6/28/2021
By: Terrill J. Weil
Da Boot Sports!


​   BATON ROUGE, LA: Today begins a new chapter in the rich and successful history of LSU Baseball. With Paul Mainieri deciding to step down and retire, the school with the baseball program that has set the standard for greatness for decades has finally ended their coaching search for their new leader. Jay Johnson is that choice. 
   
   He becomes the 26th head coach in the history of LSU baseball, and now faces the challenge to lead his new team back to Omaha and to win national championships. 

   LSU Athletic Director Scott Woodward's new head coach hire, has been a head coach at three different schools. (2005 - at Point Loma Nazarene finishing with a 37-16 record: .... 2014-'15 - Nevada finishing with 72-42 record: .... 2016-'21 - Arizona finishing with a 208-114 record with two appearances in Omaha: .... His overall record as a head coach as he arrives in Baton Rouge stands at: 316-172.) ....  

   Johnson was born and raised in Oroville, California. He would go on to graduate from Oroville High School in 1995 and began his college baseball playing career at Shasta College, a junior college located in Redding, California in 1997. After two seasons he would transfer to Point Loma Nazarene in 1998 to complete his college career. He would start at second base in 1999 and 2000. 

   Scott Woodward would begin the press conference stating, “I wanted to hire a winner, someone who had proven he knew how to build championship programs and bring them to Omaha. That's Jay Johnson. Most of all, I wanted to hire someone who was ready. Ready for the moment. Ready for the expectations. Ready to win championships. And there is no one in the world more ready than Jay Johnson, because he has been preparing for this moment his whole life.” before introducing his new baseball coach. 

   Johnson would take the podium. "I don't think I can do it as well as Coach O, but Geaux Tigers! Start this thing off right. That was the only thing we need to say to start this thing off."
   He would continue with, "I'm honored to be here. I'm incredibly humbled to be here. When I think about the 44 years of my entire life, I really believe every day has led me to this podium right now, to this program, and it's beyond a dream come true."
   
   After touching on Skip Bertman and Paul Mainieri's outstanding careers, he would then turn to his
new team. "I can’t wait to look them in the eyes and talk to them, not about winning, but about what it takes to win." said Johnson. "This is LSU. This is the place in college baseball. All of my older jobs were rebuilds. This is a reboot, and that’s because of the talent Paul and his staff brought in."  Then adding, "What is my goal? My goal is when you look out on that field at Alex Box Stadium, there's a brand of baseball that everybody in this state, in this community associated with this university is incredibly proud of. You know what that looks like. You've seen it. No program in college baseball has seen it on a more consistent basis than LSU. All I want to do is pour my life into continuing that."

   A lot of us know the importance on a head coach surrounding himself with a top quality coaching staff. Coach Johnson knows the important of this, as he would answer a question about his process of hiring a staff.    "Yes, absolutely. Working very diligently with that. I will not sacrifice time to make sure we have the right people. The most important people in influencing the players that we all want to play great, be great students and be great people is the coaching staff, and we spend more time with them than their own families, so I'm working diligently."
   "I'm talking to a lot of people. It is not a narrow search because it's too important to get that right. We need a staff that can recruit at an elite level, meaning evaluating talent, evaluating players that are worthy of playing on this field, that have the makeup, character and ability to do that and do it in a way that's going to help us win championships, and that's a skill that has to be developed."
   "And then from a development standpoint, finding a pitching coach, finding an assistant hitting coach that they want to put their trust in to be developed so check achieve their dream of being a Major League player, and while they're on their way to being a Major League player, they're helping LSU to win a lot of baseball games. We're working as fast as we can to get the right person."

   After someone mentioned the LSU fan base in a question, Johnson would say,  "That's a great question. You mentioned the fan base. That's another reason I wanted to come. I want passionate people that want to achieve elite things around me. So when I mention our team, the fans are a part of that."
   "With that being said, we're going to take the best parts of that. There's only a handful of programs around the country that you can count where this many people show up at a college baseball game, and what I want to do, what I think it is important that we do, is create the best home-field advantage in college baseball, and I've heard that's what we have here, and then put a product on the field that they're extremely proud of, that when the Tigers show up, they know what they're going to get. They can't wait to get to the ballpark after a long day of work and they can't wait to high-five the players down the line after a big win, and they can't wait to send their kids to baseball camp because they feel like they're a part of this thing. For me, I only see that as a positive."

   A couple of other great quotes from Johnson while answering media questions....

   "I’m going to work harder than any other baseball coach in the country – any coach in the country. Our players are going to work harder than anyone in the country. We aren’t going to win because Tigers is on our chest, but because of the hearts beating in those chests. Ultimately I want teams to hate to play us, and I think we accomplished that the last couple offensive teams that we had, and that's what I want to do at LSU."

   Then Johnson would say this about Alex Box Stadium....

   "This is not college baseball," he said of the stadium. "This is the Yankee Stadium of college baseball. It's a beautiful place. We're going to use it to recruit. 

   
   After the conclusion of the indoor press conference in the Champions Club Room, Johnson would head into Alex Box Stadium to greet the fans on hand, then sit down with the voice of the Tigers, Chris Blair to answer a few questions submitted by fans over the last couple of days. 
   One of the questions was about the possibility of changing LSU's uniforms. He is obviously a coach who believes in tradition.  He looked at the crowd and asked, "Do you guys see anything wrong with the uniforms?" Then went on to say, "This program has an identity that is very clear when you put on a purple jersey, when you put on a gold jersey, when you put on the all white. What you see is what you're going to get because the tradition of this program is special."  
   Johnson couldn't have said it any better.... I'm loving it...
   
