LSU Baseball Coach Jay Johnson Releases Fall 2022 Roster

LSU Baseball Report
For Immediate Release – August 22, 2022

LSU BASEBALL COACH JAY JOHNSON RELEASES FALL 2022 ROSTER

BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson on Monday released the Tigers’ fall semester roster that includes the 21 members of the 2022 recruiting class that have joined the program.

The class has been ranked No. 1 in the nation by Perfect Game, and the players in the class are eligible for the 2023 season.

"Our entire staff worked tirelessly to put this class together,” Johnson said. “It features some of the top players in the country, and it will help accelerate our pursuit of getting the Tigers back to Omaha. There is high-end talent at every position all over this class, and it is a group that will complement the great group of returning players we will have in 2023.

“This class reflects that there is no place better in America for the elite player to play college baseball. I know our fans will love seeing this group at ‘The Box’ in 2023 and beyond.”

LSU Baseball Roster – Fall 2022

No. Name Pos. B-T Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown (High School/Previous School)
0 Jason Bollman RHP R-R 6-2 185 Sr. Peoria, Ill. (Dunlap HS/Wabash Valley College)
1 Gavin Guidry INF R-R 6-2 182 Fr. Lake Charles, La. (Barbe HS)
3 Dylan Crews OF R-R 6-0 203 Jr. Longwood, Fla. (Lake Mary HS)
4 Jordan Thompson INF R-R 6-1 176 Jr. Chula Vista, Calif. (Helix HS)
5 Ben Nippolt INF L-R 5-10 165 Jr. St. Paul, Minn. (Mounds Park HS/Des Moines Area CC/VCU)
6 Brayden Jobert OF L-R 6-1 215 Jr. Slidell, La. (Northshore HS/Nicholls/Delgado CC)
7 Alex Milazzo C R-R 5-10 190 Jr. Zachary, La. (Zachary HS)
8 Gavin Dugas OF/INF R-R 5-10 204 Sr. Houma, La. (Houma Christian HS)
9 Ty Floyd RHP R-R 6-2 194 Jr. Rockmart, Ga. (Rockmart HS)
10 Cale Lansville RHP R-R 6-1 205 So. Centennial, Colo. (Thunder Ridge HS)
11 Josh Pearson OF L-R 5-10 195 So. West Monroe, La. (West Monroe HS)
13 Mic Paul OF L-L 5-10 175 Fr. Salt Lake City, Utah (Olympus HS)
14 Nic Bronzini LHP L-L 6-3 238 Fr. San Ramon, Calif. (California HS)
16 Brady Neal C L-R 5-10 180 Fr. Tallahassee, Fla. (IMG Academy)
17 Sam Dutton RHP R-R 5-11 185 So. Southside, Ala. (Westbrook Christian HS)
18 Tre’ Morgan 1B L-L 6-1 191 Jr. New Orleans, La. (Brother Martin HS)
20 Paul Skenes RHP/UTL R-R 6-6 235 Jr. Lake Forest, Calif. (El Toro HS/Air Force)
21 Bryce Collins RHP R-R 6-0 180 Jr. Valencia, Calif. (Hart HS/Arizona)
22 Jared Jones C/1B R-R 6-4 230 Fr. Marietta, Ga. (Walton HS)
23 Josh Stevenson OF L-L 6-1 195 So. Youngsville, La. (St. Thomas More HS)
24 Cade Beloso 1B L-L 6-0 216 Sr. New Orleans, La. (John Curtis HS)
25 Hayden Travinski C R-R 6-3 218 Jr. Shreveport, La. (Airline HS)
26 Thatcher Hurd RHP R-R 6-4 200 So. Manhattan Beach, Calif. (Mira Costa HS/UCLA)
27 Jaden Noot RHP R-R 6-4 235 Fr. Oak Park, Calif. (Sierra Canyon HS)
28 Paxton Kling OF R-R 6-2 210 Fr. Roaring Springs, Pa. (Central HS)
29 Micah Bucknam RHP R-R 6-2 190 Fr. Abbotsford, British Columbia (Mennonite Educational Institute)
30 Nate Ackenhausen LHP L-L 6-2 240 So. Owasso, Okla. (Owasso HS/Eastern Oklahoma State)
32 Aiden Moffett RHP R-R 6-3 240 Fr. Mount Olive, Miss. (Taylorsville HS)
33 Ethan Frey C/1B R-R 6-5 215 Fr. Leesville, La. (Rosepine HS)
34 Chase Shores RHP R-R 6-8 250 Fr. Midland, Texas (Lee HS)
35 Griffin Herring LHP R-L 6-2 197 Fr. Southlake, Texas (Southlake Carroll HS)
38 Riley Cooper LHP L-L 6-2 264 Jr. Fresno, Calif. (Clovis North HS/Arizona)
39 Zeb Ruddell OF L-L 6-1 195 Fr. Monroe, La. (Neville HS)
40 Grant Fontenot RHP R-R 6-2 205 Fr. Lafayette, La. (Lafayette HS)
41 DJ Primeaux LHP L-L 5-10 184 Fr. Baton Rouge, La. (Central HS)
43 Garrett Edwards RHP R-R 6-5 195 Jr. Pitkin, La. (Pitkin HS)
44 Blake Money RHP R-R 6-7 240 Jr. Spring Hill, Tenn. (Summit HS)
45 Kaleb Applebey RHP R-R 6-7 220 So. Mount Carmel, Ill. (Mount Carmel HS/Wabash Valley College)
47 Tommy White 3B R-R 6-0 242 So. St. Pete Beach, Fla. (IMG Academy/North Carolina State)
48 Will Hellmers RHP R-R 6-4 203 Jr. Metairie, La. (Jesuit HS)
49 Javen Coleman LHP L-L 6-2 173 So. Richmond, Texas (Home Schooled)
50 Grant Taylor RHP R-R 6-3 220 So. Florence, Ala. (Florence HS)
53 Jack Merrifield INF R-R 6-2 189 Sr. Prairieville, La. (Dutchtown HS/LSU-Eunice)
99 Christian Little RHP R-R 6-4 210 Jr. St. Louis, Mo. (Christian Brothers College/Vanderbilt)

