Early impressions of LSU baseball team 2026

This team is going to rely heavily on returning players. There will be new faces that contribute but the backbone of this team was on the roster last year. One reason for that is the lack of star players from the portal. In a typical year under Jay we would land around two impact players. I don't blame Jay for this, I blame revenue sharing distribution. I was told by another poster that Jay made known publicly at his luncheon that we were 13th in the SEC as for what we were given. Top team I believe was given 3 million, we were given 250,000. My understanding is that NIL is separate from revenue sharing, so Jay probably had more to work with then that. I was told Jay was not very happy to say the least. That needs to change.

CATCHING: Arrambide is leading the way. His blocking skills, and framing seem to have improved to me. He also had a really nice weekend hitting the ball and might have the most power on the team. Serna is a really big, strong lookng guy. Defense has been good and hitting has been decent. Keep in mind it is the fall and it takes a minute to adjust to SEC pitching.Yamin is slimmed down and is hitting better this fall, compared to last fall. His defense is steady. We are solid here.

INFIELD: This starts with Milam. I expect more of the same from him on top of being a team leader. Yorke might be next up and I believe he will play a lot at 1B and some DH. His approach is mature and he doesn't chase. He is actually more likely to strikeout looking than swinging. He usually barrels the ball and has power. A lot of hits have found gloves so far making his stats look a little worse than he deserves. Dardar might be next. He seems to be good with his glove, accurate arm and good hitter. Pearson has been decent defensively and has slimmed down for the part. The bat hasn't taken off yet and there has been a little swing and miss. Carraway has had some errors with his glove and arm but bat has been pretty good. Reaves has been slamming the ball this weekend but keeps flying out at the warning track.He's not a big guy and if he just had a little more power, he could be special. Regardless he is a good player with better defense then he is given credit for. Simpson has been steady offensively and defensively but I feel he is still adjusting to the SEC and the best is yet to come from him.Clauss has been running behind Milam at SS and has played well. He could be a year away from really contributing but he will earn some time this year..Ruckert had some nice hits today and is a solid player. I believe he is a year away but he should see some time as well.

OUTFIELD: There is Curiel, Stanford and Brown and that is probably how it will stay. Nothing new here but that Curiel is bigger, more experienced and Brown is learning how to hit lefties. Next up is probably Harden. High character guy, religious family and good athlete. Played WR with LSU player Shelto Sampson at Catholic. Has looked good in batting practice and it started showing on the field this weekend, including a nice HR. William Patrick is probably next up and looks the part. He just needs some seasoning. Braun has been playing RF and has started making some contact with his bat this weekend. He is adjusting to SEC and I think he will make some steps by spring.

PITCHING: Casan Evans, Paz, Noot, Smart, Guidry and Aase have not pitched. Aase is out for the year, I believe. Cooper Williams has picked up where he left off and has looked good. Rizy also looks good and I expect his velocity to pick up in the spring. He is sitting 95-96 right now. William Schmidt had looked good and has a strong arm. Sheerin has a big arm and is hard to hit. There seems to be a little command issue but nothing terrible. Fontenot showed a big arm and perhaps the best pitching performance this fall so far. The last inning he pitched was dominant and the dugout noticed. Cowan and Primeaux seem to be the same as last year. Ricken is a new arm that has caught my attention. His profile impressed me when he committed and he hasn't disappointed. Big arm and has pretty good control. Benge still has the big arm and has been solid so far. Zion has impressed, decent arm and gets results. He isn't as electric as some but he is effective. Plog has the strongest arm for the lefties and will probaby niche out a role. Garcia is also a nice lefty option. I haven't seen anything that stood out but seems very solid. Dathe has impressed me. He has been hit some but I imagine he is leading the team in strikeout to walk ratio. Strike thrower would be a good way to describe him. Cooper Moore and Lachenmayer are low 90's guys that don't stand out in any special way but look like they belong in the SEC.

I believe that covers everyone. Pitching should be very good once everyone is healthy. Hitting might not have as much power but we should hit 1-9 and put a lot of pressure on teams. Defensively we are solid up the middle and have a great outfield. Stanfield coming back, really helps. Infield will probably take a step back defensively but that sort of expected.