Crews and designated hitter Jared Jones. Crews also lined a two-run single to highlight a three-run LSU second inning. Right-hander Thatcher Hurd started the scrimmage on the mound for LSU and limited the Cajuns to two runs on two hits in three innings with one walk and three strikeouts. Right-handers Ty Floyd and Grant Taylor combined to pitch six perfect innings to complete the first half. Floyd worked three frames with no hits, no walks and two strikeouts, while Taylor hurled three innings with no hits, no walks and five strikeouts. White paced LSU’s eight-hit output in the second half with a homer and three RBI. Freshman right-hander Chase Shores began the second half on the mound and fired two scoreless innings, allowing one hit with no walks on one strikeout. LSU left-hander Nate Ackenhausen turned in a dominant relief performance, allowing no hits in three innings with no walks and seven strikeouts. Right-hander Bryce Collins followed Ackenhausen for the Tigers and worked two scoreless innings with no hits, one walk and five strikeouts.  Da Boot Sports
10/4/2022 LSU Sports Communications By: William Franques BATON ROUGE, La. – The 2023 LSU baseball squad will take the field for the first time at 4 p.m. CT Thursday as the Tigers begin their six-week Fall practice period in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. Intra-squad scrimmages will be open to the general public throughout the Fall, beginning this week. The Tigers will scrimmage at 4 p.m. CT Thursday, 4 p.m. CT Friday and 1 p.m. CT Sunday. Gates to the stadium will open approximately 15 minutes prior to the start of each scrimmage, and fans will be admitted through the Gate 2 home plate entrance. Admission and parking are free for all intra-squad scrimmages this Fall, as well as for LSU’s home exhibition game versus McNeese at 12 p.m. CT on Sunday, November 6, and the annual Purple-Gold World Series November 18-20. “We’re looking forward to seeing our fans at the Fall scrimmages,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson . “It’s a great opportunity for them to get an early look at our 2023 team. The enthusiasm that our fans bring to the stadium is important in helping to acclimate our players to a game-like atmosphere, so we definitely encourage them to come to ‘The Box’ to see the Tigers.” LSU RELEASES 2023 BASEBALL SCHEDULE; SEASON TICKET RENEWALS AVAILABLE ONLINE MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 199/14/2022  Photo By: Terrill Weil Da Boot Sports 9/14/2022 LSU Sports Communications By: William Franques BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU on Wednesday released its 56-game 2023 baseball schedule, which begins on Friday, February 17, when the Tigers face Western Michigan in Game 1 of a three-game series in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. LSU will play 21 games against teams that participated in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, including 13 games against clubs that advanced to the College World Series. Starting times for most games on the 2023 schedule will be determined in the coming months after television schedules and team travel arrangements are finalized. Season ticket holders may submit their renewals for 2023 season tickets beginning on Monday, September 19, by logging in to their online accounts at www.LSUTIX.net or by calling 225-578-2184 or 225-578-0100 during the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT, Monday through Friday. The deadline to submit season ticket renewals is Monday, October 31. Applications are also available at www.LSUTIX.net beginning on Monday, September 19, for fans to join a request list for new season tickets and parking permits. The deadline to apply for the season ticket/parking request list is Monday, October 31. The Tigers’ non-conference schedule is highlighted by a trip to Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas, for the Karbach Round Rock Classic. LSU, which will participate in the event for the first time, will face Kansas State at 2 p.m. CT on Friday, February 24; Iowa at 12 p.m. CT on Saturday, February 25; and Sam Houston at 4 p.m. CT on Sunday, February 26. Following the Round Rock Classic, the Tigers will remain in the Austin area and take on Texas at Disch-Falk Field on Tuesday, February 28. The 30-game Southeastern Conference slate begins with a weekend home series versus Alabama on March 17. The Tigers will also play host to league foes Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi State and Kentucky, and LSU will travel to play South Carolina, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Auburn and Georgia. Dates for some SEC games could change once the league determines its television schedule. Preparation for the 2023 season is underway, as the Tigers are engaged in conditioning drills and individual workouts. LSU begins its full-squad fall practice period on Friday, October 7. LSU will play fall exhibition games versus McNeese on Sunday, November 6, in Alex Box Stadium; and at UL Lafayette on Sunday, November 13, in Tigue Moore Field. Both fall exhibition games are scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. CT.  