PITCH PERFECT

Predicting the starting lineup and batting order for the 2023 team

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LSU baseball fans watch a sunny baseball game April 23, during LSU’s 8-6 win over Missouri at Alex Box Stadium.

BY COLE HERNANDEZ @Ct_hernandez

The 2023 college baseball season is less than a month away and it’s difficult to find another team that has benefited more from the transfer portal and the birth of name, image and likeness this offseason than the LSU Tigers.

From losing on the road to Southern Mississippi in a regional, to being selected as the favorite to make it to Omaha and preseason No. 1 in practically every poll, LSU’s offseason has been a wild one and head coach Jay Johnson may have assembled the best team LSU has had in the last decade.

So how has Johnson flipped the script for LSU’s national championship hopes in one offseason? College baseball fans should remember that pitching was LSU’s achilles heel in the 2022 season. This offseason, Johnson signed one of the best pitching coaches there is, Wes Johnson. News of Wes Johnson’s signing and the opportunity to start this season created the perfect “pitch” to sign future MLB arm talent such as Christian Little, Thatcher Hurd and Paul Skenes.

With the addition of these arms, LSU’s bullpen has not just improved, but also has become one of the deeper bullpens in division one baseball. Blake Money, Grant Taylor and Ty Floyd will also compete to start on the mound. Riley Cooper and Will Hellmers will provide relief or closing duties when needed.

Another reason for the huge change in expectations for LSU’s baseball program is the signing of additional sluggers such as Tommy White, Paxton Kling and Brady Neal. White is arguably the best power hitter in college baseball and will most likely start at third base. Kling was named the nation’s sixth-ranked overall player and should be an instant upgrade at right field, even as a freshman.

Neal is one of most wellrounded catchers to sign with LSU in recent years and should provide consistency behind the plate, which is something LSU struggled with last season. He will have to beat out the more experienced Alex Milazzo and Hayden Travinski for the starting job and fans shouldn’t be surprised if there is a rotation behind the plate.

Arguably the biggest reason for LSU’s off-season hype is the growth of the core of players who returned from last season. Players such as Dylan Crews, Tre Morgan, Josh Pearson, Jordan Thompson, Brayden Jobert, Gavin Dugas, and Cade Beloso gained experience from last season and have had another offseason to improve.

Obviously, Crews and Morgan, the stars of the junior class, will return to center field and first base. Pearson should win the starting spot in left field and Johnson has already named Thompson, who struggled at times last season with errors, as the starter at shortstop.

The most undecided position going into the 2023 season for LSU is second base. The signing, of Gavin Guidry and Ben Nippolt gives Johnson options in the infield. Dugas, a senior, is another name that has been brought up in the conversation for second base, although, he has played outfield for most of his career at LSU. Guidry will likely play second base occasionally and could make a run for shortstop at some point this season if Thompson’s errors continue, but the safer choice is the more experienced Dugas at second base.

The hype surrounding this team is justified, the culture Johnson has instilled in his players is eye-opening and the excitement in Baton Rouge for a chance at a seventh national championship is something only those who live in Louisiana or attended LSU will understand.

Johnson has mentioned on numerous occasions that nobody wants to win a national championship more than him and he proved that this offseason. The talent on LSU’s roster and the extremely high expectations LSU baseball fans set year after year create the belief that if the 2023 Tigers are not in the conversation for the College World Series at the end of the season, then this year can only be described as a bust.

Batting Order

1. Tre Morgan (1B)

2. Josh Pearson (LF)

3. Dylan Crews (CF)

4. Tommy White (3B)

5. Paul Skenes / Hayden Travinski / Brayden Jobert (DH)

6. Jordan Thompson (SS)

7. Brady Neal (C)

8. Paxton Kling (RF)

9. Gavin Dugas (2B)

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