   It was a great press conference for the new head coach who is obviously very excited to be here in Baton Rouge. Everything said was very encouraging and exciting. After today, I think Woodward, as usual, made the correct choice.
   Grab your shades Tiger fans because the future of LSU Baseball looks very bright.  GEAUX TIGERS!!!

Photo Below By: Michael Bacigalupi

Photos Below By: Jonathan Mailhes

6/25/2021
LSU Sports Information
By: William Franques


JAY JOHNSON NAMED LSU BASEBALL HEAD COACH
2021 Pac-12 Coach of the Year led Arizona to two College World Series appearances in five full seasons
 
BATON ROUGE, La. -- Jay Johnson, the reigning Pac-12 Baseball Coach of the Year who led Arizona to a conference championship and a berth in the College World Series in 2021, has been named the head coach of the six-time national champions LSU Tigers, director of athletics Scott Woodward announced Friday.
 
“LSU Baseball is the premier program in the nation, and the interest we received from great coaches across the country was significant,” Woodward said. “Ultimately, Jay’s track record of postseason success, explosive lineups, and highly-ranked recruiting classes set him apart from the field. He’s made an immediate impact at every program he’s led, and he’s one of the most energetic, innovative, and focused coaches in America. I am confident he is ready to add to our extensive championship tradition at LSU, and we welcome Jay and Maureen to Baton Rouge.”
 
“I am humbled and honored to be the head baseball coach at LSU and serve as the steward of the next generation of national champions,” Johnson said. “LSU is a phenomenal University and athletics department, and I am very thankful to Scott Woodward and Stephanie Rempe for entrusting me to lead this storied program into its next winning chapter. I view this as the opportunity of my lifetime and will do everything in my power to have our team playing a brand of baseball that makes everyone at LSU, the Baton Rouge community, and the entire state of Louisiana incredibly proud. Geaux Tigers!”
 
Johnson will be introduced at Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field on Monday, June 28, beginning with a press conference open to media only at 4:30 p.m. in the Champions Club. Fans are invited to watch a live stream of Johnson’s press conference on the video board inside the stadium and remain after for an on-field Q&A following his remarks to the media.
 
The architect of college baseball’s best offense in 2021, the 44-year-old Johnson led Arizona to two College World Series appearances – including a Championship Series berth in 2016 – over five full seasons, regularly producing the nation’s most potent lineups and signing top players from across the country.
 
After landing college baseball’s No. 4 recruiting class in the fall, Johnson’s 2021 Wildcats smashed their way to Omaha in the spring, leading the nation in hits and ranking first in the Pac-12 in runs, hits, doubles, triples, RBI, walks, batting average, on base percentage, slugging percentage, total bases, and extra base hits.
 
Overall, Johnson’s Wildcat teams finished first in the Pac-12 in hits, runs, and on base percentage in four of his five full seasons, while leading the league in slugging percentage, on base percentage, runs per game, and batting average in three seasons. And in each of his final two full seasons, the Wildcats topped the league in hits, walks, runs, runs per game, slugging percentage, on base percentage, and batting average.
 
When he was hired by Arizona after the 2015 season, Johnson took the reins of a program with a rich tradition and instantly made it richer. When he arrived in Tucson, the Wildcats had won four national championships, recorded three national runners-up finishes (now four), made 16 CWS appearances (now 18), and made 37 NCAA Tournament appearances (now 40).
 
Johnson’s impact was immediate. In 2016, he became the fifth coach ever – and the first since 1994 – to lead his team to the College World Series finals in his first season. That team, which had finished 12-18 and 9-21 in the Pac-12 in its previous two seasons, slugged its way to Omaha, finishing fifth nationally in hits and leading the conference in walks, doubles, hits, runs, and stolen bases. The Wildcats returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2017 and finished first in the Pac-12 in batting average, doubles, hits, on base percentage, runs, scoring, and slugging percentage. In 2019, Johnson’s offense led all Power 5 teams and finished second nationally in runs per game, slugging percentage, and on base percentage, while finishing third in batting average and total runs.
 
In addition to his reputation for developing hitters, Johnson is also considered one of the top recruiters in college baseball. Both Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball ranked Johnson’s 2020 signing class No. 4 in the country – the highest ranking for a program west of the Mississippi River. The class featured 14 players from six states, including two players who ranked in Perfect Game’s Top 100 prep rankings. In 2018 and 2019, Johnson landed Collegiate Baseball’s No. 3 and No. 11 ranked classes, respectively. 
 
Arizona was not the first program where Johnson’s impact was felt instantly. Prior to his success at Arizona, Johnson spent two seasons as head coach at the University of Nevada, earning Mountain West Coach of the Year honors in 2015 and leading the Wolfpack to their first ever conference championship in just his second season. That year, the Wolfpack finished 41-15 and ranked first in the country in on base percentage, second in slugging percentage, and third in batting average.
 
Johnson spent 2006 to 2013 as the associate head coach at the University of San Diego, where he spearheaded recruiting efforts and served as the hitting coach over eight seasons. There, Johnson helped sign the nation’s No. 1 class in 2008 and No. 2 class in 2010, and USD’s lineups topped the WCC in hitting six times. At USD, Johnson recruited and coached Kris Bryant, who won the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Award as the nation’s top player before the Cubs selected him No. 2 overall in the 2013 MLB Draft.
 