Baseball Staff
2 Jay Johnson, Head Coach
46 Wes Johnson, Pitching Coach
37 Josh Jordan, Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
58 Marc Wanaka, Assistant Coach
Jamie Tutko, Director of Player Development/Video & Scouting
Travis Roy, Strength & Conditioning Coach
Matthew Montgomery, Equipment Manager/Stadium Manager
Drew Finley, Undergraduate Manager


Listed below are the members of LSU’s 2022 signing class:

Nate Ackenhausen, LHP
Owasso, Okla. (Owasso HS/Eastern Oklahoma State)
·Posted an 8-1 record at Eastern Oklahoma State in 2022 with a 1.84 ERA, 14 walks and 89 strikeouts in 58.2 innings
·Recorded 56 strikeouts and a 1.61 ERA in 28 innings at Eastern Oklahoma State in 2021

Kaleb Applebey, RHP
Mount Carmel, Ill. (Mount Carmel HS/Wabash Valley CC)
·#2 Ranked Player in Illinois for Class of 2021 by Prep Baseball Report
·Ranked as the No. 112 right-handed pitcher in the nation as a 2021 senior at Mt. Carmel (Ill.) High School

Nic Bronzini, LHP
San Ramon, Calif. (California HS)
·#2 ranked left-handed pitcher in California by Perfect Game
·Ranked nationally as No. 19 overall left-handed pitcher by Perfect Game

Micah Bucknam, RHP
Abbotsford, British Columbia (Mennonite Educational Institute)
·Drafted in 16th Round of 2021 MLB Draft by Toronto Blue Jays
·Ranked nationally as the No. 72 right-handed pitcher by Perfect Game

Ethan Frey, C/1B
Leesville, La. (Rosepine HS)
·Ranked as the No. 1 catcher and the No. 2 overall player in the state of Louisiana by Perfect Game
·No. 12 ranked catcher in the nation by Perfect Game

Gavin Guidry, SS
Lake Charles, La. (Barbe HS)
·#1 Ranked Player in Louisiana by Perfect Game for Class of 2022; played in Perfect Game All-American Classic
·Ranked nationally as the No. 13 shortstop and No. 65 overall prospect by Perfect Game
·Member of the 2021 18U Team USA National Team

Griffin Herring, LHP
Southlake, Texas (Southlake HS)
·No. 3 ranked left-handed pitcher in Texas by Perfect Game
·Ranked nationally as No. 28 left-handed pitcher by Perfect Game

