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USA Today
9 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Here's every transfer to commit to LSU baseball after College World Series title
Fresh off winning the eighth national championship in program history, LSU baseball went right back to work. Head coach Jay Johnson worked the transfer portal during the title run and ramped up recruiting efforts in the days following his second championship in Baton Rouge. The Tigers lose major contributors from the 2025 squad, including NCAA strikeouts leader Kade Anderson, as well as everyday infielders Daniel Dickinson and Jared Jones. The trio, along with right-handed pitcher Anthony Eyanson, are off the MLB Draft. Johnson returns key pieces to the team next year, including stalwart bullpen pitchers Casan Evans and Chase Shores. Zac Cowan is also expected to return for a fourth collegiate season, and all three are expected to compete for starting rotation spots. Johnson's staff stuck to its aggressive portal strategy from last season, which yielded Eyanson and Chris Stanfield. He's looking for the same high-level results from this year's haul. Here are the four players who committed to LSU so far in 2025. Danny Lachenmayer A left-handed reliever, Lachenmayer is coming off a standout season at North Dakota State. Through 38 innings, he posted a 2.37 ERA, 56 strikeouts and nine saves. He allowed just 10 earned runs as the Bison made a run to the 2025 NCAA Tournament. LSU's pitching rotation will experience shakeups with the departures of Anderson and Eyanson. Lachenmayer performed well in high-leverage situations and will compete for important innings. Seth Dardar Dardar adds 95 games of collegiate experience to a depleted LSU infield. The Mandeville, LA native spent two seasons at Columbia and one at Kansas State. In an early-season meeting against the Tigers in 2025, Dardar recorded two hits, including a home run. Over his career, Dardar boasts a .309 batting average, .409 on-base percentage and .592 slugging percentage. He finished 2025 with 60 hits, a year removed from a season-long injury. Brayden Simpson Simpson marked the first portal addition to LSU's 2026 roster. A rising senior, the third baseman fills an immediate need for the Tigers as Michael Braswell is out of eligibility, while also bringing a big bat at the plate. In 2025 at High Point, Simpson batted .389 with a .477 on-base percentage, 91 hits, 77 RBI and 22 home runs. He was named to the All-Big South first-team honors and finished No. 10 on D1 Baseball's Top 50 third basemen rankings. Ryler Smart Smart stayed in the SEC, coming over from Tennessee. As a true freshman in 2025, he didn't see any action, but he came in as a top-200 prospect, according to Perfect Game. The 2024 cycle's No. 183 overall player and No. 25 left-handed pitcher, Smart hails from Pearland, TX. The six-foot-four, 236-pounder provides a solid frame and a year of observing the country's best players to LSU pitching coach Nate Yeskie.
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Clemson pitcher Chayce Kieck announces transfer to a Big Ten school
Former Clemson pitcher Chayce Kieck is heading north for the next step in his college baseball career. The right-hander announced Friday that he'll continue his playing days at Northwestern after entering the NCAA transfer portal earlier this month. Kieck spent just one season with the Tigers, where he saw limited action out of the bullpen. As a freshman in 2025, Kieck appeared in nine games and recorded a 2-0 mark but struggled with command and consistency, finishing with a 9.75 ERA over 12 innings. He allowed 19 hits, 13 runs, and five home runs, while striking out 11 and issuing five walks. Coming out of The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida, Kieck was highly regarded as a prep standout. Perfect Game ranked him among the top 500 players nationally and the No. 14 right-handed pitcher in Florida for his class. He was a four-time letterman, earned first-team all-state honors, and was named Northeast Florida Player of the Year as a junior. Baseball runs in his family, too — his father, Greg, played at Johns Hopkins from 1996 to 2000. Now at Northwestern, Kieck will look to tap into his potential and build on his freshman experience as he joins the Wildcats in the Big Ten. Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Talented LSU baseball transfer portal infielder reveals new home in the Big 12
God makes no mistakes @KUBaseball #rockchalk A former LSU baseball infielder announced his next school via a post on his social media account Thursday. David Hogg will play his sophomore season at Kansas. The former top-100 prospect spent one season in Baton Rouge. He played in 12 games and recorded a walk, run, and RBI in his two at-bats. Hogg's last appearance came on April 22 against Northwestern State. Hogg ranked No. 79 overall and No. 21 at shortstop in the 2024 class according to Perfect Game. The Mansfield, TX native came to LSU off a senior year where he batted .411 with a .534 on-base percentage. Hogg couldn't establish any sort of role on the 2025 team and likely would've had a tough time doing so next season. Head coach Jay Johnson brought in two experienced infielders from the transfer portal who also hit well at the collegiate level. The Jayhawks went 43-17 overall with an NCAA Tournament berth. Infielder Brady Ballinger earned All-Big 12 first-team honors and may be off to the MLB Draft depending on his final prospect ranking.