Johnson’s coaching career began at his alma mater, Point Loma Nazarene, where he served as an assistant coach from 2002 to 2004 before accepting the head coaching position in 2005 at 27 years old. He finished his playing career at Point Loma in 2001, hitting .326 as a senior and earning a Gold Glove as the team’s starting second baseman.
 
A native of Oroville, Calif., Johnson becomes the 26th head coach in LSU baseball history, succeeding Paul Mainieri, who retired after the 2021 season. Johnson and his wife Maureen, a former University of Arizona soccer player, were married in 2016.
 

6/24/2021
By: Terrill J. Weil
Da Boot Sports!


   BATON ROUGE, LA:  Source have reported that LSU AD Scott Woodward has hired Arizona's Jay Johnson to be their next head baseball coach. 
   Johnson has been the head man at Arizona for the past six seasons and has advanced to the College World Series twice, once in 2016 (Finishing the CWS runner-up), then this season where they went 0-2 losing to Vanderbilt 7-6, then eliminated by Stanford 14-5.  
   Johnson's record at Arizona was 208-114 overall while going 82-67 in the Pac-12. His career head coaching record stands at 316-172. Before ending up at Arizona, Johnson was head coach at Nevada for two seasons, after a single year as the head man at Point Loma Nazarene. 

   More to come as further details become released by the LSU Athletic Department...

​   Not my personal choice, but I believe in Scott Woodward and I'm sure Coach Johnson will do an outstanding job....

   Welcome to Baton Rouge Coach Johnson! You will love it here in Cajun Country.....

6/23/2021
LSU Sports Information
By: William Franques


   BATON ROUGE, La. – Five LSU baseball players have received All-South Region recognition from the American Baseball Coaches Association.
Junior pitcher Landon Marceaux, freshman rightfielder Dylan Crews and freshman first baseman Tre' Morgan were named to the first team, while junior leftfielder Gavin Dugas and sophomore third baseman Cade Doughty earned second-team honors.
Marceaux, a right-hander from Destrehan, La., was 7-7 on the year with a 2.54 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 102.2 innings. A Second-Team All-America and Second-Team All-SEC selection, he is No. 4 in the league in innings pitched, No. 5 in ERA and No. 7 in strikeouts.
He helped lead LSU to the NCAA Eugene Regional title, earning a relief win on two days' rest in the championship game versus Oregon after firing 101 pitches in a starting assignment against Gonzaga.
Crews was named last week as the National Freshman of the Year by Perfect Game.  The product of Longwood, Fla., hit .362 (89-for-246) this season with 16 doubles, two triples, 18 homers, 42 RBI, 64 runs scored and 12 stolen bases. He has also received Second-Team All-America, Freshman All-America, Second-Team All-SEC and Freshman All-SEC recognition.
Crews' total of 18 home runs represents the most by a freshman in LSU single-season history, surpassing the mark of second baseman Mike Fontenot, who launched 17 dingers as a freshman in 2000.
He is No. 1 in the SEC this season in total bases (163), No. 3 in batting average, No. 3 in base hits, No. 3 in runs scored, No. 3 in doubles, No. 4 in on-base percentage (.453) and No. 5 in home runs.
Crews helped lead LSU to the NCAA Eugene Regional title, earning all-tournament honors as he batted .476 (10-for-21) with two doubles, one triple, three home runs, four RBI and six runs scored. 
Morgan, a product of New Orleans, La., batted .357 (89-for-249) on the year with 16 doubles, four triples, six homers, 42 RBI, 64 runs scored and 15 stolen bases.
He was voted First-Team Freshman All-America, Second-Team All-SEC and Freshman All-SEC, and he was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team. Morgan was twice recognized as the SEC Freshman of the Week during a three-week period in late April-early May.
Morgan collected six hits, including a double, in the NCAA Eugene Regional to go along with three RBI and three runs scored. He is No. 5 in the SEC in batting average, No. 3 in doubles, No. 4 in base hits, No. 4 in runs scored, No. 4 in triples, No. 5 in stolen bases and No. 7 in on-base percentage (.441).
Dugas, native of Houma, La., currently leads the SEC in RBI with 66, and he is No. 3 in the league in home runs (19), No. 6 in total bases (141) and No. 6 in slugging percentage (.663). The 2021 SEC statistical rankings will be final once Mississippi State and Vanderbilt complete their seasons in the College World Series.
Dugas batted .295 (65-for-220) on the year 13 doubles, three triples and 54 runs scored. He was voted the Most Valuable Player of the NCAA Eugene Regional, hitting .438 (7-for-16) with one double, two triples, three home runs, six RBI and seven runs scored. He was 2-for-3 with two homers, three RBI and three runs scored in the regional title game win over Oregon on June 7.
Dugas was named SEC Co-Player of the Week on May 17 after leading LSU to an SEC series victory over Alabama. In the Tigers' series win over the Tide, Dugas hit .364 (4-for-11) with one double, two homers, five RBI, four runs, one stolen base and a .429 on-base percentage.
He launched a grand slam at Ole Miss on April 23 in the top of the ninth inning in LSU's 7-2 win – the blast expanded LSU's lead at the time from 2-1 to 6-1. The grand slam was the second of the season for Dugas, who also hit one on February 22 in a victory over Louisiana Tech.
Doughty, a product of Denham Springs, La., batted .308 (70-for-227) this season with 11 doubles, two triples, 13 homers, 55 RBI and 41 runs scored. He was 5-for-18 in the NCAA Eugene Regional with two doubles, one RBI and four runs , including 3-for-4 in the regional championship game win over Oregon with two doubles and two runs scored.
Doughty led LSU to a crucial series win at Texas A&M May 20-22, batting .333 (5-for-15) with one double, one homer, six RBI and three runs scored. In the Tigers' Game 2 win over the Aggies, Doughty doubled, homered and collected five RBI. His two-out, three-run homer in the fifth inning erased a 6-3 deficit and the game remained tied at 6-6 until the top of the 13th, when Doughty's two-run double highlighted a six-run outburst in the 12-6 LSU victory that clinched a berth in the SEC Tournament.
He was named National and SEC Player of the Week on March 15, as he collected five home runs, six runs scored and 12 RBI in leading LSU to five wins in five games versus Texas Southern, New Orleans and UT San Antonio.

