LSU ranked No. 1 in Perfect Game baseball preseason poll

Jonathan Mailhes

BATON ROUGE, La. — LSU is ranked No. 1 in the 2026 Perfect Game Baseball preseason poll released Thursday, representing the second time in four seasons the Tigers appeared at the top of a preseason poll.

LSU also began the 2023 season ranked No. 1, and the Tigers went on the claim the national championship. The 2025 Tigers won LSU’s second national championship in three seasons after beginning the season ranked No. 2.

The 2026 season starts on Friday, February 13, when LSU plays host to Milwaukee in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.

Head coach Jay Johnson, who has directed the Tigers to the 2023 and 2025 National Championships in his four-season LSU tenure, enters his fifth season with a very talented squad that has 19 returning players and 20 newcomers on its roster.

The Tigers feature seven returning position players with starting experience at LSU, including senior outfielder Chris Stanfield, senior infielder Tanner Reaves, junior shortstop Steven Milam, junior outfielder Jake Brown, sophomore outfielder Derek Curiel, sophomore catcher Cade Arrambide and sophomore infielder John Pearson.

The pitching staff contains 10 hurlers who have recorded innings at LSU, including senior right-hander Zac Cowan, senior right-hander Connor Benge, senior right-hander Grant Fontenot, junior right-hander Gavin Guidry, junior right-hander Jaden Noot, junior left-hander DJ Primeaux, sophomore right-hander Casan Evans, sophomore left-hander Cooper Williams, sophomore right-hander Mavrick Rizy and sophomore right-hander William Schmidt.

“We’re always very intentional about what we do, how we do it, and then helping players take the next step forward,” Johnson said during the fall. “What I like so far is how our returning players, like Derek Curiel, Jake Brown, Steven Milam, Chris Stanfield, those guys are leading this team. Zac Cowan, Casan Evans, Cade Arrambide, William Schmidt – there are so many guys returning that played a part in the 2025 National Championship, and it’s given us a really good foundation of how to work, and how we roll.

“To see them take pride in that without me having to say a whole lot, that makes me feel really good.”

The 20-player class of newcomers is composed of eight NCAA Division I transfers, one NCAA Division II transfer, two JUCO transfers and nine high school signees. Five LSU rookies have been ranked among the Prep Baseball Report Top 100 College Freshmen, and another six of the Tigers’ newcomers appear on the Baseball America list of the Top 100 College Transfers.

LSU is one of nine Southeastern Conference teams appearing in the Perfect Game 2026 preseason Top 25, along with No. 3 Tennessee, No. 4 Arkansas, No. 6 Mississippi State, No. 8 Texas, No. 10 Auburn, No. 12 Florida, No. 15 Georgia and No. 19 Vanderbilt.

2026 Perfect Game Baseball Preseason Poll