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Longhorns land commitment from LHP Haiden Leffew through transfer portal
The Longhorns stay busy in the transfer portal, adding LHP Haiden Leffew BREAKING: LHP Haiden Leffew (@HaidenLeffew) has committed to # past season at Wake Forest, he struck out 59 over 34.1 innings & posted a 4.46 ERA. FB peaked at 97 mph and has an elite is the No. 14 player overall in the portal per @64Analytics. A busy month continued for Texas Longhorns baseball on Thursday. The Longhorns bolstered their bullpen with the addition of LHP Haiden Leffew. After a solid 2025 campaign for Wake Forest, Leffew will look to carve out a role with the Longhorns, who are fresh off an SEC championship. In 27 appearances this past season, Leffew posted a 4.46 ERA and struck out a career-high 59 batters. He also held opponents to a 2.63 batting average and only walked 18 batters, nine less than the year before. While those numbers may not jump off the page, Leffew's improved in almost every category. Coming out of high school, Leffew was a highly regarded prospect. The North Carolina native posted an 0.82 ERA as a junior and set a county record in strikeouts with 128 in 70 innings. Due to his play, Leffew was a participant in the 2023 MLB Draft Combine before deciding to go the college route. Lefffew did not only impressed with his arm, but he also filled up his trophy case in high school. He finished his career at South Rowan with numerous All-State, All-County, and All-Conference awards. That is partly why he was ranked as the No. 2 LHP out of North Carolina in his class, according to Perfect Game. With the transfer portal set to close on Tuesday, the Longhorns roster is almost set. Their additions include Kaleb Freeman, Jack Moroknek, Luke Dotson, Josh Livingston, Aiden Robbins, and Cal Higgins. They will be joining a program with high expectations that should bring out the best in their games. Although the regular season is still months away, the Longhorns are primed to do special things due to their work in the portal.
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
LSU baseball adds talented transfer portal pitcher from heated SEC rival
LSU baseball continued to build its transfer portal class on Thursday. Hours after the Tigers picked up North Dakota State's Danny Lachenmayer, former Tennessee pitcher Ryler Smart joined the group. Smart, a 6-foot-4 lefty from Texas, redshirted with the Vols in 2025, meaning he comes to LSU with four years of eligibility remaining. Smart was ranked as the No. 25 left-handed pitcher in the class of 2024, according to Perfect Game. While Smart is talented enough to have a future in the starting rotation, expect Smart to be a part of LSU's bullpen in 2026. The Tigers' pen will get an overhaul next season with Casan Evans moving to the starting rotation and Chase Shores going to the next level. If Zac Cowan returns, LSU's top reliever in 2025, he's a strong candidate to join the rotation alongside Evans. Cowan was a starter at Wofford in 2024 before his transfer to LSU. That leaves head coach Jay Johnson in need of high-leverage bullpen arms. Smart has a chance to fill that role. Smart is LSU's fourth transfer of the cycle, joining Lachenmayer along with third basemen Brayden Simpson and Seth Darder.
