The 2025 LSU baseball season begins Friday, February 14th at 2:00 PM as the Tigers begin a 3 game series against Purdue Fort Wayne in Alex Box Stadium. The Tigers are returning a lot of contributors from last season, but they do have some production to replace. LSU comes into the season ranked #3 by D1Baseball. Once again, the SEC is loaded, having 9 teams in the top 25. Throughout the season, LSU is taking on 7 top 25 opponents. The Tigers were picked to finish 4th in the SEC by the SEC coaches, but according to DraftKings, LSU has the 2nd best odds to make it to the College World Series. This will be a fun season. Buckle up, Tiger fans! Coach Jay Johnson is entering his 4th season as the Tigers head coach. Johnson comes into the 2025 season with 137 wins at LSU and 454 wins throughout his coaching career. For the 1st time in his time at LSU, Jay Johnson has a pitching coach returning for a 2nd season. This will help the Tiger pitching staff tremendously. The coaching staff did lose Terry Rooney to South Carolina and Brent Haring to Nicholls. The Tigers have added Josh Simpson to the staff as an assistant coach. Simpson returns to LSU, where he last was the director of baseball operations in 2023. Simpson spent 2024 as an assistant coach at Georgia. NUMBER 8 Number 8 for LSU baseball goes to a true leader on and off the field since it began in 2009. Think of it as LSU football's number 18, but on the diamond. This year the honor goes to Gavin Guidry. Gavin has been a part of some big time moments for the Tigers. He always provides a much needed spark. NEWCOMERS According to Baseball America, LSU has the #1 newcomer class in the country. Let's get familiar with the new Tigers. Transfers Grant Fontenot - RHP, R-JR - Fontenot returns to LSU after pitching at McLennan Community College in 2023 and at Texas in 2024. He had a 2.45 ERA with 14 strikeouts last season. Deven Sheerin - RHP, SO - Sheerin spent last season at Mount St. Mary’s. Baseball America ranked Deven as the #8 transfer. Deven had the most strikeouts in the conference last season with 109. He was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year, was named 1st team All-MAAC, and was a 2nd Team Freshman All American. Deven suffered a torn ACL in late 2024. Connor Benge - RHP, JR - Benge spent last season at Dallas Baptist, where he had 35 strikeouts. Connor spent 2023 at LSU Eunice, where he was named a 3rd Team All American. He had the 2nd most wins at his level. He posted a 2.82 ERA, 86 strikeouts, and 11 wins. Chandler Dorsey - RHP, JR - Chandler spent the last 2 seasons at South Florida, where he struck out 71 batters. He held opposing hitters to a .180 batting average. He had 8 saves last season. Baseball America ranked Dorsey as the #22 transfer. D1Baseball ranked Chandler as the #132 draft prospect. Jacob Mayers - RHP, JR - Jacob spent the last 2 seasons at Nicholls, where he won 14 games and only had 2 losses. He had a 3.26 ERA and 211 strikeouts. Mayes was named ABCA/Rawlings 2nd Team All South Region in 2024, and he was named NCBWA National Freshman Pitcher of the Year in 2023. Baseball America ranked Mayers as the #17 transfer, and Perfect Game ranked Jacob as the #81 junior in the nation. Dalton Beck - OF/1B/LHP, SR - Beck spent 2022 at Grayson College, where he posted 7 wins and 75 strikeouts. He hit .380, 9 HRs, 34 RBI, and 11 stolen bases. He spent 2023 at Kansas State, where he struck out 3 batters. In 2024, Beck was at Incarnate Word, where he was named the Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year. He has .377, 18 HRs, and 67 RBI. He led the conference in slugging percentage, hits, HRs, and RBI. Baseball America ranked Beck as the #34 transfer. Edward Yamin IV - C/1B, JR - Yamin has spent the last 2 seasons at Dayton, where he hit .284, 18 HRs, and 73 RBI. Zac Cowan - RHP, JR - Cowan spent the last 2 seasons at Wofford, where he posted 13 wins, 3 complete games, 2 saves, 178 strikeouts, and a 4.35 ERA. Zac was named 1st Team All Southern Conference and 2nd Team ABCA All-Region. Baseball America ranked Cowan as the #23 transfer. Anthony Eyanson - RHP, JR - Anthony has been named the Saturday starter for the Tigers. Eyanson spent the last 2 seasons at UC San Diego, where he posted 8 wins, a 3.41 ERA, 1 complete game, 1 save, and 119 strikeouts. He was named 2nd Team All Big West last season. Baseball America ranked Eyanson as the #4 transfer. Perfect Game ranked Anthony as the #87 junior in the country. Luis Hernandez - Utility, SR - Hernandez spent the last 3 seasons at Indiana State, where he hit .314, 32 HRs, and 120 RBI. In 2023, he was named to the MVC All Tournament team. In 2024, he was named ABCA/Rawlings 2nd Team All Midwest Region, 1st Team All MVC, and MVC All Defensive Team. D1Baseball ranked Hernandez as the #10 catcher in the nation. Perfect Game ranked Hernandez as the #6 senior in the nation. Daniel Dickinson - IF, JR - Daniel has been named the starting 2nd baseman for the Tigers. He was selected as a preseason 2nd Team All SEC member. Daniel spent the last 2 seasons at Utah Valley, where he hit .369, 171 hits, 27 HRs, and 95 RBI. Daniel was a 1st Team All WAC selection last season. D1Baseball ranked Dickinson as the #3 2nd baseman in the country. Perfect Game ranked him as the #34 junior. Baseball America ranked Dickinson as the #2 transfer. Chris Stanfield - OF, JR - Chris spent the last 2 seasons at Auburn, where he hit .278, 97 hits, 7 HRs, 47 RBI, and 18 stolen bases. Baseball America ranked Stanfield as the #79 transfer. Conner Ware - LHP, JR - Conner spent the last 2 seasons at Pearl River Community College, where he posted a 1.69 ERA, 3 wins, 2 saves, and 49 strikeouts. Perfect Game ranked him as the #79 junior in the country. Tanner Reaves - IF, R-JR - Tanner spent the last 2 seasons at Blinn College, where he hit .398, 28 HRs, 142 RBI, and 25 stolen bases. Reaves won a national championship at Blinn. He was named 1st Team JUCO All American and Region XIV Conference Player of the Year. Blaise Priester - C, R-JR - Blaise spent 2022 on the LSU roster before transferring to Meridian Community College, where he spent the last 2 seasons. He hit .368, 24 HRs, and 101 RBI. Freshmen Cade Arrambide - C - Arrambide was the Texas Gatorade Player of the Year. Cade was ranked as MLB.com’s #1 high school catcher. In 2024, he hit .430, 12 HRs, and 35 RBI while leading the team to a state championship. Derek Curiel - OF - Derek was named the SEC Preseason Freshman of the Year by D1Baseball. Perfect Game ranked Derek as the #1 freshman. Derek was the #10 recruit in the nation according to Perfect Game. He hit .314 and stole 19 bases during his senior season. He was a 4 time All American in high school, and he was named Player of the Year twice by Perfect Game. William Schmidt - RHP - Perfect Game ranked William as the #4 freshman. William was ranked as MLB.com’s #16 overall draft prospect. He won Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year. He posted a 9-0 record, with a 0.44 ERA, and 102 strikeouts while leading his team to a state championship last season. Mikey Ryan - IF - Mikey participated in the 2024 MLB Draft combine. Perfect Game ranked Mikey as the #1 SS in Louisiana and the #113 overall prospect in 2024. He is the #69 ranked freshman according to Perfect Game. David Hogg II - David participated in the 2024 MLB Draft combine. He was named All State and All American. Perfect Game ranked David as the #79 high school recruit and the #21 SS in the country. Casan Evans - RHP/Utility - Casan will mainly serve as a pitcher at LSU. Casan threw 3 no hitters in high school. Perfect Game ranked him as the #19 SS in the country. He was