SEC Baseball Summer Standouts: LSU Reloads On All Fronts

The 2026 season was an abject failure for LSU baseball. Not a soul in Baton Rouge would deny that.

Off the heels of a second national championship in three years, the Tigers were a consensus preseason top-two team in the nation. Many, yours truly included, tabbed Jay Johnson’s club as the clear top team in the SEC and heavy favorites to return to Omaha.

Those lofty expectations were completely out of reach by the time the calendar hit May. Something, maybe everything, was clearly off with this version of LSU and even Johnson, one of the top coaches in college baseball, couldn’t figure it out. Mental mistakes were common, defense was subpar, and the big hit often eluded the Tigers.

Their 66 errors and .967 fielding percentage were both third-worst in the SEC. Just about every hitting statistic wasn’t good enough to crack the top half of the league. A 5.72 team ERA was only better than lowly Missouri. It was bad.

Contributions from a transfer portal class that ranked 12th nationally per 64Analytics were contemptible at best. Injuries began to pile high and so did losses. As the season grew long, it felt like the soul had been sucked out of the team. That usual fire that lights up Alex Box Stadium was nowhere to be found, point-blank.

LSU finished the season 30-28 (9-21 SEC). It was swept in five of its final six series and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011, ending one of the longest postseason streaks in the sport.

Many expect 2026 to be nothing but a blip for one of the most powerful programs in the country. Johnson is sure of it. He’s been sure of it since the middle of last season, actually.

“I made some mistakes in constructing the team,” Johnson told reporters in April. “We’re off, and this will never happen again.”

There are no guarantees in baseball, but Johnson’s track record makes a statement like that feel unfeigned. It’s now even easier to believe after seeing the roster that he and his staff have assembled for the 2027 season.

In short, LSU is pairing a top-two portal class and top-two recruiting class with a returning ensemble that includes multiple key starters and an entire weekend rotation. That, I’m told, is pretty good, especially considering the challenges that come with general roster construction in the new age of college athletics.

You need to know more than that, though. Just Baseball is here to give you a first look at the new LSU roster coming out of the summer:

Notable Returnees

• C Cade Arrambide
• C Omar Serna Jr.
• 1B Mason Braun
• INF Steven Milam
• INF Jack Ruckert
• INF John Pearson
• OF William Patrick
• RHP Casan Evans
• RHP Cooper Moore
• RHP William Schmidt
• RHP Zion Theophilus
• LHP Cooper Williams

The Weekend Rotation

Let’s start with the pitching. The right-handed starting trio of Casan Evans, Cooper Moore, and William Schmidt was expected to be a strength for LSU in 2026. After a hit-or-miss year, all three are running it back.

Evans, a freshman All-American reliever in 2025, made the move to the rotation as a sophomore, and while the preliminary numbers weren’t awful, his FIP rose nearly two points to 4.71 and the ERA soared nearly four points, all the way to 5.93. His control worsened and he was punished for mistakes far more often. He remains a high-end talent, of course, but there will be pressure to not stumble out of the gate as a junior.

Moore transferred in from Kansas and cruised through non-conference play. However, a lingering arm injury eventually ended his season after just six starts. He pitched just 32 innings and was on pace for an impressive year before eventually undergoing surgery in May. Behind a medical redshirt, Moore quickly made the decision to return to school and is expected to ramp back up throughout the winter before getting another go at a junior year.

Evans’ struggles and the loss of Moore added weight to the shoulders of Schmidt, who took the ball 13 times as a sophomore and by all accounts held up his end of the bargain, striking out 85 while holding opponents to a .224 average across a team-high 64 IP. The Baton Rouge native finished with a 4.22 ERA and could easily be the one who takes the ball on Fridays in 2027.

One More Ride for The Monster

After making 186 starts over three seasons, Steven Milam had a decision to make. The slick-fielding shortstop clearly has the glove for professional baseball, but his draft outlook was murky heading into the summer, and the way the 2026 season concluded certainly left a sour taste in his mouth. On June 12, he announced he’ll return for his senior year.

