Freshman Starting Pitchers Having a Successful Season

My response is based around more general college baseball trends, not just with LSU.

Since 2021 every team has been loaded with 22 and 23 year olds. It’s made it difficult for freshmen to break into starting roles but also to excel if they do because they were facing guys with 5, 6, or even 7 years of post high school playing experience.

Also, everyone you named but Poche made it to the majors. So the bar to being a rotation regular as a freshman was already high, and it only got higher post COVID

I appreciate the response. I was thinking the portal and Covid leading to more older players on rosters was an impact. But landing a guy like Schmidt last year seemed like maybe some of these high school kids that we normally lost to the draft would make it to campus. I guess everyone being older has made it harder for a freshman even a highly rated one to make as big of an impact as they used to.

The conference has never been more competitive than it is now because of the portal and NiL. Georgia’s roster is full of experienced transfers on the mound and in the lineup just as one example. I would say a freshman weekend starter will be even more rare than it was, but maybe possible. We do have a freshman batting 2 and hitting like 330 in conference play.

I would add Eric Walker and Cole Henry to your list. Schmidt was talked about having the more talent than all of those pitchers listed, yet the results aren’t there.

All I keep hearing is how Schmidt has the best overall stuff on this staff and it isn’t close, yet all I see is HRs being belted off of him. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like Schmidt will reach his full potential until he gets to the pros.