named 2nd Team All TX. He is the #26 ranked freshman according to Perfect Game. Cooper Williams - LHP - Cooper had a career ERA of 1.34, with 10 wins and 152 strikeouts. Perfect Game ranked him as the #12 LHP and the #67 ranked freshman in the nation. Ryan Costello - 1B - Perfect Game ranked Ryan as the #92 overall recruit and the #32 freshman in the nation. Ryan hit 14 HRs, 34 RBI, and a .562 batting average his senior year. John Pearson - OF/3B - John led West Monroe to a state championship last season while hitting .378, 6 HRs, and 45 RBI. Perfect Game ranked him as the #6 recruit in Louisiana. He is the younger brother of teammate Josh Pearson. Mavrick Rizy - RHP - Mavrick participated in the MLB Draft combine. Perfect Game ranked him as the #1 recruit in Massachusetts and the #36 ranked freshman in the nation. RETURNERS Gavin Guidry - RHP, JR - For the 2nd season in a row, Gavin has been named to the Preseason Stopper of the Year watchlist. Gavin was named Preseason 1st Team All SEC. Mic Paul - OF, R-SO - Mic received a medical redshirt last season. He will provide quality outfield depth. Ethan Frey - OF/1B, JR - Look for Ethan to get playing time in the outfield, 1st base, and designated hitter. He has done this throughout his time with the Tigers. Josh Pearson - OF, SR - Josh has earned Regional All Tournament team honors in his 3 seasons with the Tigers. Look for Josh to get playing time in the outfield and as a designated hitter. Jared Jones - 1B, JR - Jared has been named Preseason 1st Team All SEC. Jared will be the day 1 starter at 1st base. He will be a big time leader for the Tigers. Steven Milam - IF, SO - Steven has been named the starting SS for the Tigers. D1Baseball ranked Milam as the #6 SS in the country. Perfect Game has ranked him as the #32 sophomore in the country. Jake Brown - LHP/OF, SO - Perfect Game ranked Jake as the #54 sophomore in the country. Jake should be a day 1 starter in the outfield for the Tigers. Jake may even see some time on the mound this season. Michael Braswell III - IF, SR - Michael has been named the starting 3rd baseman for the Tigers. D1Baseball has ranked Michael as the #36 3rd baseman in the country. Perfect Game has ranked him as the #38 senior in the nation. Kade Woods - RHP, R-JR - Kade will provide quality pitching depth this season for the Tigers. Jaden Noot - RHP, R-SO - Jaden was fighting back from Tommy John surgery the last 2 seasons. He will provide quality pitching depth for the Tigers. Kade Anderson - LHP, SO - Kade has been named the Friday starter for the Tigers. He was selected as a Preseason 1st Team All SEC member. Perfect Game has ranked him the #21 sophomore in the nation. Chase Shores - RHP, R-SO - Chase has been named the Sunday starter for the Tigers. Perfect Game has ranked him as the #20 junior in the nation. Chase will be an exciting addition for the Tigers. DJ Primeaux - LHP, R-SO - DJ will be a top reliever for the Tigers this season. Ashton Larson - OF, SO - Perfect Game ranked Ashton as the #59 sophomore in the nation. Ashton will get major playing time in the outfield and at designated hitter for the Tigers. MY PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP C - Luis Hernandez 1B - Jared Jones 2B - Daniel Dickinson SS - Steven Milam 3B - Michael Braswell LF - Derek Curiel CF - Chris Stanfield RF - Jake Brown DH - Ashton Larson SP - Cade Anderson, Anthony Eyanson, Chase Shores This is a loaded Tiger team with a ton of expectations heading into the season. This will be a fun one. Get your popcorn ready, Tiger fans! Follow me on X (the artist formerly known as Twitter) @eazytro

