
BATON ROUGE – The 2025 NCAA championship trophy has found its place inside the LSU baseball offices at Alex Box Stadium right next to the 2023 national title trophy.
LSU coach Jay Johnson has guided the Tigers to two College World Series championships in three seasons. Johnson is the first college baseball coach to win two titles in the first four seasons with a program.
Will the roll he and LSU have been on carry over into 2026?
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There’s plenty of reason to believe that the Tigers will be one of the odds-on favorites to win the national championship again next season and a path to repeat looks plausible for LSU, considering what it returns off this season’s national championship team and the prospects of what Johnson and coaching staff will bring in.
Let’s take an early look at LSU baseball for the 2026 and breakdown who’s back, who’s leaving and where the program will attack the transfer portal.LSU baseball roster 2026: Who’s back from 2025 national championship teamThe pitching staff will be the focal point for the Tigers’ possible march back to Omaha and the College World Series. Casan Evans is all but locked in to be LSU’s Friday night starter. Lefty Cooper Williams logged plenty of innings and pitched in big moments this season and he should factor into the rotation.If Baton Rouge native William Schmidt can develop the way Kade Anderson did from his freshman to sophomore campaign, he could be a starter next season as well. Johnson has said multiple times he believes Schmidt will be major player for LSU in the near future.Zac Cowan has one more year of eligibility and he started at Wofford before coming on board with the Tigers. Cowan will contend for a starting role, as well. Mavirck Rizy seems destined to fill the role Chase Shores filled late in the season and at the CWS at closer. Let’s not forget about Gavin Guidry, who missed this season due to a back injury. Deven Sheerin missed this season with a leg injury, as well.On offense and in the field, shortstop Steven Milam, leadoff hitter and outfielder Derek Curiel along with fellow outfielder Jake Brown are the biggest names returning for the Tigers. Tanner Reaves logged some time at third base. It remains to be seen if he stays at that position. The biggest question is will Ashton Larson, first return and decide not to enter the transfer portal. Then, after that, can he can reclaim a starting spot in the outfield.LSU also has the No. 1 ranked 2025 recruiting class with 18 total commitments. How many of those players Johnson and staff will actually be able to sign remains to be seen.![]()
Who LSU baseball is losing, who could leave or return in 2026
Here are the players either out of eligibility or are highly likely to be leaving after the 2026 MLB Draft. Aces Anderson and Anthony Eyanson should be gone considering their draft stock, along with second baseman Daniel Dickinson. First baseman Jared Jones should be pro ball bound after coming back after the draft last summer. Shores is all but gone with his MLB Draft prospects and reliever Jacob Mayers seems headed for the draft, as well.
Every day starters Michael Braswell and catcher Luis Hernandez are out of eligibility — along with Josh Pearson, a reliable left-handed bat for LSU.The list of who could be gone is where things get intriguing for the Tigers. Centerfielder Chris Stanfield and junior Ethan Frey are the two big names to watch during the MLB Draft process. Both have a year left in college, but depending on what happens next month for them will determine what they decide. Getting one or both of Stanfield and Frey back would be a big win for Johnson and the LSU staff, much like getting Jones back last season.
LSU baseball transfer portal rundown: Who’s coming in, who’s left and positions of needSince the transfer portal opened a few weeks ago, LSU went out and added High Point junior infielder Brayden Simpson, who played third base last season while batting .389 with 2 home runs and 78 RBIs. LSU has also landed Kansas State transfer and Louisiana native Seth Dardar, who played second base for the Wildcats. Dardar had a .326 average with 13 homers and 45 RBIs.LSU’s transfer portal exits are: Infielder Ryan Costello, pitcher Chandler Dorsey, infielder David Hogg II, pitcher Trenton Lape, outfielder Mic Paul, catcher Blaise Priester, infielder Mikey Ryan, infielder Trevor Schmidt, infielder Dylan Thompson and pitcher Kade Woods.Pitching is going to be an area Johnson and his staff are going to go after in the transfer portal. The Tigers will be in the market for both guys who can start and come out of the bullpen. Rutgers’ Landon Mack is reportedly someone LSU is interested in. Johnson wants to land a couple of pitchers out of the portal.Positions along the infield will be a priority, too. While LSU has already got Simpson and Dardar coming on board, there’s more work to be done in that regard.Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.
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