6/21/2021
By: Terrill J. Weil
DA BOOT SPORTS!


   BATON ROUGE, LA:  Sunday afternoon news broke out of Oxford that Ole Miss has offered Mike Bianco a contract extension and that he has withdrawn his name from the LSU head coaching search..  This is no surprise to us here at Da Boot Sports, or to some other media outlets.  A source during the week informed me that LSU has had their Tiger Eye fixed on other candidates who are still coaching a team in Omaha, Nebraska. 
   Bianco was never LSU's first choice to replace Paul Mainieri.  If he was, he would be LSU's new head coach already. Bianco has done a great job at Ole Miss, but simply doesn't have the postseason history as a head coach that the Tigers are looking for and we wish him well in his continued career in Mississippi. 

   The coaches who could be on Scott Woodward's radar are, Chris Lemonis, Brian O'Connor, and Tim Corbin...

   Some think O'Connor is a front runner. In 18 seasons at Virginia he has a 749-317-2 record with five appearances in the College World Series, (Runner up to Vanderbilt in 2014, National Champions over Vanderbilt in 2015)... 
   He also has close ties to Paul Mainieri, as he was a huge part of Mainieri's staff at Notre Dame for several years.  However, from 2018-2020 the Cavaliers have slipped, not making a Regional, (2020 due to COVID-19). Even this season with Virginia making it back to Omaha, it took a late season surge to punch their ticket there after a mediocre 35-25 overall, 18-18 in conference record. This could loom large in Woodward's decision if others are interested in the open LSU position. O'Connor is 50 years old and apparently draws a salary of $900,000.  

   
   Chris Lemonis has been fantastic in Starkville in his first three seasons after doing a solid job as the head man in Indiana from 2015-2018. He was also on Dan McDonnell's staff in Louisville for seven years helping the Cardinals reach Omaha three times. 
   He has lead the Bulldogs to Omaha two out of his three seasons, and if not for COVID-19 could have very well been there in 2020 as well. Lemonis is 110-35 at State and has shown the ability to recruit at a high level. 
   He is also the youngest of the three front runners at 47 years old and has a salary of $600,000. LSU could be his opportunity at a huge pay raise while taking a job at another one of college baseball's most prestigious programs.

  
   Tim Corbin and his Vanderbilt Commodores sit on top of the college baseball mountain as the defending national champions. The Commodores look as strong as ever as they have begun their title defense in Omaha. Corbin is my personal favorite and I believe is Woodward's also. However, one concern is his age. How much longer will the 59 year old Corbin choose to continue coaching?
   He also carries a pretty hefty salary, ($2.3 Million), that would need to be topped to lure him away from Nashville. Woodward however has shown that you can't put a price on chasing championships as he shocked the Nation when he was able to ink Kim Mulkey away from Baylor a couple of months ago. 
   In 19 seasons in Nashville, Corbin has a 798-374-1 overall record while going 306-216-1 in the SEC.  Vanderbilt has qualified for a NCAA Regional 16 out of 19 years during his tenure, (2020 due to COVID-19), highlighted by five trips to Omaha, winning it all twice while finishing runner up once, with this season still to be determined of course. 


   Early on Florida's Kevin O'Sullivan was rumored to be high on Woodward's list, which thankfully turned out to be a rumor. I personally would have lost several nights of sleep if LSU would have brought him over from Gainesville to take over. I don't care what he has accomplished with the Gators. I just feel like he isn't a good fit for Baton Rouge and thankfully so did Mr. Woodward.
   Another was the very successful former Oregon State head coach, Pat Casey who has a career record of 900-458-6 along with three national championships (2006, 2007, 2018) with the Beavers.  The legendary 62 year old Casey had reportedly met with LSU, but apparently no deal could be reached or agreed on. With the recent cover up of sexual assault on the LSU campus, most have felt like Casey comes with too much baggage after a former star OSU pitcher pleaded guilty in 2012 to felony child molestation. It reported in June 2017 that Luke Heimlich had admitted to inappropriate contact with his niece, who was 6 at the time of Heimlich's court proceedings. He rejoined the team in 2018 with the support of Casey and Oregon State President Ed Ray. 