The switch-hitter slashed .296/.417/.520 this year, swatting 15 doubles and 11 homers while driving in 49 runs. It’s the leadership and career .979 fielding percentage that makes ‘Monster’ so valuable, though. As LSU developed a mopey team persona amidst its poor season, he often looked like the lone spark trying to ignite the group.

Milam has experienced the ultimate triumph that is winning the College World Series and he’s now also experienced the failure that is missing the tournament as No. 2 team in the nation. He’d rather re-live the former, and with his captainship at the helm of a loaded roster, that’s a real possibility.

Elsewhere On The Infield

Mason Braun made 37 starts as a freshman, 17 of which came at first base. He started to catch fire in the last month of the season and finished with a .904 OPS, driving in 21 runs while walking more than he struck out. The touted high school recruit is in line to make that classic sophomore leap and he should do so as the full-time first baseman.

Jack Ruckert was another freshman who got his feet wet at the end of the year, starting at second base in 18 of LSU’s last 19 games. Another coveted prospect out of Louisiana, he’ll have to fight for time again next year but will likely be in the picture in some facet.

It’ll be interesting to see where John Pearson fits in 2027, too. He also was not an everyday starter to begin last season, but he emerged as the No. 1 option at third base and made 31 starts at the hot corner. He smashed eight home runs, the fifth-most on the team, but also led the Tigers with eight errors. He’s another junior that could fill a gap at first or in the outfield corners, if needed.

Don’t Forget The Catchers

One could argue that the best catching group in the nation next season will reside in Baton Rouge. Cade Arrambide, Omar Serna Jr. and Eddie Yamin IV are all back.

Arrambide took his game to new heights as a sophomore, slashing .317/.417/.646 with eight doubles and a team-high 18 home runs and 51 RBI. You’ll recall his historic four-homer game at Tennessee back in April. He’ll enter his junior year as one of the top catchers in the SEC and the country.

Not only did Serna log 21 starts behind the dish as a freshman, he also made 19 starts as designated hitter, the most of any Tiger in 2026. It’s an impressive, powerful bat that tallied 10 doubles and nine homers of its own. Serna drove in 37 runs and will be a fixture in the lineup as a sophomore. Yamin, who transferred in from Dayton last season, will once again provide depth as a redshirt senior after appearing in 29 games with eight starts a year ago.

The Portal Haul

Transfer rankings via 64Analytics

• OF Bino Watters (Notre Dame) — No. 6
• OF Angel Laya (Oregon) — No. 9
• OF Jason Wachs (Tulane) — No. 45
• INF Dawson Park (Texas State) — No. 61
• INF Cade Kurland (Florida) — No. 76
• RHP Diego Velazquez (USC) — No. 123
• RHP Landon Hood (Gonzaga) — No. 143
• RHP Kade Smith (USF) — No. 229

The Tigers didn’t have to build a hefty portal class, so that allowed Johnson and his staff to pursue plug-and-play type additions who will be expected to contribute right away. The class finished at No. 2 in the 64A rankings and was one of just three top-10 hauls that brought in fewer than 10 players.

A Whole New Outfield

LSU replaced an experienced and dynamic outfield with…another experienced and dynamic outfield, at least on paper. There’s a variety of factors that make it difficult to confidently stamp a seal of approval on a group of portal acquisitions, but it’s hard to imagine the Watters-Wachs-Laya trio not panning out.

Bino Watters will already be on your radar if you’ve followed college baseball outside of the SEC. He could blossom into national stardom in 2027. It’s an elite left-handed bat that guided Notre Dame last year, slashing .362/.447/.610 with 31 extra-base hits, including 10 big flies. He’s plated 90 runs over two seasons in South Bend. Yes, the transfer ranking suggests this was a massive win for LSU, but it becomes even bigger when seeing that they surged late and beat out Texas and Texas A&M for his pledge.

Angel Laya was one of a few major departures for Oregon and he brings another sweet lefty swing to Alex Box. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder made 59 starts as a freshman and hit .296 with 14 bombs and 47 RBI. He’s a polished, fearless player who won’t be the least bit intimidated by the transition to the SEC. Star potential is through the roof here, too.

