Grand Canyon Athletics
By Hunt Palmer
Jared Jones leaves Baton Rouge a legend.
That’s extreme to some, but consider that he hit more home runs than any three-year player in school history, delivered a walk-off hit to send LSU to the CWS championship series and won a pair of national titles. His number may not be retired, but if I gave you that resume before he showed up on campus, you’d paint it rather favorably.
Now LSU has to fill his shoes over at first base.
WHAT WE KNOW
Zach Yorke is a couple of inches shorter, though that’s not the number people will gravitate toward, but LSU found another big body to fill the position. He’s 6-foot-2 and a hair under 300 lbs.
Over three seasons at Grand Canyon, Yorke hit .328 with 32 homers and an OPS of .980. He’s started 162 games.
Yorke has very low strikeout numbers, only 28 in 48 games last season, and good walk totals. He’s a complete hitter.
Zach Yorke hit this ball dangerously hard pic.twitter.com/7cXefTZceX
— Stephen Schoch (@bigdonkey47) March 6, 2024
Brayden Simpson is another huge producer from the lower level. He hit .389 last year and led the Big South with 22 homers. He also went 14-of-15 on stolen bases. He’s not as physically imposing at 6-foot and 190 lbs., but he’s got some real tools.
John Pearson played in 27 games last year for the Tigers and was used as a right-handed option against left-handed pitching much of the year. He went 5-for-21 on the year with a pair of homers. Nine of his 16 outs were strikeouts, and he’s not considered a plus defender. He has cut some weight, and his power is legitimate.
Mason Braun just hits. Perfect Game called him the best first baseman in the 2025 high school class, and he hit the longest home run at the MLB Draft Combine last spring, 430 feet. Like Simpson, Braun has positional versatility. Simpson can play second and third, and Braun has played a lot of outfield since the fall.
Simpson and Pearson are right-handed hitters. Yorke and Braun swing it from the left side.
HUNT’S PROJECTION
This is Yorke’s position right now.
While he looks like a slow-pitch softball power hitter, he’s much more. Yorke is among the best pure hitters on the roster. His swing is short and quick. That leads to a lot of line drives, and plenty of them go the opposite way. When he does get to the ball out in front of home plate, he can hit it a mile.
Yorke really swung it well in the fall and projects into the middle of LSU’s order. He’ll draw walks, make plenty of contact and hit for power. I believe he’ll hit well north of .300 with double digit homers.
Questions will be raised about Yorke’s defense at nearly 300 lbs. He’s pretty good! Yorke is nimble for his size and presents a big target at 6-foot-2.
Simpson is going to play early, but I don’t know that it will be at first base. Second base is an option, and DH will be a revolving door early on. Simpson will get ABs at every spot, and the hope is that his Big South production translates like Daniel Dickinson and Luis Hernandes did last year.
Fired up for Brayden Simpson in Baton Rouge this spring. Hit .389 with 24 doubles, 22 homers and 78 RBI last season at High Point
Led the Big South in doubles, home runs and total bases. Monster pickup out of the portal for @LSUbaseball pic.twitter.com/T6Zth7Rxof
— Stephen Schoch (@bigdonkey47) December 5, 2025
Braun is going to be a stud. And I’m not sure it’s going to take a year. The professional ranks were willing to wait on him because he’s only 6 feet tall. That won’t matter at LSU. Before he’s done, Braun will be one of the best hitters in the lineup. At bats may be tough to come by early with significantly older players projected in front of him, but Braun will hit when given the chance.
Overall, I think Yorke starts the vast majority of the games at first and produces. I don’t think Simpson or Pearson play much first base. Braun will get some mop up duty pre-conference.
I’d be stunned if Braun wasn’t the first baseman next year. For the purposes of 2025, it’s Yorke’s job. He’ll be an impact player.
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