Former LSU Pitcher Marcos Paz To Transfer To SEC Champion Georgia, Which Saw 6 Pitchers Drafted

TIGER RAG NEWS SERVICES

The freshman pitcher that LSU coach Jay Johnson did not want to lose has committed to Southeastern Conference regular season and tournament champion Georgia, which won two games at the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, this season.

Right-hander Marcos Paz was 1-4 with a 9.20 ERA last season for the Tigers after Tommy John elbow surgery, but Johnson kept giving him opportunities late in the Tigers’ lost season (30-28, 9-21 SEC) to get him ready for next season. But Georgia (53-14, 23-7 SEC) will now benefit from that after seeing six of its pitchers drafted over the weekend.

Paz had surprised Johnson by entering the portal in late June just days before the deadline.

TRANSFER: Former LSU RHP Marcos Paz has committed to Georgia. Huge stuff from the right side, but struggled as a freshman. Mid-90s fastball and a really stuffy breaker. Frontline upside if it clicks in Athens.

No. 61 on the 2028 Top 100.

👇PROFILE👇 pic.twitter.com/FxTfws8C9P

— Joe Doyle (@JoeDoyleMiLB) July 15, 2026

Paz (6-foot-2, 228 pounds) was the No. 33 high school prospect in the nation by Perfect Game last year out of Hebron High in Carrollton, Texas. He struck out 40 in 29 and third innings in 2026.

LSU Baseball: Freshman Pitcher Marcos Paz, One Of Coach Jay Johnson’s Favorites, Enters Portal

“He’s got everything you need to be great,” Johnson said on April 20. “And, again, like, he hadn’t pitched in 18 months prior to this season starting (after the surgery). It was very minimal work for him in the fall. I think he’s going to be the best pitcher in the program. I really believe that. And I think he’s moving in that direction.”

Paz pitched at Georgia last May, allowing seven runs on five hits with four walks and a hit batsman in an inning and a third to drop to 1-3 on the season. He joins Georgia coach Wes Johnson, who was LSU’s pitching coach in the 2023 season.