The 2025 LSU Softball team comes into the season as the 9th ranked team in the nation. The Tigers are coming off of a 44 win season, which is an improvement from the 42 win season before that. LSU faces 10 top 25 opponents this year. Coach Beth Torina is known for her tough scheduling. This team lost some big names last year, but the Tigers have names stepping up in those places. Coach Torina is entering her 14th season as the head coach of the Tiger Softball team. She has over 500 wins as the head coach at LSU and over 600 wins in her head coaching career. Get familiar with this entire roster, as Coach Torina likes to use a true team effort approach with her teams. RETURNING STARTERS Maci Bergeron, JR, C, 2 year letter winner. Maci brings plenty of experience to the catcher position, and she will come into the season as LSU’s all-time leader with a .996 fielding percentage on 530 chances. Danieca Coffey, R-SR, IF, 3 year letter winner. 2023 NFCA South All-Region 1st Team, 2022 NFCA South All-Region 2nd Team, 2022 All-SEC 2nd Team, 2022 LSWA All-Louisiana 2nd Team. Danieca had a great start before suffering a season ending injury last season. Danieca will be a leader on and off the field for this team. Mckenzie Redoutey, SR, OF, 3 year letter winner. 2023 All-SEC 2nd Team and 2023 SEC All-Defensive Team. Mckenzie had a .303 batting average and an amazing 1.000 field percentage last season. Sydney Peterson, R-JR, IF, 1 year letter winner. Sydney suffered a season ending injury early on last season. Sydney started 50 games at 2nd base in 2022. RETURNING CONTRIBUTORS Jadyn Laneaux, SO, OF, 1 year letter winner. Jadyn appeared in 6 games last season, and she will provide outfield depth as well as speed on the basepaths for the Tigers. Mckaela Walker, JR, IF, 2 year letter winner. Mckaela has appeared in 30 games over 2 seasons for the Tigers. She will provide quality depth in the infield for the Tigers. Tori Edwards, R-FR, Utility. Tori made 3 appearances before her season was cut short due to an injury. She will provide quality depth for the Tigers. Abigail Savoy, JR, IF, 2 year letter winner. Abigail has appeared in 10 games over 2 seasons for the Tigers. She finished last season with a .333 batting average. Maddox Mckee, SO, Utility, 1 year letter winner. Maddox played in 32 games last season, while starting in 17 games at 3rd base. She came up big for this team last season. I would expect to see a lot of Maddox this season. Madyson Manning, SO, IF, 1 year letter winner. Madyson started in 18 games last season. She had a .320 batting average, .452 OBP, and .946 fielding percentage. Madyson should see a lot of playing time this season. Savanna Bedell, SO, Utility, 1 year letter winner. Savanna appeared in 20 games last season. Savanna will provide speed on the basepaths and quality for the Tigers. Maia Townsend, JR, OF, 2 year letter winner. Maia appeared in 25 games last season. She will provide outfield depth for the Tigers. Sierra Daniel, SO, Utility, 1 year letter winner. Sierra appeared in 40 games last season, and she made 32 starts at 2nd base, 3rd base, and designated hitter. She finished the season with a .300 batting average. I expect to see Sierra all over the field for the Tigers. Madilyn Giglio, SR, OF, 3 year letter winner. Madilyn will provide speed on the basepaths as well as quality outfield depth this season. PITCHING STAFF Sydney Berzon, JR, 2 year letter winner. 2024 NFCA All-American 2nd Team, 2024 NFCA South All-Region 1st Team, 2024 All-SEC 1st Team, 2024 SEC All-Tournament Team, 2023 NFCA All-American 3rd Team, 2023 NFCA South All-Region 1st Team, 2023 All-SEC 2nd Team. Sydney is the clear leader of the pitching staff, in and out of the circle. Sydney’s calm demeanor while pitching is fun to watch. She always seems to be having fun. She has 34 wins, 7 saves, and a 1.84 ERA in her LSU career. Emilee Casanova, R-SR, 3 year letter winner. Emilee brings a strong arm to the Tiger rotation. She is sporting a 4-0 record and a 1.75 ERA in her Tiger career. Tatum Clopton, R-JR. Tatum