Kristen Young
By Hunt Palmer
Wednesday night LSU celebrated its 2025 national champions one final time.
Summer is here.
For some Tigers like Kade Anderson, that means the MLB Draft, signing bonuses and a professional start. For some, it means a trip to the Midwest or northeast for two months of summer ball.
LSU will invade Cape Cod and the Northwoods League a little bit late. That’s a sign of a successful season. But the innings and at bats accumulated over the summer can be a vital step in the careers of young players, especially those who saw limited action during the spring.
Here’s a list of three Tigers who need to maximize summer experience before school cranks back up in August.
WILLIAM SCHMIDT, RHP
The Catholic High product never emerged as a reliable piece of the 2025 team, but his freshman season showed immense promise. He struck out 41 hitters in 32 innings and worked a perfect regional inning against Dallas Baptist with three strikeouts.
Schmidt’s best effort was a four-inning appearance at Nicholls where he didn’t allow a run or hit and struck out eight.
The fastball hovered at 92-94 most of the year, and his breaking ball is as good as any on the roster. The spin rate and shape are both exceptional.
This summer Schmidt likely has one goal in mind–throw the fastball for quality strikes. Only four of Schmidt’s 17 appearances came without a walk. By comparison, Casan Evans did that nine times, and he was working longer outings.
Schmidt’s mechanics are more involved than Evans’s, so it makes sense that his delivery is not as repeatable, and his release point can wander. That’s got to be the focus. More strikes mean better counts and more chase on the nasty breaking ball.
Kade Anderson struggled a little bit with walks as a freshman, too. He walked 20 in 38 innings as a freshman and dialed that back to 35 in 119 innings as a sophomore.
Schmidt’s total was 22 in 32.1 innings.
If the Cape Code hitters hit a ball 400 feet, it doesn’t matter. Keep throwing it over the plate. Schmidt will have to work on his changeup a little bit, but job one is going to be throwing strikes.
I think it’s reasonable to suggest Schmidt joins the weekend rotation next season, but some strides have to come this summer.
JOHN PEARSON, IF
The youngest Pearson didn’t play as much as you might think in 2025. He only took multiple at bats in a game three times. One pinch hit chance per week isn’t enough to get into any kind of rhythm. Pearson crushed left-handed pitching early in the season and understandably cooled off once the competition improved.
He was 0-for-his-last-7 with four strikeouts.
Pearson has big time power and profiles as a middle of the order bat in time. He just needs to see pitches.
Pearson also needs to play defense. Right now, he doesn’t have a position. I would expect to see him play third base and first base this summer. Both of those positions will open up this fall, and he’ll get a chance to crack the lineup.
I think Pearson is a designated hitter, but the summer is time for reps.
CADE ARRAMBIDE, C
I honestly can’t remember an LSU catcher who had the frame, athleticism, bat speed and arm strength combination that Arrambide possesses.
When you win Texas Gatorade Player of the Year, you’re got some special tools. Now it’s time for Arrambide to put them together.
His defense was poor in the fall, and some of that showed when he got chances to catch in the spring. Jay Johnson said time and time again in January that the catcher competition was going to be won behind the plate, not in the batter’s box. Luis Hernandez showed that.
As much fun as it is to watch Arrambide hit, he’s got to defend first.
He hit four homers in 62 at bats including one in back-to-back midweek games against UNO and ULL. He added a double in that ULL game, too.
I anticipate a big jump offensively from the Tomball, Texas, product. That is just going to come naturally by seeing more high-level pitching. It’s the defense he’s got to clean up. Josh Jordan will play a huge role in that come fall.
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