By Hunt Palmer
The eve of Opening Day is here, and there’s a fresh coat of paint on The Intimidator.
What’s better than that?
Jay Johnson has reestablished LSU as the premier program in college baseball, and his 2026 squad is ranked in the top two by every poll you can find. Key cogs return from the title team, and some new faces are primed to emerge as part of the engine.
The 56-game grind always features ups and down for every team. Ultimately, it’s about positioning yourself for June.
I’ve seen the team a handful of times in both the fall and the preseason, and I’ve got five predictions varying in their boldness. Let’s see how well I can do.
1. LSU pitching leads the SEC in strikeouts through the regional round AND doesn’t have an individual pitcher in the top three in the league in Ks
Nate Yeskie is 2-for-2 in leading the SEC in strikeouts as LSU’s pitching coach. He did it on the backs on Luke Holman, Gage Jump and Griffin Herring two years ago and did the same with Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson last year. The difference in this prediction is that the depth of the staff does it this time while the starters don’t quite emerge to that level. I think key bullpen pieces like Zac Cowan, Ethan Plog, Mavrick Rizy, Deven Sheerin, Gavin Guidry and Marcos Paz among others, help the starting rotation climb to that number by eating up more innings. Will Casan Evans, Cooper Moore, Cooper Williams and William Schmidt strike a bunch of guys out, too? Absolutely.
2. Four pitchers earn multiple saves
LSU actually pulled this one off last year, but it took some extenuating circumstances to do it. Cowan and Evans blew by two saves, and Chase Shores came on late to do it. The fourth was Eyanson who saved an SEC Tournament win and the regional final to send LSU on to the Supers. I think this team will have four guys just step in over the course of the season and do it out of the bullpen.
3. Cooper Moore will make 10 SEC starts
Moore is the most proven power league starter on the roster after he fronted Kansas’s rotation at times in 2025. He’s had a really strong preseason and feels like the highest floor on the staff as a starter. I don’t think he becomes LSU’s Friday night starter, and I think the preference might be that he works on Sundays. Either way, I think the coaching staff trusts him to go get 15-to-18 outs in an SEC weekend. I think he’ll do that all season long.
4. LSU will not have a 20-home run player, but six guys will hit 10
There’s no Jared Jones here. No Tommy White or Dylan Crews. But there are some guys who can jump the yard. And they will. Cade Arrambide, Zach Yorke, Steven Milam, Derek Curiel and Jake Brown are all reasonably likely to hit close to 1o homers. That’s five and doesn’t include second base. That where Brayden Simpson, who hit 22 at High Point last year, will play some. So will Seth Dardar who clubbed 13 at Kansas State a season ago. Tanner Reaves also has pop from the left side. The designated hitter spot will give those platoon players addition at bats. In short, Chris Stanfield is the only starter I feel confident won’t hit 10.
Last year only four Tigers hit 10, and the team played until the end. I think LSU tops that number this year.
5. Mason Braun will get more than three postseason at bats
Braun has become a preseason favorite because he’s crushing the ball in scrimmages. At publishing, it’s about 30 hours before Johnson turns in his initial lineup card, and I still don’t think Braun will be in it. If he is, the boldness on this prediction really takes a hit. However, LSU’s got a super mature lineup that doesn’t force Braun to the field. I do think he’s got a chance to become a left-handed bench bullet on this team, so four-plus at bats there would make sense even if he doesn’t start.
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