Even before Tennessee was crowned as the national champion, much of college baseball had already moved on to the offseason—if you can call it that.
With today’s changing landscape, there is no offseason. The transfer portal ensures that each team continues scrambling in pursuit of better players to plug holes on its roster.
The baseball transfer portal opened on June 4, and players had until July 2 to enter their names.
In his time at LSU, head coach Jay Johnson has been known for his splashy moves in the transfer portal.
Before last season’s championship run, he brought in eventual No. 1 overall pick Paul Skenes and soon-to-be first rounder Tommy White.
Last offseason, he added Luke Holman, Gage Jump and Michael Braswell III, among others, who all became impact players and important starters.
Now, clearly needing to improve a team that struggled for much of SEC play and didn’t make it past the regionals of the NCAA Tournament despite a strong finish to the season, LSU is even more motivated to find stars in the transfer portal.
Here’s a look at the major signings LSU has already made, with updates as more news comes.
Please note that all players are identified by what their classification will be for the 2025 season.
Junior pitcher Anthony Eyanson, UC San Diego
LSU’s efforts to add a litany of strong arms rage on with Eyanson’s commitment. He was hotly pursued by several high-profile teams, including Texas.
He improved greatly in his sophomore season, putting up a 3.07 ERA and allowing a .190 opposing batting average. In addition, he allowed only two home runs and 24 walks over 82 innings.
That added up to a second team all-Big West distinction. Eyanson is clearly a player with raw talent who could quickly ascend to elite production. He’s already being discussed as a potential pick in the the top three rounds of next year’s MLB Draft.
For now, he’ll have to compete with LSU’s many talented returning and incoming pitchers for the right to be a starter or a key reliever.
Junior second baseman Daniel Dickinson, Utah Valley
From the moment Dickinson stepped onto a college baseball field, he’s been outright dominant.
In his first two seasons, he’s been a two-time first team all-Western Athletic Conference selection and has hit above .360 at the plate in both years.
He already holds the career slugging percentage and stolen bases record at Utah Valley, but now he’ll use his final year before he’s draft-eligible (as a projected first rounder) at LSU.
Dickinson played second base at Utah Valley, but has enough versatility to play shortstop or third base, two areas LSU may have need.
To put it simply, Dickinson is a savvy and well-rounded hitter with few holes in his game. He draws walks, has power and brings base-stealing ability that’s otherwise missing from the Tiger roster.
Senior designated hitter/pitcher Dalton Beck, Incarnate Word
Beck is one of the most intriguing additions of the offseason for LSU.
A former JUCO player who caught on at Kansas State before transferring to Incarnate Word, Beck is a versatile piece.
While at Kansas State, he got work only at pitcher, but at Incarnate Word, he took on the designated hitter role and responded with one of the best offensive seasons in the team’s history, setting several single-season program records.
He had a batting average of .377, 67 RBIs (No. 26 in the nation) and 18 home runs.
He also made three appearances at pitcher during the year, but it seems more likely he’s coming to LSU to provide an infusion of offense.
Though his offense has yet to be showcased at a higher level, he’s clearly developed a well-rounded skillset at the plate that could have him holding down the DH position for the Tigers.
Junior pitcher Jacob Mayers, Nicholls State
The Gonzales native perhaps has more upside than any player LSU has added thus far.
In his freshman year, Mayers was named a freshman All-American by many different outlets. He had an outstanding debut season with a 2.02 ERA and 105 strikeouts.
In his second season, Mayers was better by several measures: he had one more strikeout in five fewer innings and allowed a better opposing batting average, a stingy .165.
However, his ERA ballooned to 4.58, as he allowed 18 more walks and five more home runs.
If LSU can iron those things out, Mayers is clearly an impactful pitcher who can slot into the starting rotation and become dominant.
Junior first baseman Eddie Yamin IV, Dayton
Yamin’s commitment is a valuable one for LSU in that it gives it options. With Jones potentially going to the MLB, Yamin could fill on for him at first base.
Also, like Hernandez, Yamin has positional versatility: he has experience at catcher and in the outfield.
His approach at the plate improved greatly in his second season, with his OBP rocketing up to .429. He also showed growing power, coming up with 13 home runs, as well as 54 RBI.
His efforts earned him second team all-Atlantic 10 distinction, and now he’ll hope to carry that over to an LSU team that needs that production.
Junior outfielder Chris Stanfield, Auburn
Stanfield was a reliable cog for Auburn, starting all but two games during the season and having a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage during SEC play.
His bat is solid if not spectacular; he hit a respectable .276 this season with 25 RBI and four home runs. He also stole nine bases.
As a 21-year-old, Stanfield is eligible for the MLB draft this offseason, meaning he may not end up in Baton Rouge. Perfect Game has him ranked as the No. 128 prospect in the draft.
However, if he opts to stay in college, he’ll compete with Ashton Larson, Jake Brown, incoming freshman Derek Curiel and potentially Josh Pearson to start in the outfield.
Senior pitcher Luke Hayden, Indiana State
Hayden is another player who entered the transfer portal with Indiana State’s coaching change.
He spent the past year as Indiana State’s No. 2 starter and was very effective, ending with a 3.81 ERA and a .248 batting average against.
Hayden was second in the Missouri Valley Conference with 91 strikeouts and was named second team all-MVC at the end of the year.