Photo By: Jonathan Mailhes Da Boot Sports 8/22/2022 LSU Sports Communications By: William Franques BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson on Monday released the Tigers’ fall semester roster that includes the 21 members of the 2022 recruiting class that have joined the program. The class has been ranked No. 1 in the nation by Perfect Game, and the players in the class are eligible for the 2023 season. "Our entire staff worked tirelessly to put this class together,” Johnson said. “It features some of the top players in the country, and it will help accelerate our pursuit of getting the Tigers back to Omaha. There is high-end talent at every position all over this class, and it is a group that will complement the great group of returning players we will have in 2023. “This class reflects that there is no place better in America for the elite player to play college baseball. I know our fans will love seeing this group at ‘The Box’ in 2023 and beyond.” Listed below are the members of LSU’s 2022 signing class: Nate Ackenhausen, LHP Owasso, Okla. (Owasso HS/Eastern Oklahoma State)
Kaleb Applebey, RHP Mount Carmel, Ill. (Mount Carmel HS/Wabash Valley CC)
Nic Bronzini, LHP San Ramon, Calif. (California HS)
Micah Bucknam, RHP Abbotsford, British Columbia (Mennonite Educational Institute)
Ethan Frey, C/1B Leesville, La. (Rosepine HS) · Ranked as the No. 1 catcher and the No. 2 overall player in the state of Louisiana by Perfect Game · No. 12 ranked catcher in the nation by Perfect Game Gavin Guidry, SS Lake Charles, La. (Barbe HS)
Griffin Herring, LHP Southlake, Texas (Southlake HS)
Thatcher Hurd, RHP Manhattan Beach, Calif. (Mira Costa HS/UCLA) · Made nine appearances - including six starts – in 2022 as a true freshman at UCLA, posting a 2-0 record with a 1.06 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 34 innings while limiting opponents to a .138 batting average. · The nation’s ninth-ranked pitcher and the No. 1 pitcher in the state of California as a senior at Mira Costa High School Jared Jones, C Marietta, Ga. (Walton HS)
Paxton Kling, OF Roaring Springs, Pa. (Central HS)
Christian Little, RHP St. Louis, Mo. (Christian Brother College/Vanderbilt) · Pitched the past two seasons at Vanderbilt, where he made 32 appearances (14 starts) and posted a 4.65 ERA with 95 strikeouts in 81.1 innings. · Rated in high school as the nation’s No. 5 right-handed pitcher by Perfect Game. Aiden Moffett, RHP Mount Olive, Miss. (Taylorsville HS)
Brady Neal, C Tallahassee, Fla. (IMG Academy)
Ben Nippolt, INF St. Paul, Minn. (Mounds Park Academy/Des Moines Area CC/Virginia Commonwealth) · 2022 First Team All-Atlantic 10 at VCU, which claimed the A-10 title · Appeared in 51 games, including 45 starts, batting .308 with a .430 on-base percentage and a .407 slugging percentage; collected 53 hits, including nine doubles, a triple, two home runs, 48 runs and 31 RBI Jaden Noot, RHP Oak Park, Calif. (Sierra Canyon HS)
Mic Paul, OF Salt Lake City, Utah (Olympus HS)
DJ Primeaux, LHP Baton Rouge, La. (Central HS) · Ranked as the No. 1 left-handed pitcher and the No. 7 overall player in the state of Louisiana by Perfect Game · No. 90 ranked left-handed pitcher in the nation by Perfect Game Zeb Ruddell, OF Monroe, La. (Neville HS)
Chase Shores, RHP Midland, Texas (Midland Lee HS)
Paul Skenes, RHP/UTL (Lake Forest, Calif./El Toro HS/Air Force) · Ranked No. 25 in the D1Baseball.com listing of the top college prospects for the 2023 MLB Draft; earned first-team 2022 All-America recognition at Air Force. · Recorded a 2.96 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 85.2 innings (15 starts) in 2022, limiting opponents to a .224 batting average; also batted .314 with 10 doubles, 13 homers and 38 RBI. Tommy White, 3B (St. Pete Beach, Fla./IMG Academy/North Carolina State) · 2022 Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Year at North Carolina State · White hit .362 in 2022 with 85 hits, 12 doubles, 27 home runs, 74 RBIs and a .757 slugging percentage, setting the NCAA freshman record for homers in a season Below is a link to the 