   Others who were rumored to be on LSU's list of candidates were Cliff Godwin of East Carolina and Dan McDonnell of Louisville who without a doubt is one of the Nations best. With neither advancing to Omaha and no deal with either being announced yet, it is a strong sign that for some reason Woodward has others higher on his list. 

   No matter who Scott Woodward decides on to replace Paul Mainieri, I have all the confidence in the world that it will be a great hire that will take the LSU baseball program back to the top....
​

6/19/2021
LSU Sports Information
By: Willim Franques


   BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU rightfielder Dylan Crews has been named the 2021 National Freshman of the Year by Perfect Game.
 
Crews, a product of Longwood, Fla., hit .362 (89-for-246) this season with 16 doubles, two triples, 18 homers, 42 RBI, 64 runs scored and 12 stolen bases. He has received Second-Team All-America, Freshman All-America, Second-Team All-SEC and Freshman All-SEC recognition.
 
He is the seventh LSU baseball player to receive National Freshman of the Year recognition, joining second baseman Todd Walker (1992), pitcher Brett Laxton (1993), second baseman Mike Fontenot (2000), pitcher Lane Mestepey (2001), shortstop Alex Bregman (2013) and pitcher Alex Lange (2015).
 
Crews’ total of 18 home runs represents the most by a freshman in LSU single-season history, surpassing the mark of Fontenot, who launched 17 dingers as a freshman in 2000.
 
Crews helped lead LSU to the NCAA Eugene Regional title, earning all-tournament honors as he batted .476 (10-for-21) with two doubles, one triple, three home runs, four RBI and six runs scored.
 
Following is the report on Crews from the staff of Perfect Game:
 
There was no doubting Dylan Crews’ ability dating back to his high school days as he was one of the top undrafted prospects in the 2020 class and easily one of the most famous names entering college for the first time. With a substantial amount of pressure following his decision to opt out of the 2020 draft, Crews did nothing but impress the coaching staff down in Baton Rouge during the fall and immediately earned the starting right field job along with the everyday three-hole position in the lineup.

From the moment the season started, Crews was playing like an absolute dominant force, finishing the year with a slash line of .362/.453/.663 and showing poise, maturity, and ruthlessness in the batter’s box. The freshman outfielder did more than just punish mistakes as he was one of the more consistent leaders in terms of exit velocity, while he showed polish and maturity in the box beyond his years.

Crews was a name heading into his first college season but there’s no doubting now that he’s on the forefront in terms of future stars of the sport. Crews knocked in 18 home runs during his freshman campaign, showing why he’s not only one of the best hitters in the sport, but also the early projected 1:1 candidate for the 2023 draft.
 

6/17/2021
LSU Sports Information
By: William Franques


   BATON ROUGE, La. -- Members of LSU's baseball team have departed for destinations throughout the country to play in summer collegiate leagues.
 
Follow the progress of the Tigers this summer by using the links below:
 
Harwich Mariners – Cape Cod League
Tre’ Morgan, 1B
Cade Beloso, OF/1B
https://www.capecodbaseball.org/
 
Sanford River Rats – Florida Collegiate League
Dylan Crews, OF
Josh Pearson, OF/INF (incoming LSU signee)
Brennan Holt, INF/OF (incoming LSU signee)
http://floridaleague.com/view/fcsl/
 
Seminole County Snappers – Florida Collegiate League
Collier Cranford, INF
http://floridaleague.com/view/fcsl/
 
Winter Park Diamond Dawgs – Florida Collegiate League
Cade Doughty, INF
Brody Drost, OF
http://floridaleague.com/view/fcsl/
 
Keene Swamp Bats – New England Collegiate Baseball League
Zach Arnold, INF
http://www.necbl.com/view/necbl/

Bristol State Liners – Appalachian League
Ty Floyd, RHP
Michael Fowler, RHP
Paul Gervase, RHP (incoming LSU signee)
https://www.mlb.com/appalachian-league
 
Bluefield Ridge Runners – Appalachian League
Brayden Jobert, INF (incoming LSU signee)
https://www.mlb.com/appalachian-league
 
Delray Beach Lightning - South Florida Collegiate League
Brant Smith, INF (incoming LSU signee)
http://southfloridacollegiateleague.com/view/southfloridacollegiateleague/
 
Waterloo Bucks – Northwoods League
Drew Bianco, INF/OF
https://northwoodsleague.com/
 
Kalamazoo Growlers – Northwoods League
Luke Leto, INF/RHP  (incoming LSU signee)
https://northwoodsleague.com/
 
Battle Creek Bombers – Northwoods League
Jack Merrifield, INF/RHP  (incoming LSU signee)
https://northwoodsleague.com/
 
Charlottesville TomSox – Valley League
Will Safford, INF
http://www.valleyleaguebaseball.com/view/valleyleaguebaseball
 
Covington Lumberjacks – Valley League
Javen Coleman, LHP
Garrett Edwards, RHP
http://www.valleyleaguebaseball.com/view/valleyleaguebaseball
 
Danville Dans – Prospect League
Jacob Hasty, LHP
http://www.prospectleague.com/
 
Saugerties Stallions – Perfect Game League
Josh Stevenson, OF/LHP (incoming LSU signee)
Theo Millas, RHP
http://pgcbl.com/
 
Wenatchee Apple Sox  – West Coast League
Jake Wyeth, C
Alex Brady, LHP
https://westcoastleague.com/
 

Photos below by: Michael Bacigalupi

6/17/2021
LSU Sports Information
By: William Franques


   BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU junior pitcher Landon Marceaux and freshman rightfielder Dylan Crews have each earned 2021 All-America recognition.
 
