LSU Baseball: From a Forgettable Year to a Bright Future

A Season Coach Jay Johnson Wants to Forget

Imagine your favorite school sports team was super good, then suddenly had a terrible year. That’s what happened to LSU (Louisiana State University) baseball.

• LSU is a college team coached by Jay Johnson.
• LSU’s baseball team is nicknamed the Tigers.
• In the most recent season, Coach Johnson would rather erase it from his memory.
• For the first time since 2011, LSU missed the NCAA Tournament (the big college baseball playoff, sometimes called “the big dance”).
• They also had their worst win-loss record since 2007.
• Since 1984, when Coach Skip Bertman was hired, the only time the program didn’t win at least 30 games was that 2007 season.

Important: The Tigers were coming off winning the national championship (the biggest prize in college baseball) twice in three years! They started the season ranked No. 2 in the whole country. The goal was to reach Omaha (where the final tournament, the College World Series, is held). But they didn’t even get invited to the NCAA Tournament. That’s why the year was nothing short of a failure.

How LSU Is Bouncing Back

Even though last year was sad, Coach Johnson didn’t sit around feeling sorry for himself. He got to work building a better team for the future.

• LSU added what many think is the best transfer portal class in the nation. (The transfer portal is like a list where college players can switch schools.)
• They also signed a high school recruiting class that a scouting group called Perfect Game ranked as the No. 2 class in the country.
• Star shortstop (a key defensive position) Steven Milam is coming back.
• All these pieces lay the foundation for a roster (the list of players) that’s expected to fight for championships again in 2027.

Waiting for the MLB Draft to Finish

But Coach Johnson can’t fully finish his team puzzle until the 2026 MLB Draft ends. The MLB Draft is when professional baseball teams pick new players from colleges and high schools.

The draft happens in two main steps:

1. Rounds 1–4 start at noon on Saturday on the NBC channel.
2. Rounds 5–20 continue at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday.

This article keeps a running tracker of which LSU players and signed recruits get chosen in the draft.

LSU Players and Signees Drafted So Far

Here is the tracker of who got picked:

LSU Players Drafted

• Derek Curiel
  • Team: Pittsburgh Pirates (a professional baseball team)
  • Round: First round, picked 5th overall
  • Slot value (the suggested amount of money for that pick): $8.34 million

Signees Drafted

• N/A (None yet)

Important: Derek Curiel being picked 5th overall is a huge deal! The “slot value” is like the recommended price tag for signing that player.

Summary

Last year, LSU baseball had a forgettable season, missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011 and posting its worst record since 2007. But Coach Jay Johnson acted fast, bringing in top transfer portal players and a No. 2 high school signing class per Perfect Game, while keeping star Steven Milam, aiming for 2027 glory. The final roster depends on the 2026 MLB Draft, which runs in two parts over Saturday and Sunday. Already, LSU player Derek Curiel was drafted 5th overall by the Pirates with an $8.34 million slot value, and no signees have been picked yet.

FAQ

1. What is the NCAA Tournament in baseball?
It’s a big playoff where college baseball teams compete to reach Omaha and win the national championship. LSU missed it in the recent season for the first time since 2011.

2. What does “Omaha” mean in this article?
Omaha, Nebraska is the city where the College World Series (the final stage of the NCAA Tournament) is held each year. Saying “Omaha was the standard” means LSU expected to be there.

3. What is the transfer portal?
It’s a system that lets college athletes move from one school to another and play right away. LSU used it to get great new players.

4. What is a “slot value” in the MLB Draft?
It’s the amount of money that MLB teams are suggested to pay a drafted player based on where they are picked. Derek Curiel’s pick was worth about $8.34 million.

5. Why is the 2027 season mentioned?
Because with the new players added and returning stars, LSU expects to be good enough to compete for championships by the 2027 season.