2022 Fall LSU Baseball Roster Da Boot Sports 8/22/2022 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA - Jay Johnson met with the media today at Alex Box Stadium/Skip Bertman Field to introduce his new coaching staff. New pitching coach Wes Johnson and assistant coach/recruiting coordinator Josh Jordan will answer questions from the media along with Coach Johnson after their introduction. Below is video footage from the press conference... **John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Find Jesus. God Bless) LSU BASEBALL COACH JAY JOHNSON ANNOUNCES THE SIGNINGS OF FIVE DIVISION I TRANSFERS FOR 2023 SEASON7/29/2022 Photo By: LSUsports.net Da Boot Sports 7/29/2022 LSU Sports Communications By: William Franques BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson on Friday announced the signings of five Division I transfers that will join the Tigers for the 2023 season. The additions to the LSU roster include right-handed pitcher Christian Little of Vanderbilt; third baseman Tommy White of North Carolina State; shortstop Carter Young of Vanderbilt; right-handed pitcher Thatcher Hurd of UCLA; and right-handed pitcher/utility player Paul Skenes of Air Force. “We are excited to welcome these five players to LSU Baseball,” Johnson said. “All five are great talents and solid people that will blend well with our returning players and incoming recruiting class in ability, chemistry and program fit. “We are looking forward to the fall and preparing for the 2023 season, this is a great day for the Tigers.” Little, a native of St. Louis, Mo., has pitched the past two seasons at Vanderbilt, where he made 32 appearances (14 starts) and posted a 4.65 ERA with 95 strikeouts in 81.1 innings. Little was rated in high school as the nation’s No. 5 right-handed pitcher by Perfect Game. White, a product of St. Pete Beach, Fla., enjoyed an incredible freshman season at North Carolina State, as he was named the 2022 Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Year. White hit .362 with 85 hits, 12 doubles, 27 home runs, 74 RBIs and a .757 slugging percentage, setting the NCAA freshman record for homers in a season. He had 26 multi-hit games and 19 multi-RBI outings, and he finished the year on 26-game reached base streak. Young, a native of Selah, Wash., was instrumental as Vanderbilt’s starting shortstop in 2021 in leading the Commodores to the College World Series Finals. He blasted a team-high 16 homers and drove in 52 runs. Young, who was rated the No. 17 high school prospect in the nation in 2019 by Baseball America, was selected earlier this month in the 17th round of the MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles. Hurd, a product of Manhattan Beach, Calif., made nine appearances - including six starts - this season as a true freshman at UCLA. He posted a 2-0 record with a 1.06 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 34 innings while limiting opponents to a .138 batting average. Hurd was the nation’s ninth-ranked pitcher and the No. 1 pitcher in the state of California as a senior at Mira Costa High School. Skenes, who is ranked No. 25 in the D1Baseball.com listing of the top college prospects for the 2023 MLB Draft, enjoyed an exceptional 2022 season at Air Force both on the mound and at the plate, earning first-team All-America recognition. Skenes recorded a 2.96 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 85.2 innings (15 starts), limiting opponents to a .224 batting average. He also hit .314 with 10 doubles, 13 homers and 38 RBI. In 2021, Skenes posted a 2.70 ERA while batting .410 with 11 homers and 43 RBI. The Tigers are scheduled to report to campus by mid-August, and fall semester classes begin at LSU on Monday, August 22.  Photo By: Michael Bacigalupi Da Boot Sports 7/18/2022 LSU Sports Communications By: William Franques BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU redshirt sophomore pitcher Eric Reyzelman was selected Monday in the fifth round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the New York Yankees. Reyzelman, a right-hander from San Ramon, Calif., was the No. 160 overall pick in the MLB Draft. Reyzelman, who transferred to LSU prior to the 2022 season from the University of San Francisco, was second on the Tigers’ pitching staff in appearances with 29, and he posted a 1-3 record and a 4.04 ERA in 42.1 innings with 18 walks, 66 strikeouts, three saves and a .200 opponent batting average. He enjoyed a dominant relief outing on May 19 at Vanderbilt, firing 3.2 shutout innings with no hits and six strikeouts while firing a season-high 56 pitches. Reyzelman struck out six of