Three Things to Watch: Fall baseball begins

By Hunt Palmer

The defending champions officially take the field Thursday for the first time since confetti fell in Omaha just over three months ago.

Jay Johnson and the LSU Tigers begin fall practice at Alex Box Stadium with some familiar faces and a cast a newcomers with eyes on Omaha in 2026. Plenty of talent has been assembled, but questions remain.

That’s the fun part.

Gone are aces Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson. So are slugger Jared “Bear” Jones and veteran Josh Pearson. Sophomores Derek Curiel, who has gained 20 lbs. since Omaha, and Casan Evans return, and much of the rest of the squad will take some learning.

Here are three things I’ll be watching for over the next six weeks.

INFIELD INTRIGUE

Steven Milam returns at shortstop after a dazzling defensive year that finished with a white-hot postseason at the plate. The other three infield spots are up for grabs, and the options are intriguing.

At third base, two transfers are the likely frontrunners. Trent Caraway manned third for Oregon State which reached Omaha last summer. He started 63 games and hit a home run in all five games of the Corvallis Regional. His six homers in a single postseason are the most by a Beaver all-time. However, they accounted for half of his home runs for the season, and he only hit .268 for the year. There’s untapped potential in Caraway’s bat.

Trent Caraway has homered in all 5 games in the Corvallis regional. If there was a 6th I bet he’d homer in that one toopic.twitter.com/EdA3pzG6Op

— Stephen Schoch (@bigdonkey47) June 3, 2025

Brayden Simpson posted monster numbers at High Point. He finished top 10 in the nation in doubles (24), slugging percentage (.774), total bases (181) and RBI (78). He’ll have to make the step up from the Big South to the SEC, but he’s got the tools.

Hard to imagine High Point transfer now @LSUbaseball Tiger Brayden Simpson won’t make a seamless jump to SEC ball after finishing 13th in the country in OPS, will make an immediate impact in Baton Rouge

.389/.477/.774
24 2B
22 HR
78 RBI
14/15 SB
172 wRC+
pic.twitter.com/3JMIoJ7zZq

— On The Clock | College Baseball and MLB Draft (@OnTheClock_1) October 7, 2025

Simpson could also factor in at second base where Seth Dardar and Tanner Reaves figure to compete, as well. Dardar is a Mandeville native who landed in Baton Rouge by way of Columbia and Kansas State. As a Wildcat, he hit .326 with 13 homers including one off Kade Anderson in the Frisco Classic. Reaves has some offensive upside but was used sparingly last year until Michael Braswell took over third base duties full time.

The odd men out of those two runnings will join Zach Yorke, the Grand Canyon transfer, John Pearson and freshman Mason Braun over at first base. Yorke hit 32 homers and drove in 157 in three seasons at Grand Canyon. Pearson enjoyed a productive summer in the Northwoods League, and Braun is a polished prep hitter.

Here’s your reminder that @LSUbaseball added a LOT of thump to the lineup this offseason with GCU transfer Zach Yorke

.339/.447/.632
13 HR
10 2B
46 RBI
35 BB : 28 K
pic.twitter.com/uvl5SCcYIL

— On The Clock | College Baseball and MLB Draft (@OnTheClock_1) October 6, 2025

That’s seven players for three infield spots. Defense will, of course, be a priority in the battles. There’s a lot of offensive production as well as upside with the resources LSU has.

How those battles progress through the fall could shape the early spring.

SOPHOMORES STEP UP

There’s little doubt Casan Evans is the ace of the staff. He showed his dominance in the postseason working 11.1 innings of three-run baseball with 18 strikeouts and three walks. His season-long ERA Was just 2.05. It’s his classmates that I’ll have eyes on.

Cooper Williams became a dependable left-hander late the in the season. He pitched 6.2 innings over three NCAA Tournament outings and only allowed one earned run. His batting average against was just .181 for the season. I’d love a couple of more mph on the fastball from Williams, and that often comes between the freshman and sophomore seasons.

William Schmidt had a really strong freshman season by the numbers. He was 7-0 with a 4.73 ERA. He struck out 41 in 32.1 innings. Opponents hit .226. That’s a great foundation to build from. However, the more detailed stats tell a slightly different story. He only recorded six SEC outs, and over those five appearances he walked 11 and gave up a pair of homers. Schmidt’s stuff proved to be electric. He fastball routinely topped 95, and the spin on his breaking ball is up there with some big league spinners. He’s got to harness it. That’s what the summer and fall are for, and I expect a big fall from the sophomore right-hander.

And Mavrick Rizy really showed out in a brief stint on The Cape. He flashed that 97 mph fastball and missed bats with his slider. Can he emerge as a key stopper out of the bullpen? That’s the goal.

SHEERIN’S STUFF

Speaking of The Cape, Deven Sheerin recovered from his torn ACL last offseason and was able to pitch on Cape Cod over the summer. He showed that mid-90s fastball and a really hard breaking ball, both of which made him effective as a freshman at Mount St. Mary’s.

Sidelined for almost a year with a torn ACL, @LSUbaseball righty Deven Sheerin returned to the mound this summer and showed a 93-97 mph fastball that generated a 27.8% whiff rate 🔥🔥@DSeifertD1PBR has more on @DevenSheerin and other @FalCommodores arms ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/w6lLdEAvWZ

— D1Baseball (@d1baseball) August 12, 2025

There will be fierce competition for starting spots behind Evans. Sheerin fits that profile. He had 109 strikeouts in 70 innings as a freshman. At 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, Sheerin’s progress this fall is certainly intriguing.