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College  | Story | 1/9/2026

LSU Reloads & Returns; Opens No. 1

Photo: Jay Johnson (Perfect Game)
“How do you get to success? You have to honor the process that you built to get to that success…The standard is how we operate, train, and get better each day.””

Process-oriented leadership is a popular coaching strategy here in the mid-2020s but no one exemplifies that more than LSU head coach Jay Johnson. He’s won the Tigers two national titles during his time in Baton Rouge and expectations won’t be any lower in 2026 as LSU is the No. 1 team in the country in Perfect Game’s Preseason Top 25. 



Johnson is heading into his fifth season at the helm in Baton Rouge and it’s fair to say that he has already experienced enormous success. There have been two national titles in four years (2023, 2025), a Golden Spikes winner (Dylan Crews, 2023), a first overall MLB Draft pick (Paul Skenes, 2023), and five first-round MLB Draft picks during his time leading the Tigers. Defending a national title and starting the season with No. 1 expectations but Johnson is confident in his team’s ability to turn the page and focus on the mission for 2026. 

“We’ve done a good job of moving past the 2025 championship,” comments Johnson. “I credit a lot of returning players having the maturity to do that. They’ve set a good example for the new players in the program of what it takes. It takes a lot in our league with the schedule.”

Johnson made sure to stress that while having the veteran leadership and experience from returning players who were able to win-it-all in 2025 is invaluable, that the 2026 LSU Tigers have to find an identity themselves.

“How do you get to success? You have to honor the process that you built to get to that success. That has to be recreated every year,” said Johnson. “There’s no win over the last 4 years that means anything for this team. This team has to reinvest and that’s challenging with the schedule they have to play. It’s a very high standard. The immediate thought goes to Omaha or National Championships, but we don’t look at it that way. The standard is how we operate, train and get better each day.”

LSU is tied for second nationally in terms of Perfect Game Preseason All-Americans, highlighted by First Team All-American and potential first-round pick Derek Curiel. Casan Evans and Zac Cowan join Curiel on the prestigious list but fellow returnees Jake Brown and Steven Milam are also key cogs to this team. 

“Lots of strong feelings toward all returners, they’re very good players across the board,” Johnson said. “The big separator for last year’s team was character. Derek (Curiel), Casan (Evans), and Zac (Cowan) exhibit that. When you dive into recruiting, all three of those guys are winners. As are Jake Brown, Steven Milam, William Schmidt, Cooper Williams. We have a big challenge in front of us but I have good peace of mind in the character and the leadership as far as those people.”

Having the winning character and leadership is one component of any championship contender but LSU has the benefit of being able to rely on past experiences as well. Who would know better how to take home a national title than those who were able to achieve that goal just 6 months ago?

“There’s guys who have overcome challenges and come out the other side of it,” Johnson tells me. “They’ve been in Game 7 of a Regional and come through. There are enough guys a part of those games that can draw from it. We have infused ourselves with some really good new talent. It’s about putting the hay in the barn and taking that talent and really becoming a team. Setting our own course. Everyone needs to be all in on now. I think they’re excited to do that. I get a sense that the players are ready to go for it.”

LSU earned this No. 1 preseason ranking based on the merits of their roster and coaching staff, not only because they were the last team standing in 2025. They feature a very strong core of veteran, battle-tested players while also hitting the high school and transfer portal recruiting very hard. There will undoubtedly be a target on their back, but at this point it’s fair to assume that Johnson and company operate best under fire. 

“(It’s about) having it all in perspective,” declares Johnson. “Those rankings are validation of something another team did (last year’s team), the projections of what some guys on this year’s team can do. We’re never going to validate ourselves based on what others say about us. We’ll validate ourselves by how we train, prepare, and execute baseball.”

The focus for Johnson heading into Year 5 in Baton Rouge? Stay committed to the process, control the controllables, and position yourself for success. 

“Attack what’s relevant. We put a lot of work into that and we have a group that went through a lot of positive things. If we can emulate some of the qualities of the 2025 team we’ll be in a good position for success.”

LSU opens the season at home on Skip Bertman Field at Alex Box Stadium on Friday, February 13th. The Tigers will host the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for a three game set that weekend. For more 2026 college baseball content, stay plugged in at perfectgame.org where we will be unveiling our full preseason content schedule starting next week.