Marceaux was named a third-team All-American by Baseball America and by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), and Crews received third-team All-America honors from the NCBWA.
 
Marceaux, a right-hander from Destrehan, La., was 7-7 on the year with a 2.54 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 102.2 innings. A second-team All-SEC selection, he is No. 2 in the league in innings pitched, No. 6 in ERA and No. 6 in strikeouts.
 
He helped lead LSU to the NCAA Eugene Regional title, earning a relief win on two days’ rest in the championship game versus Oregon after firing 101 pitches in a starting assignment against Gonzaga.
 
Marceaux was named a Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week after defeating South Carolina on April 15, firing a career-high 12 Ks while working seven shutout innings.
 
Crews, a product of Longwood, Fla., hit .362 (89-for-246) this season with 16 doubles, two triples, 18 homers, 42 RBI, 64 runs scored and 12 stolen bases. He has received Freshman All-America, Second-Team All-SEC and Freshman All-SEC recognition.
 
Crews’ total of 18 home runs represents the most by a freshman in LSU single-season history, surpassing the mark of second baseman Mike Fontenot, who launched 17 dingers as a freshman in 2000.
 
Crews helped lead LSU to the NCAA Eugene Regional title, earning all-tournament honors as he batted .476 (10-for-21) with two doubles, one triple, three home runs, four RBI and six runs scored.
 

6/17/2021
By: Terrill J. Weil
DA BOOT SPORTS!

   Thank You Coach Mainieri for all the great memories...  You're a great coach and a great person... Enjoy your retirement...  GEAUX TIGERS!!!

All Photos below are by: Terrill Weil from 2014-2019

Photos Below By: Michael Bacigalupi

6/16/2021
LSU Sports Information
By: William Franques


   ​BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU rightfielder Dylan Crews and first baseman Tre’ Morgan have been named 2021 Freshmen All-Americans by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
 
Both players were also named Freshmen All-Americans last week by Collegiate Baseball newspaper.
 
Crews, a product of Longwood, Fla., hit .362 (89-for-246) this season with 16 doubles, two triples, 18 homers, 42 RBI, 64 runs scored and 12 stolen bases. He received Second-Team All-SEC and Freshman All-SEC recognition.
 
Crews’ total of 18 home runs represents the most by a freshman in LSU single-season history, surpassing the mark of second baseman Mike Fontenot, who launched 17 dingers as a freshman in 2000.
 
Crews helped lead LSU to the NCAA Eugene Regional title, batting .476 (10-for-21) with two doubles, one triple, three home runs, four RBI and six runs scored. He was voted to the regional all-tournament team.
 
Morgan, a product of New Orleans, La., batted .357 (89-for-249) on the year with 16 doubles, four triples, six homers, 42 RBI, 64 runs scored and 15 stolen bases.
 
He was voted Second-Team All-SEC and Freshman All-SEC, and he was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team. Morgan was twice recognized as the SEC Freshman of the Week during a three-week period in late April-early May.
 
Morgan collected six hits, including a double, in the NCAA Eugene Regional to go along with three RBI and three runs scored

6/13/2021
By: Terrill J. Weil
Da Boot Sports!


   KNOXVILLE, TN: LSU is looking at a must win situation on Sunday afternoon in Knoxville to keep their College World Series hopes alive after Saturday night's Super Regional game one heartbreaking 4-2 loss to the Vols.  
   Game two wouldn't be as close, as the Volunteers took advantage of Lance Marceaux being pulled from the game after only three innings of work, punishing and embarrassing the LSU bullpen with a 15-6 victory, punching their ticket to Omaha. 

   After playing solid baseball in the Regional last weekend, the Tigers would revert to their regular season ways. All season LSU would only be as good as their starting pitcher would last, as a nightmarish bullpen and infield throwing errors would cause things to go down hill quickly. 
   Once again, I feel that Paul Mainieri would pull his starting pitcher from the ballgame too early.. To gamble in a "must
win" situation on a very shaky bullpen is a poor decision, especially while your starter is still performing well enough to continue on. 

   The Volunteers would strike first in the ballgame as Liam Spence would leadoff the game by reaching first base safely on a throwing error by Jordan Thompson. Spence would then advance to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Max Ferguson. 
   Jake Rucker would then step to the plate and blast a two run homer over the left center field wall to give the Vols a 2-0 lead. 

   Dylan Crews would answer for the Tigers with a leadoff solo homer run to cut the Tennessee lead in half as we would head to the 2nd inning with the score, 2-1 Vols.

   Jake Rucker again would step to the plate and greet Landon Marceaux rudely with another home run. This time a one out solo shot over the right field wall to extend the Volunteers lead to 3-1 after two and a half innings.

   Dylan Crews would answer the Rucker homerun like earlier in the contest as he would launch a deep blast over the left field wall to pull the Tigers to within 3-2 at the end of the 3rd inning. 

  Tennessee would increase their lead in the top of the 4th. With a runner on 1st with one out, Volunteer catcher Connor Pavolony would rocket a two run homer to deep center field to put the Vols up 5-2.