Before Hayden transferred to Indiana State prior to last season, he spent two seasons as a relief pitcher at Indiana.
It remains to be seen if Hayden would come out of the bullpen or compete to be a starter, but he seems ready to contribute in any capacity for the Tigers right away.
However, Hayden is eligible for the MLB draft and will likely be picked, having been invited to the MLB combine. Perfect Game ranked him as the No. 248 prospect in the draft, so he’ll have a decision to make on whether he’d like to go to the pros or go to LSU and potentially improve his stock.
Sophomore pitcher Deven Sheerin, Mount St. Mary’s
Sheerin is another enticing pitching option that serves to add depth to an LSU team that needs it.
He was a bright spot for a Mount St. Mary’s team that struggled, with 109 strikeouts across his 70 innings.
Sheerin was named to the all-Mid-American Athletic Conference first team after the season, as well as being named the conference freshman of the year.
The most important part for LSU is that Sheerin has at least two years with the Tigers before he can go to the MLB draft. LSU can refine his already-impressive tools and develop him into a top option down the line.
Junior pitcher Zac Cowan, Wofford
With Holman and Jump, LSU’s top two starting pitchers, likely going to the MLB, the Tigers need to restock at the position.
More than that, LSU needs a sure thing, something that its current roster doesn’t have much of in terms of pitching.
Cowan is a sure thing.
He was far and away the best pitcher on Wofford’s staff, coming up with key wins for them in the Southern Conference Tournament (with two starts in five days) and in an elimination game in the NCAA regionals against Long Island.
He was a big part of Wofford’s success, which led to the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2007, where it ended up in the Chapel Hill regional with LSU.
For the season, Cowan had an ERA of 3.35 and 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings, which ranked No. 104 in the country.
Cowan gets batters to strike out at a very high level and can carry a large workload, as he often threw over 100 pitches per outing.
The hope is that he can build greater consistency at LSU and progress into an ace.
Senior first baseman/catcher Luis Hernandez, Indiana State
Having left Indiana State as part of an exodus with its coach Mitch Hannahs departing for South Florida, Hernandez is a huge get for LSU.
He’s one of the best bats in the country. Last season, he ranked No. 17 in the nation in RBI with 76, No. 22 in home runs with 23 and No. 129 in batting average with .359.
He’ll also bring much-needed power to LSU’s lineup that will be losing its leader in that department in White.
Hernandez was an everyday starter for Indiana State at first base this past year, but he’s spent time at catcher and designated hitter.
READ MORE: Former LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri expected to take job at South Carolina
Depending on if Jared Jones decides to sign with the MLB team that drafts him after his sophomore year, LSU could have an opening at first base.
However, if Jones returns, Hernandez will still find time either at catcher or designated hitter.
Hernandez is also draft-eligible having completed his junior year, but all signs are pointing to him staying in college and competing for LSU.
Junior pitcher Chandler Dorsey, South Florida
One of LSU’s biggest problems last year was its relievers, and whether or not pitcher Griffin Herring decides to go to the MLB, he’ll no longer be LSU’s solution out of the bullpen: he’ll either be a starter at LSU or at the professional level.
Because of that, Dorsey fills a hole in the bullpen. At USF, Dorsey was the primary reliever.
He had a 3.6 ERA and 40 strikeouts over 30 innings. In 18 of his 26 appearances, he didn’t allow a run.
That steady presence out of the bullpen will be needed for LSU, even as many other pitchers are expected to take leaps forward.
Full list of incoming players
Junior pitcher Jacob Mayers, Nicholls State
Junior second baseman Daniel Dickinson, Utah Valley
Senior pitcher Luke Hayden, Indiana State
Senior designated hitter/pitcher Dalton Beck, Incarnate Word
Sophomore pitcher Deven Sheerin, Mount St. Mary’s
Junior catcher/first baseman Luis Hernandez, Indiana State
Junior pitcher Zac Cowan, Wofford
Junior pitcher Anthony Eyanson, UC San Diego
Junior pitcher Chandler Dorsey, South Florida
Junior first baseman Eddie Yamin IV, Dayton
Junior outfielder Chris Stanfield, Auburn
Junior pitcher Connor Benge, Dallas Baptist
Junior infielder Tanner Reaves, Blinn College
Redshirt sophomore first baseman Trevor Schmidt, Fullerton College
Redshirt junior catcher Blaise Priester, Meridian Community College
Sophomore outfielder Daniel Harden, McLennan Community College
Junior pitcher Conner Ware, Pearl River Community College
Full list of outgoing players
Senior pitcher Samuel Dutton – Auburn
Junior pitcher Micah Bucknam – Dallas Baptist
Sophomore pitcher Cam Johnson – Oklahoma
Redshirt freshman infielder Austen Roellig – Utah
Junior outfielder Paxton Kling – Penn State
Junior pitcher Aiden Moffett – Texas
Junior catcher Brady Neal – Alabama
Senior pitcher Justin Loer
Senior pitcher Thatcher Hurd
Redshirt senior pitcher Javen Coleman
Sophomore infielder Ryan Kucherak
Redshirt sophomore outfielder Zeb Ruddell
Redshirt sophomore pitcher Nic Bronzini
Redshirt freshman outfielder Derrick Mitchell
Redshirt freshman pitcher MJ Seo