was forced to sit out the last 2 seasons, but while at Oklahoma State, she made 2 Women’s College World Series appearances. TRANSFERS Ashley Vallejo, R-SR, P, 4 year letter winner at McNeese. Ashley won 3 straight SLC championships with the Cowgirls. She was named the SLC Pitcher of the Year in 2022, and she is a 2 time All-SLC pitcher. She has 45 career wins, a 2.44 ERA, 306 strikeouts, 6 career shutouts, and two saves. Avery Hodge, JR, IF, 2 time National Champion at Oklahoma. Avery has a career .278 batting average. Jalia Lassiter, JR, OF. 2 time NFCA South All-Region selection. Jalia has a .302 career batting average and a .994 career fielding percentage. INCOMING FRESHMEN Jayden Heavener, Pitcher/Utility. 2024 Florida 6A State Championship, 2024 Florida Gatorade Player of the Year, 2024 Max Prep National Player of the Year, 2024 Florida 6A 1st Team, 2023 FACA 6A Player of the Year and 1st Team All-American Sa’mya Jones, IF. MaxPreps #2 prospect and was the offensive MVP during her sophomore and junior seasons, and 1st Team All-District as a junior. Zoe Calvez, OF. 3 time FSHAA 7A All-State selection, 4 time FHSAA 7A All-Metro/District Softball Team, and West Orange Female Player of the Year, was ranked #9 in the class of 2024 by Extra Innings Softball and was ranked #4 at her position. Jada Phillips, Catcher/Utility. 3 time Player of the Year, Offensive and Defensive MVP, and 2 time All-State selection. Alix Franklin, IF. 3 time Louisiana 5A State Champion, 4 time All-State selection, and 2024 5A District 5 MVP. Destiny Harris, OF. 2024 Regional Player of the Year, 2-time Eastern District Player of the Year, and 2-time All-State and All-Region selection. The Tigers are looking to hit the ground running this season. This will be an exciting team to watch! Follow me on X (the artist formerly known as Twitter) @eazytro

Team Stats (Jazz @ Pelicans) Final Score: 123-136 Rebounds: 40-56 Assists: 30-34 Blocks: 8-8 Steals: 7-9 Turnovers: 15-13 Stat Leaders (Jazz/Pelicans) Scoring Leaders: Keyonte George, 26; CJ McCollum, 26 Rebound Leaders: Isaiah Collier, Drew Eubanks, 7; Zion Williamson, 14 Assist Leaders: Isaiah Collier, 11; Zion Williamson, Jose Alvarado, Dejounte Murray, 6 My Player of the Game: Zion Williamson Chrissy's Takeaways: * The New Orleans Pelicans have won four of their last five games and their only loss came against the Boston Celtics by one point. * If you were hoping for the Pelicans to tank to get a high draft pick, then you are are going to be disappointed. * Zion has to be at his lowest weight in years. He looks great and was explosive the whole night. * Yves Missi did not play because he was sick with the flu, according to Joel Myers. * This team can keep going on a run with so many guys healthy, and Brandon Ingram is close to returning too. That will leave Herb Jones as the only main player who is still hurt. Follow @TheKneaux on X, and follow me there too, @SportsChrissy.

Team Stats (Timberwolves @ Pelicans) Final Score: 104-97 Rebounds: 53-46 Assists: 26-23 Blocks: 8-5 Steals: 9-12 Turnovers: 16-14 Stat Leaders (Timberwolves/Pelicans) Scoring Leaders: Anthony Edwards, 32; Dejounte Murray, 29 Rebound Leaders: Rudy Gobert, 14; Yves Missi, 9 Assist Leaders: Donte Divencenzo, 7; Dejounte Murray, 6 My Player of the Game: Dejounte Murray Chrissy's Takeaways: * Zion was back on the court and looked great and full of energy and a spring in his step. * Dejounte Murray played exceptionally well, leading the team in points and assists. * Jose Alvarado brought a spark after the Pelicans started the game down 7-0. * If the Pelicans would have Trey Murphy able to play then I think they could have won this game. * Herb Jones hit two big corner three's so it's nice to see him get back in a rhythm. Follow @TheKneaux on X, and follow me there too, @SportsChrissy.

