Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images
By Chris Marler
LSU baseball is paying a price this year.
Some people are blaming a misguided tweet from the offseason by one crazed fan who said he’d trade this baseball season’s success if the football team landed Lane Kiffin as their head coach. Some people think the reason is the comprehensive failure from this year’s portal class. Both of those things may be the cause, especially the weirdo tweet that may have jinxed the whole year because of their social media voodoo doll that no one asked for.
Maybe LSU is paying the price of their own success.
Make it three Top 3 picks in three years for the LSU Tigers!
After being selected by the Mariners, LHP Kade Anderson follows Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews.
And that’s not the only way Anderson is reminiscent of Skenes: https://t.co/18MbDZ5Pov pic.twitter.com/oPBC3StF04
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 13, 2025
It’s hard to win. It’s really hard to win national titles. It’s really, really hard to win it more than once. Look at Florida. Mississippi State. Ole Miss. Even elite, blue-blood level programs struggle to raise a trophy in Omaha more than once.
LSU hasn’t had that same struggle. But, the year following a title has been anything but a copy paste season of fun. It’s hard to win national titles, but it’s even harder to replace generational talent, especially over and over.
That’s what LSU is facing right now.
You don’t replace someone like Paul Skenes without missing a beat. Unless you’re LSU apparently who followed up a generational, one of one talent with Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson. You replaced the No. 1 overall pick and All-Star Game starting pitcher with – wait for it – the No. 3 overall pick who is currently the hottest MLB prospect in the minor leagues thanks to a 5-0 start and 0.37 ERA.
Kade Anderson great again. Final line: 5.2IP, 4H, 0R, 0BB, 8K, 16 whiffs, 74 pitches, 56 strikes.
In first 5 professional starts:
0.37ERA, 24.1IP, 13H, 1R, 4BB, 38K pic.twitter.com/zvXuG8YZYM— Mariners Minors (@MiLBMariners) May 2, 2026
The same thing happens to most dynasties and elite programs. Look at Alabama and Clemson football. It’s hard to go from Tahj Boyd to Deshaun Watson to Trevor Lawrence and then DJ Uiagalelei. Don’t forget that Uiagalelei was also a five star prospect and No. 1 quarterback recruit in the country. That still didn’t translate to the field or anywhere close to the success the previous signal callers had. Alabama was the same way. It’s hard to go from Jalen Hurts to Tua Tagovailoa to Mac Jones to Bryce Young and then to Jalen Milroe.
At some point there’s going to be a drop off.
That’s what’s happening with LSU right now. They are currently in the drop off. The good news for this program is that the drop off at LSU hasn’t lasted longer than a season under Jay Johnson. No program ever wants to have a “wait til next year” mentality, especially not in early May for a preseason No. 1 team.
That being said – wait til next year. History has shown it tends to be a much different season.
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