College | Recruiting | 11/16/2026

Head of the Class: No. 10 Mississippi State

Anthony Gambardella
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Complete 2027 Mississippi State Recruiting Class  10. Mississippi State Head Coach: Brian O’Connor | Recruiting Coordinator: Kevin McMullan Total Signees: 10 | Top 100 Signees: 6 Top 5 Recruits RK Name Pos. HT WT B-T High School Hometown ST 4 Connor Salerno LHP 6-4 225 R-L Sun Valley Indian Trail NC 26 Deuce Jenkins OF 6-1 210 L-L Jackson Academy Brandon MS 34 Sullivan Reed 3B 6-2 220 R-R Lamar Meridian MS 50 Kyler Meccage OF 6-2 192 L-L IMG Academy Bradenton FL 54 Devlan Daniel OF 6-0 215 S-R Indian Hill Cincinnati OH Head Coach Brian O’Connor and his staff are currently slotted at no. 10 in the Class of 2027 Recruiting Rankings, with six recruits that land inside the Top 60 according to the PG Player Rankings. The Bulldogs finished the 2026 season with an overall record of 43–19 and a 16–14 record in SEC play. Looking to add more firepower to the...
Tournaments | Story | 11/10/2026

14u National All State Scout Notes: Day 3

Donovan May
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14u National All State Scout Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 Cody Bloomfield ('31, FL) tallied three hits on Championship Monday and capped off an impressive weekend at the plate, finishing with a .455/.538/.636 slash line. Repeats a compact stroke and consistently gets the barrel to the baseball. Shows present strength in the hands and lower half with the ability to drive the ball from gap to gap. Mature all-fields approach continued to produce quality at-bats throughout the event.  Levi Munoz ('31, CA) worked 6.0 innings and struck out five in a strong start on the mound. Attacked hitters with a 77-80 mph fastball that showed life through the top of the strike zone and paired it with a mid-60s curveball featuring 12-to-6 shape. Worked ahead in counts throughout the outing and consistently controlled the tempo. Flashed present swing-and-miss stuff while maintaining command of the...
College | Recruiting | 11/10/2026

Head of the Class: No. 7 TCU

Quinton Hall
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Complete 2027 TCU Recruiting Class No. 7 TCU Head Coach: Kirk Saarloos | Recruiting Coordinator: John DiLaura Total Signees: 16 | Top 100 Signees: 5 Top 5 Recruits RK Name Pos. HT WT B-T High School Hometown ST 19 Cooper Goff OF 6-0 185 L-R Mountain Ridge Herriman UT 41 Andrew Carlson RHP 6-3 230 R-R Trinity Classical Academy Valencia CA 79 Joe Mendazona Jr C 6-3 200 L-R Central Monmouth OR 94 Cooper George LHP 6-3 175 L-L Long Beach Wilson Long Beach CA 98 Blake Ragsdale SS 6-0 175 R-R Lyons Twp Burr Ridge IL Head Coach Kirk Saarloos and his staff have put together another impressive recruiting class, landing at No. 7 in the Class of 2027 Recruiting Rankings. With 16 commitments spanning 11 different states, including five prospects ranked inside the Top 100 nationally, the Horned Frogs have made their presence felt across the country. Leading the offensive talent is PG All-American...
Draft | Prospect Scouting Reports | 11/10/2026

2027 MLB Draft Reports: 101-200

Tyler Henninger
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2027 MLB Draft Board: Top 200 2027 MLB Draft Reports: 1-100   101. Cooper Williams | LHP | LSU | L-L | Alvin, TX Williams is a lanky, projectable left-hander, standing at 6-foot-4, 200-pounds. A loose, whip arm hides the ball well into a tough low 3/4 slot. The fastball sits in the low-90’s. Both a sweeping slider and curveball are spun well. Williams shows strong pitchability with the ability to add and subtract. Strikes will need to improve if he is to stick as a starter long term. 102. Christopher Ramirez | SS | Tennessee | R-R | Corona, CA Ramirez was the WAC freshman of the year and followed it up with an even better sophomore campaign. The 5-foot-9, 170-pound shortstop has now transferred to Tennessee for the ‘27 season. The right-handed hitter Ramirez showcases premium contact skills, especially in-zone. The approach will get overly aggressive at times, resulting...
Tournaments | Story | 11/9/2026

14u National All State Scout Notes: Day 2

AJ Denny
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14u National All State Scout Notes: Day 1 Nicholas Gollatz (2031, Avondale, Pa.) of Team Northeast continued to put together quality at-bats on Day 2, going 3-for-4 with two RBI, a walk, and two stolen bases across two games. The right-handed hitter has been an on-base machine throughout the tournament, showing a mature approach with solid bat-to-ball skills and the ability to use the entire field. Gollatz rarely chases outside the zone and has been a consistent presence in the Northeast lineup as the team advances to bracket play. Here’s another look at ’31 OF Julian Diaz (OH), barreling this pitch for a double. Displays good balance in the box with a quick bat. #NatAllState @PG_OhioValley https://t.co/Bal1YW2aB7 — Perfect Game Youth (@PGYouthBB) November 8, 2026 Like his teammate, Julian Diaz (2031, Toronto, Ohio) of Team Northeast, also had a productive Day 2. The...
College | Recruiting | 11/10/2026

