Kristen Young
By Hunt Palmer
Jay Johnson made himself a promise to never run short on catching depth.
In 2022, that happened as the season wore on. Alex Milazzo and Hayden Travinski got hurt, and Tyler McManus was playing through pain. LSU still played well late in the season and nearly emerged from the Hattiesburg Regional.
Catching became a priority in the program after that.
Luis Hernandez made 49 starts last year and really played well. His defense improved drastically from the fall, and he managed to hit .270 with nine home runs including two in the regional championship against Little Rock.
Cade Arrambide was able to get 19 starts and 75 plate appearances as a freshman reserve. As Hernandez moved on to professional baseball, the job has opened, and Arrambide made a statement in fall workouts.
“I thought Cade was probably the best player on the team for the fall,” Johnson said. No question about that. Was the quality at bat champion, almost over like .650 which against our pitching staff is a pretty good number. Caught, managed the pitching staff. Did a great job.”
Here’s a couple doubles from Sunday’s scrimmage action. #LSU was top 10 in college baseball with 136 doubles in 68 games last season.
Chris Stanfield, Cade Arrambide, and Steven Milam all showing off their pop. pic.twitter.com/3y7z0SYJbp
— John Eads WAFB-TV (@JohnEadsWAFB) October 21, 2025
Arrambide’s tools aren’t in question. He’s got a big 6-foot-3 frame and can really move for a backstop. He ran four homers out of the yard last season and has a big arm.
He got some work on Cape Cod over the summer and has clearly come back an improved version of himself as a second-year player. He went down on strikes 25 times in 62 at bats last year. He improved that significantly in the fall. The defense has to improve, as well.
Behind Arrambide is another former Texas Player of the Year in Omar Serna. Speaking of tools, Serna has them in spades, too.
Omar Serna (25 TX) simply impressive! Unloads on this 3-run 💣 that cleared well over dead CF wall. Such EZ juice; premium power/physicality on both sides. Expect big things this spring. #LSU commit. #PGHS @PG_Draft @_LSABaseball pic.twitter.com/Bn3cZp6R6P
— Perfect Game Texas (@Texas_PG) January 25, 2025
He’s 6-foot-2 and already weighs 20 lbs. more than Arrambide. He’s a year behind, though, and he learned the same way Arrambide did a year ago about the transition from prep baseball to Alex Box.
“There’s no way to prepare them for this,” Johnson said. “Going from Lutheran South Academy to fall baseball here, get a hit off Cooper Moore and Casan Evans and Deven Sheerin. There’s no way to prepare you for that or to catch those guys at the same time. I thought he made some really big strides slowing the game down, receiving well. He’s got a tremendous arm, as good as you could ask for. He hit a couple of homers in those ABs. Omar did a tremendous job. I think he’s going to be a great player here for the next three years.”
Serna has light tower power. He could vie for some at bats as a designated hitter should Arrambide hold him off for the catching duties.
LSU’s one-two at catcher is as talented as any time in the last 15 years. Perhaps longer. That doesn’t equal consistency or production, but on pure talent and ability, Arrambide and Serna are off the charts.
Eddie Yamin notched the game-winning hit in a scrimmage over the weekend and provides the depth Johnson promised three years ago. He hit .342 with 13 homers at Dayton two years ago and has three college years under his belt.
LSU concluded fall practice over the weekend. They will reconvene as a team two weeks into the new year to prep for a title defense.
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