the eight batters he faced to earn his first career LSU win on March 15 versus Tulane, as he entered the game in the fourth inning and allowed no hits and one walk with six strikeouts in 2.1 shutout innings. Reyzelman was named to the Cape Cod League All-Star Team last summer, recording a 2.66 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 23.2 innings, and limiting opponents to a .212 cumulative batting average. He made 21 appearances with 13 starts in two seasons (2020-21) at San Francisco, posting a 5-4 record with a 5.72 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 50.1 innings. Reyzelman underwent Tommy John surgery in March of 2020 and returned to the mound just 10 months later at USF. Reyzelman joins LSU teammates Jacob Berry and Cade Doughty as 2022 MLB Draft selections. Berry was chosen in the first round (No. 6 pick overall) Sunday by the Miami Marlins, and Doughty was selected in Sunday’s second round (No. 78 pick overall) by the Toronto Blue Jays.  Photo By: Jonathan Mailhes Da Boot Sports 7/18/2022 LSU Sports Communications By: William Franques BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU redshirt sophomore infielder Cade Doughty was selected Sunday night in the second round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. Doughty, a second baseman from Denham Springs, La., was the No. 78 overall pick in the MLB Draft. Doughty joined LSU teammate Jacob Berry as a Day 1 selection in the draft, which continues at 1 p.m. CT Monday with Rounds 3-10 and concludes at 1 p.m. CT Tuesday with Rounds 11-20. Berry was the first-round choice Sunday night (No. 6 pick overall) of the Miami Marlins. Doughty batted .298 this season with 15 homers, 57 RBI, 56 runs and a team-high 19 doubles. He was voted to the 2022 NCAA Hattiesburg Regional All-Tournament Team after hitting .444 (8-for-18) with three homers, six RBI and seven runs. He blasted two homers and drove in three runs in May 19 win at Vanderbilt, marking his second career two-homer game; his first two-homer game came on March 13, 2021, versus UT San Antonio. Doughty provided a walk-off homer to defeat Georgia on May 1 and a walk-off single in a win over Missouri on April 22, and he was named National Player of the Week and SEC Player of the Week after leading the Tigers to a season-opening three-game sweep of Maine. He hit .571 (8-for-14) with three doubles, two homers and 12 RBI in the Maine series. Doughty was selected as a high school freshman in the 39th Round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers before enrolling at LSU, where he started 133 games over three seasons (2020-22), batting .301 with 31 doubles, two triples, 30 homers, 124 RBI and 104 runs. He is the son of former LSU catcher Richard Doughty, who played for the Tigers’ 1989 College World Series team.  Photo By: Jonathan Mailhes Da Boot Sports 7/17/2022 LSU Sports Communications By: William Franques BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU sophomore infielder Jacob Berry was selected Sunday night in the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Miami Marlins. Berry, who became the 20th first-round selection in LSU history, was the No. 6 pick overall in the draft, which is being conducted in Los Angeles. Berry is LSU’s highest overall selection since 2015, when infielder Alex Bregman was chosen No. 2 overall by the Houston Astros. Berry is LSU’s first 1st-round selection since 2017, when right-handed pitcher Alex Lange was the No. 30 overall selection by the Chicago Cubs. Berry, a product of Queen Creek, Ariz., is the seventh LSU player to be selected within the first 10 picks of the draft. He was a 2022 Golden Spikes Award semifinalist, a second-team All-America performer and second-team All-SEC selection as he batted a team-high .370 with nine doubles, 15 homers, 48 RBI and 47 runs. Berry hit a conference-best .400 (38-for-95) in LSU’s SEC regular-season games with three doubles, five homers, 20 RBI and 18 runs. He led LSU to a series win over Georgia (April 29-May 1), batting .462 (6-for-13) in three games with one double, one homer and three RBI. With LSU trailing Georgia, 3-2, entering the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 3, Berry started the Tigers’ comeback with a single and scored when Cade Doughty followed with a two-run walk-off homer. Berry led LSU to a three-game sweep of Missouri (April 21-23), batting .600 (6-for-10) with three homers, four RBI and five runs. He was 3-for-4 with two homers, two RBI and three runs in Game 1 victory, and he was 2-for-3 at the plate in Game 3 with a homer, two RBI and two runs scored. He was named a Collegiate Baseball newspaper National Player of the Week on March 14 after he paced LSU to four wins in four games during the week of March 9-13. Berry batted .500 (9-for-18) in four games with one double, three homers, seven RBI and seven runs. Berry played his freshman season at Arizona, where he earned 2021 National Freshman of the Year recognition while batting .352 with 54 runs scored, 19 doubles, five triples, 17 home runs and 70 RBI.  