Head of the Class: No. 8 Tennessee

Geoff Billock
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Complete 2027 Tennessee Recruiting Class Head Coach: Josh Elander | Recruiting Coordinator: Ricky Martinez Total Signees: 11 | Top 100 Signees: 7 Top 5 Recruits RK Name Pos. HT WT B-T High School Hometown ST 1 Dylan Seward SS 6-0 177 S-R Norco Corona CA 9 Sebastian Wilson OF 6-0 200 L-R IMG Academy Chicago  IL 23 Max Hemenway SS 6-1 185 L-R IMG Academy Puyallup WA 27 Leo Nockley SS 5-8 165 L-R Wyoming Seminary Upper Plains PA 48 Caden Dawson OF 6-2 205 L-R Blessed Trinity Marietta  GA Coach Josh Elander and his staff add 11 signees with 9 out of the 11 cracking the top 200 in recently updated class rankings. This year’s recruiting class for the Vols is led by a serious crop of athletic short stops and the list does not end after the top five recruits. Headlining the group of recruits we have the number one overall player in the country named Dylan Seward. Sebastian...
College | Recruiting | 11/9/2026

Head of the Class: No. 9 Florida

Marcus Thomas
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Complete 2027 Florida Recruiting Class No. 9 Florida Head Coach: Kevin O’Sullivan | Recruiting Coordinator: Tom Slater Total Signees: 14 | Top 100 Signees: 4 RK Name Pos. HT WT B-T High School Hometown ST 8 Kinon Bastian OF 6-0 190 R-R The First Academy Winter Garden FL 24 Juan Diaz SS 6-0 180 S-R IMG Academy Hialeah FL 68 Rylan McMahan LHP 6-2 180 L-L Clay Green Cove Springs FL 75 Liam Dougherty RHP 6-2 200 R-R IMG Academy Hendersonville FL 112 Landon Green RHP 6-1 185 R-R TNXL Academy Clearwater FL The Gators once again find their way inside the top 10 with another strong 2027 recruiting class, led by Kinon Bastian. The outfielder has a 6-foot, 190-pound frame and plus athleticism with speed and strength. The PG All-American also shows some juice in the bat for the right-handed hitter. Bastian is joined by fellow All-American Juan Diaz, the 6-foot, 180-pound shortstop has an...
Draft | Prospect Scouting Reports | 11/9/2026

2027 MLB Draft Reports: 1-100

Tyler Henninger
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2027 MLB Draft Board: Top 200 1. Dylan Seward | SS | Norco | S-R | Eastvale, CA | Commitment: Tennessee Seward is a lean, athletic infielder with loud tools throughout the profile. The California prep is a switch-hitter with lightning quick hands. He has shown quality in-game power from both sides of the ball, despite a smaller build. There have been swing and miss issues with fastballs at times. Seward is a top of the class, 80-grade runner with the ability to steal bags often. He is a plus defender at shortstop with twitchy and fluidity. 2. Brendan Lawson | SS | Florida | L-R | Toronto, ON Lawson is a strong 6-foot-3, 215-pound infielder with massive offensive upside with a consistent track record. The left-handed hitting shortstop possesses easy raw power that translates well in-game. There is a strong feel to hit to go with the impact. The approach can become overly patient at times,...
Tournaments | Story | 11/8/2026

14u National All State Scout Notes: Day 1

Tyler Russo
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2031 C/OF Jace Winston (Fuquay-Varina, N.C.) had a really nice day at the dish as he picked up a couple hits in his first game, both well-struck, and then launched a bomb in game 2. He’s one of the more physical players here who can really impact the baseball already, and the consistency in which he’s hitting this fall is a great sign going into 2027. 2031 SS/RHP Weston Stalls (Blackstock, S.C.) came in for a couple innings of relief on the day and showed off the arm talent running the fastball up to 87. It’s a fast arm and he generates real life to the fastball, while the breaking ball is a good pitch as well.   ‘31 SS Parker Smith (NC) went 3-for-3 to open the weekend, this a line drive single the other way. 6’2/140 & can accelerate the barrel already, intriguing projection. #NatAllState @PG_Coastal https://t.co/Z7C5kDGdIM — Perfect Game...
General | General | 11/6/2026

Class of 2028 Rankings Update

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