LSU baseball’s freshman class was ranked No. 3 by Baseball America. The Tigers’ roster for this season has 12 new names.
Following a 2022 freshman class ranked No. 1, head coach Jay Johnson brings in another top 3 class that hopes to contribute to a reload season in 2024. Including a balanced variety of pitchers, outfielders and infielders, the class includes the highest rated prospect ever landed by LSU.
Cam Johnson, LHP, IMG Academy
Headlining the freshman class is the No. 1 freshman and No. 11 overall prospect in the nation. Johnson edges out LSU great Dylan Crews, who was ranked No. 14, formerly the highest rated prospect to play baseball for LSU.
After consulting with Crews, Johnson decided against going straight to the MLB, setting a hard contract number for interested teams. If Johnson progresses as expected, being first overall in 2026 is well within reach.
Johnson spent his first three years of high school at Bishop McNamara in Maryland before moving to Florida to play for IMG Academy to maximize his development. In his senior year, Johnson went 6-0 with 43 strikes and a 0.78 ERA in 27 innings. Unfortunately, Johnson’s season was cut short due to elbow tendinitis.
During recovery Johnson worked with legendary orthopedic surgeon James Andrews, who has worked with names like Michael Jordan and Peyton Manning. Ultimately, the issue was deemed very minor, further proven by Johnson’s combine showcase that summer.
Johnson’s 6-foot-5, 251-pound build only adds to his promise as a prospect. His elusive heater has already reached the high 90s, with triple digits within reach. His second option is an effective slider, which LSU pitching coach Nate Yeskie is helping Johnson get more velocity behind.
Third in the arsenal is his changeup, which Johnson believes he has improved after adopting a new grip he picked up from MLB hall of famer Pedro Martinez on YouTube. Outside of pitches, Johnson says he’s been working with Yeskie on mental strength and managing runners on base.
Johnson won the USA Baseball 18U championship in 2022, alongside another LSU freshman, Jake Brown.
Jake Brown, LHP/OF/1B, Sulphur HS
The two-way star was ranked No. 30 out of the top 75 freshman in the 2024 class, according to Perfect Game. Brown was the No. 1 player out of Louisiana. He was also ranked at No. 18 nationally for left-handed pitchers.
In 2023, Brown went 10-2 with 118 strikeouts and a 1.71 ERA in 73 innings. As a hitter, he noted 26 RBI, 20 stolen bases and a .336 batting average. Brown was named the Gatorade Louisiana Baseball Player of the Year in 2023.
Brown went in the 16^th round of the MLB Draft but chose to go to LSU instead. As one of the more likely freshmen to get reps, Brown adds potential for lineup flexibility to a roster with a lack of lefty batters.
Kade Anderson, LHP, St. Paul’s HS
Out of Madisonville, the 6-foot-2 southpaw was ranked No. 2 in Louisiana and No. 19 nationally for left-handed pitchers, according to Perfect Game. At St. Paul’s high school, he worked with pitching coach Brad Farizo, a former MLB Draft pick.
Anderson underwent Tommy John in 2022, working with James Andrews, the same surgeon who worked with Cam Johnson.
Prior to injury Anderson threw 66 innings his sophomore year, going 8-2 with 119 strikeouts and a 0.63 ERA. His junior year he hit .447 with 30 RBI, 5 homeruns and 27 stolen bases.
As one of four 17-year-olds to make Team USA 18U, Anderson threw a no-hitter in 96 pitches against the No. 1 ranked Team Elite from Georgia.
Griffin Cooley, OF, Kinder HS
Ranked the No. 11 outfielder out of Louisiana, Cooley also made 2023 First Team All-State. At 6-foot-1, 168 pounds, Cooley adds a left-handed bat to the roster. As a junior he hit .365 with 19 RBI and had a .872 fielding percentage. As a senior Cooley upped his average to .462.
On the mound, Cooley went 3-0 with a .66 ERA and had 24 strikeouts in 21 innings.
Ryan Kucherak, IF, Hamilton HS
Kucherak was ranked the No. 2 shortstop out of Arizona. He stands at 6 feet, 1 inch and 186 pounds. As a junior Kucherak had a .352 average with 7 homeruns, 28 RBI and a .938 fielding percentage. He missed part of his senior season to injury.
Trenton Lape, RHP, Parkway HS
Though LSU has him listed as a pitcher, Lape was ranked as the No. 1 third baseman out of Louisiana. At 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, Lape could be on the mound, in the infield or the outfield, though he’s likely to redshirt his first season.
As a sophomore, Lape went 4-2 with a .185 ERA and had 68 strikeouts in 41 innings. He touched the 90s as a sophomore, prior to injury.
A UCL injury hindered Lape’s sophomore season. He played through the season, however, and reached the high eighties in the few innings he did pitch. 
Lape underwent surgery at the end of 2022, but after an underwhelming recovery, he elected to get Tommy John surgery in May of 2023.
Lape made the 2022 Perfect Game Preseason Underclassmen All American Team.
Ashton Larson, OF, St. Thomas Aquinas
Larson was ranked the No. 1 player out of Kansas and the No. 13 outfielder nationally. The lefty was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 20^th round of the MLB Draft in 2023. Larson has grown under the mentorship of Detroit Tigers pitcher Alex Lange, an LSU alum. Larson stands at 6-feet-2-inches, 194 pounds.
Steven Milam, IF, Centennial HS
As a 5-foot-8 infielder out of New Mexico, Milam has been called “Mini-Bregman”. He was the No. 1 player out of New Mexico and ranked as the No. 67 freshman nationally by Perfect Game. Milam hit .627 with 50 RBI as a switch hitter his senior year, fitting his other nickname “Monster”. He was named the 2023 Gatorade New Mexico Player of the Year. Milam has worked with Alex Bregman and Pittsburg Pirates 2020 first round pick Nick Gonzales.
Derrick Mitchell, John Paul II HS
Mitchell was the No. 5 ranked outfielder out of Texas and No. 33 outfielder nationally. The switch hitter stands at 6-feet-3-inches, 203 pounds.
Austen Roellig, SS, Etiwanda HS
The No. 11 shortstop out of California, Roellig batted .446 with 19 RBI and a .958 fielding percentage his junior year. Unfortunately, Roellig had to undergo Tommy John surgery, which halted his development for a while.
Before deciding to become a Tiger, he was originally committed to Arizona, the program Johnson led before coming to coach at LSU. 
He stands at 5-feet-11-inches, 185 pounds.
MJ Seo, SS, Hebron HS
The No. 2 ranked shortstop in Texas, Seo also has a presence on the mound, with a fastball in the 90s. He was named to the 2023 Dallas/Fort Worth All-Area First Team. As another former Arizona commit, he will likely redshirt.
Seo moved to North America from Seoul at the age of five with his brother and Vanderbilt commit, Minjae Seo.
MJ stands at 5-feet-11-inches, 202 pounds. Like Mitchell, Seo at one point attended John Paul II HS.
Dylan Thompson, SS, Sam Houston HS
A likely redshirt, Thompson was the No. 3 shortstop out of Louisiana. He stands at 6-feet-2-inches and 160 pounds. Thompson is also listed as a pitcher, offering even more flexibility and depth to LSU’s bullpen.