LSU Baseball: From a Forgettable Year to a Hopeful Future

The Season Coach Jay Johnson Wants to Erase

Imagine you’re the coach of a school baseball team that everyone thinks is awesome. You were the champion just a couple of years ago, but this year everything went wrong. That’s what happened to Coach Jay Johnson and his LSU Tigers (LSU is a big university in Louisiana).

• This was a year Coach Johnson would like to forget.
• For the first time since 2011, LSU missed the NCAA Tournament (a big contest where the best college teams play to decide a national champ).
• They had their worst win‑loss record since 2007.
• Since Coach Skip Bertman started leading the program in 1984, the only other time they didn’t win at least 30 games was that 2007 season.

Important Callout: The 2007 season was the only year under Bertman’s long era (from 1984 onward) where the team failed to reach 30 wins, until this recent bad year.

Why It Felt Like a Total Flop

The team’s performance was described as “nothing short of a failure” — that means it was really, really disappointing.

• The Tigers were coming off their second national championship in three years (they won the whole thing twice recently).
• They started the season ranked No. 2 in the whole country — like being the second‑best kid on the playground.
• The goal every year is to reach Omaha (a city where the final big tournament called the College World Series is played). Think of Omaha as the “magic land” of baseball greatness.
• Yet, LSU couldn’t even get an invite to the “big dance” (that’s just another fun name for the NCAA Tournament).

A Busy Summer: Fixing the Team

But Coach Johnson didn’t sit around feeling sad. Over the summer, he went to work like a kid rebuilding a LEGO set.

• LSU added what many think is the best transfer portal class in the nation.
  What’s a transfer portal? It’s like a notice board where college players say, “I want to switch schools,” and coaches can invite them to join.
• They also paired that with a high school signing class that a group called Perfect Game (a company that ranks young players) says is the No. 2 class in the nation entering the draft.
• Star shortstop (a player who guards the middle of the field) Steven Milam is coming back.
• All these pieces lay the foundation for a roster (the list of players) expected to compete for championships again in 2027.

Waiting for the MLB Draft to Finish

Coach Johnson can’t put the final stickers on his team puzzle until the 2026 MLB Draft ends.
What’s the MLB Draft? It’s when professional baseball teams pick college and high school players to join their pro teams.

Here’s when that draft happens (like a TV event):

1. Rounds 1–4 start at noon on Saturday and will be on NBC (a TV channel).
2. Rounds 5–20 continue at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday.

After that, the coach will know exactly which of his signed players got taken by pros and can finish his lineup.

Draft Tracker: Who Got Selected?

The original report gave a running list of LSU players and signees (newly signed high school kids) chosen in the draft. Here’s what we know so far:

LSU Players Drafted

• Derek Curiel
  • Team: Pittsburgh Pirates (a professional baseball team)
  • Round: First round
  • Pick: No. 5 overall (the 5th player chosen in the whole country!)
  • Slot value: $8.34 million
    Slot value is like the suggested price money a team is allowed to pay to sign that pick.

Signees Drafted

• N/A (That means “not applicable” — none of the signed high school recruits were drafted yet in this tracker.)

Important Callout: Derek Curiel being picked 5th overall is a huge deal — it means he’s considered one of the very best young players in America!

Summary

Let’s wrap it up like a neat sandwich:

• This past season, LSU baseball had a rough time, missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011 and posting its worst record since 2007.
• They were expected to be great (No. 2 in the nation, fresh off two titles in three years) but stumbled badly.
• Coach Johnson quickly added top new players via the transfer portal and a highly ranked high school signing class, plus kept star shortstop Steven Milam.
• The team aims to be great again by 2027.
• The final roster depends on the 2026 MLB Draft, which happens Saturday (noon, NBC) and Sunday (10:30 a.m.).
• So far, only Derek Curiel (a current LSU player) was drafted by the Pirates at No. 5 overall with an $8.34 million slot value; no signees have been drafted yet.

FAQ (Easy Questions & Answers)

1. What is the “transfer portal” in simple terms?
It’s an online system where college athletes can say they want to leave their school and possibly join another team. Coaches can then recruit them.

2. Why is Omaha such a big deal for baseball?
Omaha, Nebraska is the city that hosts the College World Series, which is the final tournament to decide the best college baseball team. So saying “Omaha was the standard” means the team expected to reach that final stage.

3. Who is Skip Bertman and why is 1984 mentioned?
Skip Bertman was the head coach hired in 1984 who built LSU into a winning baseball program. Since he arrived, the team had always won at least 30 games every year except 2007 and this recent bad season.

4. What does “slot value” mean in the MLB Draft?
It’s the amount of money the league suggests a team can spend to sign a player they drafted. For Derek Curiel, that suggested amount is $8.34 million.

5. What is a “shortstop”?
In baseball, the shortstop is a defensive player who stands between second and third base and helps catch the ball. Steven Milam is LSU’s star player at that spot.