   Once again, it would begin to look like Paul Mainieri may have gone to the bullpen a little to quickly as both Garrett Edwards in the 4th and then Will Hellmers in the 5th would struggle against the red hot Tennessee hitters. 
   Drew Gilbert would leadoff the 5th with a solo homer to right field off of Hellmers, followed by a double to right center.
Gilbert would advance to third on a wild pitch. 
   Hellmers would then walk Lipcius, putting runners on the corners with no outs for Jordan Beck. Beck would finish off any hope for a victory with a three run homer to left field, extending the Tennessee lead to 9-2. 
  The home run would chase Hellmers as Trent Vietmeier would replace him on the mound. Vietmeier could fair no better against the Volunteers lineup as he would start by hitting Pete Derkay.
   Pavolony would reach safely on a fielder's choice, while Derkay would advance to third on a throwing error. Liam Spence would ground out to first base, scoring Derkay and advancing Pavolony to second base. 
   Vietmeier would then hit Ferguson with a pitch to put runners on first and second with only one out. Rucker would then single to right field, scoring Pavolony and advancing Freguson to third base. With the score now 11-2 Volunteers with still only one out in the inning, Mainieri would go to the bullpen again replacing Vietmeier with Jacob Hasty.
   Hasty would quickly register the final two outs of the top of the 5th inning to stop the bleeding. 

   LSU would chip away at the large Tennessee lead with a two run homer by Tre' Morgan in the 6th inning and then a two run shot by Brody Drost in the bottom of the 7th, to cut the Volunteers' lead to 11-6 as we would head to the 8th...

  Tennessee would continue to make any hopes of a possible LSU comeback difficult as Evan Russell would launch a two run home run in the top of the 8th inning off of AJ Labas to increase the lead to 13-6. 
   The Vols would add the exclamation point on their win in the top of the 9th as they continued to pad their lead by plating two more runs... 


   “We felt good going into the game,” Mainieri said. “Landon has so much courage and guts, and he was unbelievable in pitching twice in the regional last weekend, but I could tell early on he didn’t have his usual stuff. His slider didn’t have the kind of bite that it normally does and his velocity was down. It just shows you what kind of competitor he is, he gritted his teeth and battled through three innings.”
   “Our kids battled like crazy all year,” Mainieri said. “We were counted out a lot of times during the course of this year, and our guys never gave up. They’re a resilient bunch, and I love them. I’ll always remember them, they’re my last team.  I don’t want people to be sad for me, I’m the luckiest guy in the world. Thirty-nine years of being able to live out a childhood dream of being a college baseball coach. I got to do what I wanted to do with my life, who could ask for more?”
 

   So the Paul Mainieri era comes to an end as the Tigers finish the 2021 season with a 38-25 overall record and a trip to a Super Regional.  All of us here at Da Boot Sports want to thank Coach Mainieri on a wonderful head coaching career and for doing such a great job here in Baton Rouge...  THANK YOU for the awesome memories!  
    Paul Mainieri completed his 39-season career with a 1,505-777-8 record, including a 641-285-3 mark in 15 seasons at LSU.
   
   It's now time to turn the page to start a new chapter in LSU baseball history. The coaching search will continue and we have all the confidence in the world that Scott Woodward will hire the right person for the job. Whoever that may be will have a young and talented team to work with. Look for LSU to return to a Super Regional and beyond in 2022.   

6/13/2021
By: Terrill J. Weil
Da Boot Sports!


   KNOXVILLE, TN: Here we are. LSU is playing in a Super Regional in 2021. Something many of us, including myself, didn't think was possible for this Fighting Tiger team to achieve. Man oh man, is it feeling good to be wrong. LSU finds themselves playing in Knoxville, Tennessee against the Vols, who swept the Tigers early in the regular season in three very close ball games.  So LSU will look to keep Paul Mainieri's career going by earning a trip to Omaha.. 

   Tennessee would hang on to take game one, 4-2 in a very good, close baseball game. Ma'Khail Hilliard had a fantastic outing on the mound for the Tigers. I feel like Coach Mainieri took Hilliard out of the game too early, as he was still going very strong at the end of the 5th inning with lots of gas left in the tank. 

   The Tigers took an early lead in the top of the 2nd. With the rain falling hard, Cade Doughty would hit the ball very hard, sending it quickly over the right field wall for a one out, solo homer, giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead. 

   Lightning in the area would cause a weather delay at the end of the 2nd inning.... 

   After a 50 minute rain delay, we were back at play.. The Tigers would go up and down in order in the top of the 3rd inning.  Jordan Beck would leadoff the bottom of the inning with a double to left center. Beck would then advance to 3rd base on a ground out by Pete Derkay. Connor Pavolony would score Beck while grounding out to Jordan Thompson for the second out of the inning to tie things up. 

   LSU would grab the lead back in the top of the 5th. Drew Bianco would lead off the inning with a single to left field. Cade Beloso would then get hit by a pitch. Both would be able to move up a base on an error, with Bianco scoring from third base after Vol's catcher Pavolony would throw poorly to third trying to gun Bianco down. LSU retakes the lead, 2-1..

   Javen Coleman would take the mound to replace Hilliard in the bottom of the 6th. After striking out the leadoff
hitter, Coleman would begin to struggle with control and become a victim of a strange strike zone. After walking Max Ferguson, Jake Rucker would double down the left field line putting runners on second and third with only one out. 
   Drew Gilbert would reach safely on a fielder's choice, scoring Ferguson and sending Rucker to third. Coleman would then walk Evan Russell to load the bases. 
   Luc Lipcius would safely reach on a fielder's choice with the Tigers taking the second out of the inning at second base, with Rucker scoring. Jordan Beck would single to right field to score Gilbert before Coleman could register the final out of the inning. We would head to the 7th with Tennessee up 4-2. 