Jason Wachs was a two-year starter for Tulane and he made all the improvements you want to see from a sophomore in 2026. The right fielder put the ball in the air far more, racking up 21 doubles and nine homers. His uptick in slug didn’t equal a big dip in average or an increase in strikeouts. He’s a career .328 hitter with a solid glove — that’ll do.

Two Big Infield Additions

Dawson Park was one of the first big dominoes to fall in favor of LSU. At his best, he’s a high-caliber shortstop with above-average pop. In 48 games for Texas State last season, nearly half of his 56 hits went for extra bases and 13 left the yard. He did not finish the year with the Bobcats, however, as an on-field altercation with a teammate led to his removal from the team. He also struck out nearly 25 percent of the time and has made 22 errors over the last two years.

Cade Kurland spent four seasons at Florida and made 185 starts despite missing nearly all of the 2025 season due to injury. He fought injury again early on last season but ended up playing 49 games and hit .279 while looking good as new at second base. A freshman All-American in 2023, Kurland is still trying to recreate that 78-hit, 17-homer season, but he’s as steady as they come when healthy.

After originally saying he planned to pursue pro ball, Kurland entered the portal and then had a change of heart, instead opting to take his name out of the draft. LSU quickly emerged and he committed, giving the Tigers another veteran option up the middle.

Freshmen To Know

Prep prospect rankings via Just Baseball

• LHP Logan Schmidt — No. 11
• 1B/OF Dominic Santarelli — No. 37
• RHP Cooper Sides — No. 47
• OF Malachi Washington — No. 50
• TWP Lucas Nawrocki — No. 63
• RHP Coleton Brady — No. 82
• OF Nathaneal Davis — No. 88
• RHP Kolby Stringer — No. 99

It’s the best high school recruiting haul in the country, but with how deep the LSU roster looks to be, it’s hard to project just how much action a majority of the class will see as freshmen next year. Still, there’s tools galore and a hearty helping of charisma oozing from this ballyhooed group.

Schmidt Picks LSU

When the Cleveland Guardians selected Logan Schmidt in the second round of the MLB Draft, it was expected that he’d be off to pro ball. As the signing period trekked on, however, the stud lefty remained unsigned and rumors began to swirl that he could somehow make his way to college. The two parties could not come to an agreement, leading Schmidt to another choice: LSU or junior college.

The appeal of JUCO was the timeline. If Schmidt went that route, he would be able to try his luck again in the 2027 draft. If he honored his commitment to the Tigers, he wouldn’t be eligible again until 2029. The hard-throwing 17-year-old mulled it over and eventually opted for LSU at the end of July. It’s hard to overstate how big of an addition he is for Jay Johnson and Co.

The fastball has reached 97 MPH and is paired with multiple solid off-speed offerings. Who knows to what capacity, but he’ll make a noticeable impact of some kind in his first year in purple and gold.

Santarelli Goes Viral

Checking in at 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, Dominic Santarelli looks more like a blue-chip linebacker prospect than anything. He’s physically imposing, and as you can imagine, the ball soars off the bat, with exit velocities exceeding 110 MPH. He went viral in June while taking batting practice at the MLB Draft Combine:

The power is what catches the eye, but he profiles as far more than a three-outcome guy. The Wisconsin native was an 18th round pick by the Seattle Mariners, but it didn’t take long for him to announce that he was locking in with LSU. It’s reasonable to expect Santarelli to compete with Mason Braun for his fair share of reps at first base, though he could find some time as a corner outfielder, too.

The likes of Washington, Sides and Nawrocki could easily emerge from the jump, too. Once again, this is a seismic pledge list from top to bottom. Click on the names above for a full scouting report courtesy of the Just Baseball scouting team.

Potential Starting Lineup & Rotation

C — Cade Arrambide
1B — Mason Braun
2B — Cade Kurland
SS — Steven Milam
3B — Dawson Park
LF — Bino Watters
CF — Jason Wachs
RF — Angel Laya
DH — Omar Serna Jr.

FRI: RHP Casan Evans
SAT: RHP William Schmidt
SUN: RHP Cooper Moore