TIGER RAG NEWS SERVICES
LSU freshman outfielder William Patrick is off to the kind of start LSU coach Jay Johnson wants to see for a player expected to contend for a starting job in center field in the 2027 season as a sophomore.
Patrick, who hit .220 in 33 games as a backup last season (9-for-41) for the Tigers, is hitting .333 so far through seven games for the Healdsburg Prune Packers in the Pacific Empire League in California. He has eight hits in 24 at-bats with a double and seven RBIs.
With draft-eligible sophomore center fielder Derek Curiel expected to go in the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft on July 11, Patrick will be given a shot in center field. Johnson has signed two other impressive outfielders from the portal in Notre Dame left fielder Bino Watters, who is the No. 1 player in the portal, and Tulane right fielder Jason Wachs.
Patrick was the No. 20 outfielder in the nation last year and No. 2 player in Louisiana by Perfect Game when he signed with LSU out of St. Frederick High in Monroe.
Also playing well for Healdsburg, which is in the San Francisco area, is freshman second baseman Jack Ruckert, who was the No. 1 player in the state last year from Catholic High in Baton Rouge and No. 14 player in the country by Perfect Game. Ruckert is hitting .298 in 14 games (14-for-47) with four doubles and a home run for the Prune Packers.
Meanwhile, Watters is hitting .243 with a double and a home run for the Chatham Anglers in Massachusetts in the Cape Cod League.
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