LSU baseball bolstered its roster this offseason with the signings of right-handed pitcher Christian Little, third baseman Tommy White, shortstop Carter Young, right-handed pitcher Thatcher Hurd and right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes.
Little, a native of St. Louis, Missouri, pitched the past two seasons at Vanderbilt, where he made 32 appearances and posted a 4.65 ERA with 95 strikeouts in 81.1 innings. Little was also rated in high school as the nation’s No. 5 right-handed pitcher by Perfect Game.
White, a product of St. Pete Beach, Florida, had an unbelievable freshman season at North Carolina State, as he was named the 2022 Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Year. He hit .362 with 85 hits, 12 doubles, 27 home runs, 74 RBIs, and a .757 slugging percentage.
White also set the NCAA freshman record for home runs in a season. Along with that, he had 26 multi-hit games, 19 multi-RBI outings, and finished the year on a 26-game reached base streak.
Young, a native of Selah, Washington, was Vanderbilt’s starting shortstop in 2021 and was instrumental in leading the Commodores to the College World Series Finals. He smacked a team-high 16 homers and drove in 52 runs.
Young, who was rated the No. 17 high school prospect in the nation in 2019 by Baseball America, was selected earlier this month in the 17th round of the MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles.
Hurd, a product of Manhattan Beach, California, made nine appearances, six starts, this season as a true freshman at UCLA. He posted a 2-0 record with a 1.06 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 34 innings while limiting opponents to a .138 batting average. Hurd was the nation’s ninth-ranked pitcher and the No. 1 pitcher in the state of California as a senior at Mira Costa High School.
Skenes, who is ranked No. 25 in the D1Baseball.com listing of the top college prospects for the 2023 MLB Draft, enjoyed a marvelous 2022 season at Air Force both on the mound and at the plate, earning first-team All-American recognition.
Skenes recorded a 2.96 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 85.2 innings, limiting opponents to a .224 batting average. He also hit .314 with 10 doubles, 13 home runs and 38 RBI. In 2021, Skenes posted a 2.70 ERA while batting .410 with 11 homers and 43 RBI.
Jay Johnson has gone out and found the players he believes will complement the stars that are already on the roster. Obviously, pitching was LSU’s achilles heel last season and bringing in three pitchers who have already found success in division one programs will immediately improve the Tigers’ bullpen.
White and Young are sluggers and when added to the batting order with Dylan Crews and Tre Morgan can become any pitcher’s nightmare. Fielding at the shortstop position was also a struggle for LSU last season and Young should be a huge upgrade.
Skenes is not just a pitcher. He has also found success as an outfielder and a designated hitter. Skenes is one of those dual-threat athletes that can make an impact wherever Jay Johnson needs him to. Guys like that are invaluable and Skenes has all the pieces to be a first-round pick when his college career comes to an end.
Jay Johnson has outdone himself this offseason in the transfer portal and has the Tigers in position to make a College World Series run in 2023.
“We are excited to welcome these five players to LSU Baseball,” LSU Head Coach Jay Johnson said. “All five are great talents and solid people that will blend well with our returning players and incoming recruiting class in ability, chemistry and program fit.”