Thatcher Hurd, RHP
Manhattan Beach, Calif. (Mira Costa HS/UCLA)
·Made nine appearances - including six starts – in 2022 as a true freshman at UCLA, posting a 2-0 record with a 1.06 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 34 innings while limiting opponents to a .138 batting average.
·The nation’s ninth-ranked pitcher and the No. 1 pitcher in the state of California as a senior at Mira Costa High School

Jared Jones, C
Marietta, Ga. (Walton HS)
·No. 4 ranked catcher nationally and No. 1 ranked catcher in Georgia by Perfect Game; played in Perfect Game All-American Classic
·Ranked nationally as the No. 47 overall prospect by Perfect Game

Paxton Kling, OF
Roaring Springs, Pa. (Central HS)
·Ranked as the No. 6 overall prospect in the nation by Perfect Game
·No. 2 ranked player in Pennsylvania by Perfect Game for Class of 2022; played in Perfect Game All-American Classic
·Member of 2021 18U USA National Team

Christian Little, RHP
St. Louis, Mo. (Christian Brother College/Vanderbilt)
·Pitched the past two seasons at Vanderbilt, where he made 32 appearances (14 starts) and posted a 4.65 ERA with 95 strikeouts in 81.1 innings.
·Rated in high school as the nation’s No. 5 right-handed pitcher by Perfect Game.

Aiden Moffett, RHP
Mount Olive, Miss. (Taylorsville HS)
·No. 1 ranked right-handed pitcher in Mississippi for Class of 2022
·Ranked nationally as the No. 56 right-handed pitcher by Perfect Game

Brady Neal, C
Tallahassee, Fla. (IMG Academy)
·Selected in the 17th round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers
·No. 1 ranked catcher in Florida for Class of 2022; played in Perfect Game All-American Classic
·Ranked nationally as the No. 2 catcher and the No. 29 overall prospect by Perfect Game

Ben Nippolt, INF
St. Paul, Minn. (Mounds Park Academy/Des Moines Area CC/Virginia Commonwealth)
·2022 First Team All-Atlantic 10 at VCU, which claimed the A-10 title
·Appeared in 51 games, including 45 starts, batting .308 with a .430 on-base percentage and a .407 slugging percentage; collected 53 hits, including nine doubles, a triple, two home runs, 48 runs and 31 RBI

Jaden Noot, RHP
Oak Park, Calif. (Sierra Canyon HS)
·Selected in the 19th round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers
·No. 1 ranked right-handed pitcher in California for Class of 2022; played in Perfect Game All-American Classic
·Ranked nationally as the No. 8 right-handed pitcher and the No. 33 overall prospect by Perfect Game

Mic Paul, OF
Salt Lake City, Utah (Olympus HS)
·#1 Ranked OF in Utah for Class of 2022
·Ranked as the No. 69 outfielder in the nation by Perfect Game

DJ Primeaux, LHP
Baton Rouge, La. (Central HS)
·Ranked as the No. 1 left-handed pitcher and the No. 7 overall player in the state of Louisiana by Perfect Game
·No. 90 ranked left-handed pitcher in the nation by Perfect Game

Zeb Ruddell, OF
Monroe, La. (Neville HS)
·No. 3 ranked player and No. 1 outfielder in Louisiana for Class of 2022
·Ranked nationally as No. 54 outfielder by Perfect Game

Chase Shores, RHP
Midland, Texas (Midland Lee HS)
·No. 1 ranked right-handed pitcher in Texas for Class of 2022 by Perfect Game; played in Perfect Game All-American Classic
·Ranked nationally as No. 23 overall prospect and No. 5 right-handed pitcher by Perfect Game

Paul Skenes, RHP/UTL
(Lake Forest, Calif./El Toro HS/Air Force)
·Ranked No. 25 in the D1Baseball.com listing of the top college prospects for the 2023 MLB Draft; earned first-team 2022 All-America recognition at Air Force.
·Recorded a 2.96 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 85.2 innings (15 starts) in 2022, limiting opponents to a .224 batting average; also batted .314 with 10 doubles, 13 homers and 38 RBI.

Tommy White, 3B
(St. Pete Beach, Fla./IMG Academy/North Carolina State)
·2022 Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Year at North Carolina State
·White hit .362 in 2022 with 85 hits, 12 doubles, 27 home runs, 74 RBIs and a .757 slugging percentage, setting the NCAA freshman record for homers in a season