   The Tigers would try to battle back, putting runners on second and third with two outs in the top of the 9th inning with Jordan Thompson at the plate. Thompson would put up a strong battle at the plate, fouling off several pitches before finally striking out.  

6/12/2021
By: Terrill J. Weil
DA BOOT SPORTS!


    LSU (38-23) will travel to Tennessee (48-16) to take on the Volunteers in the NCAA Knoxville Super Regional at Lindsey Nelson Stadium....

   Game Schedule::    

Saturday, June 12 @ 6 p.m. CT (ESPN2)
​Sunday, June 13 @ 11 a.m. or 2 p.m. CT (ESPN2 or ESPNU)
Monday, June 14 (if necessary) @ 3 or 6 p.m. CT (ESPN2 or ESPNU)

   As of now LSU is ranked #28 (NCAA RPI), .... While Tennessee is the #3 NCAA Tournament National Seed....

6/8/2021
LSU Sports Information
By: William Franques


    EUGENE, Ore. – LSU erased a 7-6 deficit with three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning Monday night, and the Tigers held on for a 9-8 win over Oregon in the championship game of the NCAA Eugene Regional at PK Park.
 
LSU advances to face Tennessee in the NCAA Super Regional in Knoxville, Tenn. The NCAA is expected to announce on Tuesday the schedule for the super regional, which will begin on either Friday or Saturday.
 
LSU, which won four straight elimination games to capture the regional title, improved to 38-23 on the year. Oregon finished its season with a 39-16 record.
 
The Tigers’ regional title marked the first time since 1989 that LSU won a regional on the road. The ’89 Tigers won the NCAA Central Regional at College Station, Texas.
 
The Eugene Regional title also marked the first time in LSU baseball history that the Tigers won a regional after losing the first game of the tournament.
 
“Obviously, this was a tremendous accomplishment,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri, who earned his ninth NCAA Regional title as the Tigers’ head coach. “To lose the first game of the tournament and to come back and win four straight elimination games is an incredible achievement for our team.”
 
Right-hander Landon Marceaux (7-6), LSU’s No. 1 weekend starter, earned the win in relief, as he worked the final 2.1 innings and limited Oregon to one run on four hits with no walks and two strikeouts. Marceaux was the last of six LSU pitchers who contributed to the regional victory.
 
LSU entered the bottom of the eighth inning facing a 7-6 deficit, but the Tigers scored three runs against Oregon closer Kolby Somers (2-2). Leftfielder Gavin Dugas led off the inning with walk, and he moved to third on a double by third baseman Cade Doughty.
 
After Somers struck out centerfielder Drew Bianco, Dugas scored on a ground ball to first base by designated hitter Cade Beloso, tying the game at 7-7. A balk by Somers scored Doughty from third with the go-ahead run, and shortstop Jordan Thompson lined an RBI single to give LSU a 9-7 lead.
 
Oregon pushed across a run in the top of the ninth, but Marceaux retired third baseman Sam Novitske on a fly ball to right field with runners and first and third to end the game.
 
“I know a lot of people and counted us out after we lost the first game of the regional, but baseball is not an easy game to play,” Mainieri said. “Fortunately, we get to keep battling and go to Tennessee this weekend. We’re going to give it everything we’ve got, and hopefully we can be victorious.”
 
LSU opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning when Dugas launched a two-run homer, his 18th dinger of the season. Oregon tied the game with two runs in the second, and took the lead in the third when rightfielder Aaron Zavala unloaded a two-run homer.
 
The Ducks extended the advantage to 5-2 in the fourth on a run-scoring single by leftfielder Tanner Smith.
 
The Tigers, however, responded with two runs in the bottom of the fourth, as Dugas smashed a solo homer, and Bianco singled, stole second base, and later scored on a wild pitch by Oregon starter Andrew Mosiello.
 
LSU grabbed a 6-5 lead in the sixth when Bianco smashed a two-run homer, his seventh dinger of the year.
 
The Ducks regained the lead in the seventh when designated hitter Kenyon Yovan hit a two-run blast for his 17th homer of the year.

6/6/2021
LSU Sports Information
DA BOOT SPORTS!


   EUGENE, Ore. - LSU junior Gavin Dugas and freshman Dylan Crews both crushed solo home runs en route to a thrilling 4-1 victory over the Oregon Ducks inside PK Park to send the NCAA Eugene Regional to a Game 7.Senior reliever Trent Vietmeier started the game for the Tigers and pitched one inning while giving up no runs on one hit. Freshman left-hander Javen Coleman took over and picked up his third win of the year while firing six solid innings. He gave up one run on three hits and struck out six Ducks and walked three.
Oregon starter Brett Walker was charged with the loss, his third loss of the season. He fired 7.2 innings while giving up four runs on nine hits with one walk.
Senior closer Devin Fontenot took over for Coleman in the 8th and closed out his fifth ballgame of the season. He gave up one run on four hits during his outing.
Game 7 of the Eugene Regional will be played Monday night at 9 p.m. CT. The matchup will be televised by ESPN2, and it can be heard on the LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates including 98.1 FM and streaming free at www.LSUsports.net/live.