Da Boot Sports 7/8/2022 LSU Sports Communications By: William Franques BATON ROUGE, La. – Josh Jordan, a National Assistant Coach of the Year who helped lead the Duke baseball program to unprecedented success, has been hired as assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at LSU, coach Jay Johnson announced Friday. Jordan’s hiring is effective upon the completion of LSU’s background check process and approval by the university’s Board of Supervisors. “I am excited to add Josh Jordan as our new Recruiting Coordinator and Assistant Coach," Johnson said. "When we started this search, it was my goal to find one of the best recruiters in all of college baseball. We have accomplished that and much more in bringing Josh to LSU. His work ethic, character, player relationship building, evaluation skills, and ability to connect make him second to none. "Josh is also an elite developer of catchers and a great on-the-field coach. Our current and future players are immediately better by having Josh as a part of our program.” Jordan has worked at Duke since June 2012, when he joined the coaching staff as recruiting coordinator. Duke head coach Chris Pollard promoted Jordan to associate head coach/recruiting coordinator in July 2015. In addition to managing Duke’s recruiting activities, Jordan worked with the Blue Devils catchers and outfielders, and taught both hitting and base running. The Duke program soared to new heights during Jordan’s tenure, as the Blue Devils for the first time in school history made NCAA Super Regional appearances (2018 and 2019) and won the ACC Tournament Championship (2021). Duke ended a 55-year NCAA Tournament drought in 2016 when the Blue Devils received their first NCAA Regional bid since 1961. Jordan’s significant impact upon the program was recognized in 2018, when he was named ABCA/Baseball America Assistant Coach of the Year. The 2018 Blue Devils won a school-record 45 games – including a program-best 18 ACC games – and advanced to a Super Regional for the first time in Duke history. During Jordan’s time at Duke, 33 Blue Devils were selected in the MLB Draft, including a school-record-tying seven in 2018. Of those 33 players, 12 were selected in the first 10 rounds of the draft, accounting for over a third of Duke's total top-10-round picks in program history. Jordan worked from 2007-12 as an assistant coach under Pollard at Appalachian State, and the Mountaineers won 30 or more games in each of Jordan’s six seasons with the program. Jordan was instrumental in Appalachian State’s stellar 2012 campaign, which saw the Mountaineers set a school record for victories with a 41-18 overall record. ASU captured the Southern Conference championship and earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the championship round of the Charlotte Regional. While at Appalachian State, Jordan supervised the development of 17 players ultimately selected in the MLB Draft. Prior to Jordan and Pollard’s arrival, ASU had not produced a Major League draft choice since the 1996 campaign. Before joining the ASU staff, Jordan spent the 2006 season at Young Harris (Ga.) College, helping the Mountain Lions to a runners-up finish in the 2006 National Junior College Athletic Association Region XVII Tournament. Jordan coached Charlie Blackmon, currently a Colorado Rockies outfielder, during his stint at Young Harris. Jordan spent two seasons at Fort Hays (Kan.) State, where he began as a graduate assistant in 2004 before becoming the Tigers’ top assistant and recruiting coordinator the following year. Jordan played second base at Catawba (N.C.) College from 1999-2002, leading the Indians to the 2002 South Atlantic Conference Tournament championship. He began his coaching career as a volunteer coach at his alma mater in 2003. Jordan earned a B.A. in social studies education from Catawba in 2003, and he received an M.S. in exercise science from Fort Hays State in 2005. A native of Gastonia, N.C., he was a four-year letterwinner and an all-conference performer at Hunter Huss High School from 1995-98. Jordan and his wife, Erika, have a son, Jaxon, and a daughter, Lillian. |
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