2024 College Top 25 Preview: No. 2 LSU

Image credit: Thatcher Hurd (Photo by Beau Brune)

Last season: 54-17 (19-10 in SEC), won College World Series
Final ranking: No. 1
Coach (record at school): Jay Johnson (94-39, two seasons)

The good news: LSU last year won the national championship, the seventh in program history. Johnson, the architect of that team, has reloaded and put together what is arguably the best roster in the country. Third baseman Tommy White returns to anchor the offense and take aim at Matt LaPorta’s 21st century home run record (74). LSU has the best catching situation in the country with its trio of sophomore Brady Neal and fifth-year seniors Alex Milazzo and Hayden Travinski. Slugger Jared Jones, a 2023 Freshman All-American, is ready to take over full time at first base. Meanwhile, the roster again was supplemented with one of the best transfer classes in the country. Righthander Luke Holman (Alabama) and lefthander Gage Jump (UCLA) are ticketed for the rotation, while shortstop Michael Braswell (South Carolina) and outfielder Mac Bingham (Arizona) will step into the lineup.

The bad news: For as much talent as LSU has coming back, it suffered significant losses. That starts with losing Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews, who were drafted first and second overall. In all, 11 Tigers signed out of last season’s draft, and CWS hero Cade Beloso graduated. Not only is that a monumental amount of production to replace, but it’s also a lot of leadership. LSU appears to have the veterans and culture to overcome those losses in the locker room. On the diamond, things will look differently for the Tigers. They are replacing Skenes, the Player of the Year; No. 2 starter Ty Floyd and security-blanket reliever Riley Cooper, a trio that combined for 275.1 innings, as well as pitching coach Wes Johnson, who is now the head coach at Georgia. New pitching coach Nate Yeskie, who has a wealth of experience and worked with Jay Johnson at Arizona, will have to find the right mix. But with righthander Thatcher Hurd, who started and won the decisive game of the CWS finals, Jump and Holman in the mix to start, with Nate Ackenhausen, Gavin Guidry and Griffin Herring back in the bullpen, as well as a wealth of talented freshmen, there’s no shortage of options on the mound. LSU also has some questions defensively, as the triangle of second baseman Gavin Dugas, shortstop Jordan Thompson and Crews in center field are all gone, as is Tre’ Morgan, who was arguably the team’s best defender. How well Braswell, Josh Pearson, who is moving from the outfield to second base, and sophomore Paxton Kling handle their new roles is a key to the Tigers reaching their ceiling.

Player to know: Thatcher Hurd, SP. Hurd was one of LSU’s big additions out of the transfer portal in the summer of 2022 after spending his freshman year at UCLA. He had an up-and-down first season in Baton Rouge, showing immense promise but also getting pushed to the bullpen at times. At the end of the season, Hurd was at his best. He delivered a quality start in the decisive third game of the CWS finals and in 12 innings in Omaha, he held Florida and Wake Forest to three runs on six hits. Hurd has first-round upside and if he hits it, the Tigers would be big beneficiaries.

Path to Omaha: The last two national champions stumbled badly, as both Mississippi State and Ole Miss followed up their triumphs with last-place finishes in the SEC standings. LSU is entirely too talented to suffer that fate, but it also can’t afford to rest on its laurels. The Tigers’ offense likely won’t be as good as it was a year ago, when they averaged 8.9 runs per game. But its pitching staff should compensate for any drop-off, even without the specter of Skenes at the front of the rotation. The combination of a still-formidable lineup and a deeper pitching staff makes LSU as dangerous as ever.

Pos.	Name	Year	AVG	OBP	SLG	AB	HR	RBI
C	Brady Neal	So.	.209	.411	.388	67	3	9
1B	Jared Jones	So.	.304	.426	.640	161	14	45
2B	Josh Pearson	Jr.	.226	.393	.387	137	4	27
3B	Tommy White	Jr.	.374	.432	.725	273	24	105
SS	Michael Braswell	Jr.	Transfer—South Carolina
OF	Mac Bingham	R-Sr.	Transfer—Arizona
OF	Paxton Kling	So.	.289	.390	.522	90	4	9
OF	Jake Brown	Fr.	HS—Sulphur, La.
DH	Hayden Travinski	R-Sr.	.356	.465	.692	104	10	30
Pos.	Name	Class	W	L	ERA	IP	SO	SV
SP	Thatcher Hurd	Jr.	8	2	5.68	63	84	3
SP	Gage Jump	R-So.	Transfer—UCLA
SP	Luke Holman	Jr.	Transfer—Alabama
RP	Gavin Guidry	So.	3	0	3.77	29	42	3
RP	Griffin Herring	So.	5	2	3.93	34	41	2
RP	Cam Johnson	Fr.	HS—IMG Academy