Team Stats (Pelicans @ Wizards) Final Score: 110-98 Rebounds: 49-46 Assists: 26-25 Blocks: 8-4 Steals: 7-6 Turnovers: 11-15 Stat Leaders (Pelicans/Wizards) Scoring Leaders: CJ McCollum, 24; Kyle Kuzma, 28 Rebound Leaders: Dejounte Murray, 10; Alex Sarr, 11 Assist Leaders: Dejounte Murray, 12; Malcolm Brogdon, Jared Butler, 5 My Player of the Game: Dejounte Murray Chrissy's Takeaways: * CJ McCollum was still hot following his previous game where he hit 50 points. * Dejounte Murray has had two games in a row where he has had 12 assists and only three turnovers so it' s nice to see him become the PG that the team needs. * The Pelicans have won two games in a row. * Trey Murphy sprained his ankle in the game and his status is to be determined. * Yves Missi had two blocks against the Wizards and continues to be a bright spot on this Pelicans squad. Follow @TheKneaux on X, and follow me there too, @SportsChrissy.

Team Stats (Wizards @ Pelicans) Final Score: 120-132 Rebounds: 48-37 Assists: 28-36 Blocks: 0-6 Steals: 6-10 Turnovers: 21-7 Stat Leaders (Wizards/Pelicans) Scoring Leaders: Jordan Poole, 29; Christian James McCollum, 50 Rebound Leaders: Jonas Valanciunas, 10; Yves Missi, 11 Assist Leaders: Jordan Poole, 7; Dejounte Murray, 12 My Player of the Game: CJ McCollum Chrissy's Takeaways: CJ McCollum dropped 50 points on the Wizards in a spectacular performance where he made 10 three-pointers in the game. He was cooking from the first quarter and you could tell something special was going to happen that night. The Pelicans snapped their 11-game losing streak by beating Washington, who had six wins coming into the game. One of the biggest keys to the victory for New Orleans was that the team only had seven turnovers the entire game. Rookie Yves Missi was spectacular again, finishing the game with 11 rebounds and one block. Jose Alvarado was back on the court after being sidelined for six weeks from a hamstring injury, and he immediately brought energy and a defensive presence to the team. Dejounte Murray had 12 assists, which was great, because he struggled offensively. The Pelicans look to get another win against the Wizards on Sunday on the road. Follow @TheKneaux on X, and follow me there too, @SportsChrissy.

Team Stats (Pelicans @ Heat) Final Score: 108-119 Rebounds: 31-38 Assists: 25-34 Blocks: 7-1 Steals: 4-6 Turnovers: 10-10 Stat Leaders (Pelicans/Heat) Scoring Leaders: Trey Murphy III, 34; Tyler Herro, 32 Rebound Leaders: Yves Missi, Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, Jordan Hawkins, Brandon Boston Jr., CJ McCollum, 4; Bam Adebayo, 9 Assist Leaders: Dejounte Murray, 7; Bam Adebayo, 10 My Player of the Game: Trey Murphy III Chrissy's Takeaways: The New Orleans Pelicans have lost 20 of their last 21 games. The Pels have also lost 11 games in a row. In this game against the Heat, the rebounding was divided up evenly among six players, which was a strange thing to see in the stat sheet. Trey Murphy III is turning into a full-blown starter for this team and it's great to see. He's not just a three-point shooter anymore. Yves Missi is SPECIAL!! This guy has a legitimate shot to win Rookie of the Year. It's rough to think about how good the Pelicans might have been this year if everyone would have been healthy plus the team has a ROY center. What could have been....time to focus on the special spots of the season. Follow The Kneaux on X, and follow me there too @SportsChrissy.