LSU Baseball Coach Jay Johnson Releases Fall Roster

BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson on Wednesday released the Tigers’ fall semester roster that includes the 20 members of the incoming recruiting class who have joined the program for the 2026 season.

The signing class is composed of eight NCAA Division I transfers, one NCAA Division II transfer, two JUCO transfers and nine high school signees. Five LSU rookies have been ranked among the Prep Baseball Report Top 100 College Freshmen, and another six of the Tigers’ newcomers appear on the Baseball America list of the Top 100 College Transfers.

Johnson, the 2023 and 2025 National Coach of the Year who has directed LSU to two National Championships and 150 wins over the past three seasons, said the Tigers’ staff is focused upon building another elite squad capable of making a return to the College World Series.

“We’re excited to dive into the work,” Johnson said. “We’ve got a lot to do, and our staff is looking forward to running our process this fall to get our players prepared with teaching and fundamentals.

“We have a really good foundation of players back from our 2025 championship team, and they know what it means to operate at the highest possible level. Our class of newcomers can certainly make immediate contributions, and it can be the foundation of what we’re going to accomplish over the next few years.”

The Tigers feature seven returning position players with starting experience at LSU, including senior outfielder Chris Stanfield, senior infielder Tanner Reaves, junior shortstop Steven Milam, junior outfielder Jake Brown, sophomore outfielder Derek Curiel, sophomore catcher Cade Arrambide and sophomore infielder John Pearson.

The pitching staff contains 10 hurlers who have recorded innings at LSU, including senior right-hander Zac Cowan, senior right-hander Connor Benge, senior right-hander Grant Fontenot, junior right-hander Gavin Guidry, junior right-hander Jaden Noot, junior left-hander DJ Primeaux, sophomore right-hander Casan Evans, sophomore left-hander Cooper Williams, sophomore right-hander Mavrick Rizy and sophomore right-hander William Schmidt.

The Tigers will engage in individual drills and strength training for the next six weeks prior to beginning their full-squad fall practice period on Thursday, October 9. The fall session will feature several intra-squad scrimmages through October and November in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.

Johnson said LSU will also play two exhibition games this fall against other schools. The Tigers meet Samford on Sunday, November 2, at Keesler Federal Park in Biloxi, Miss., the home of the Milwaukee Brewers’ Double-A affiliate, the Biloxi Shuckers. LSU will face Southeastern Louisiana on Sunday, November 9 at Alumni Field in Hammond, La.

More information about the fall exhibition games will be announced in the coming weeks.

Listed below are the members of LSU’s 2025 signing class:

39 Jonah Aase, LHP, Fr.

Ferndale, Wash. (Meridian HS)

• Rated No. 35 on the 2025 Perfect Game list of the nation’s best high school left-handed pitchers … ranked as the No. 1 LHP in the state of Washington
• Missed his high school senior season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2025
• Pitched 35.2 innings at Meridian High in 2024, recording a 3-0 mark, one save and a 0.20 ERA with eight walks and 78 strikeouts

18 Mason Braun, OF/1B, Fr.

South Bend, Ind. (Penn HS)

• Rated No. 1 on the 2025 Perfect Game list of the nation’s best first basemen … also ranked as the nation’s No. 64 best overall player and the No. 1 overall player in the state of Indiana
• Voted 2025 Class 4A First-Team All-State at Penn High
• Participated in the 2025 MLB Draft Combine and launched the longest home run – a 430-foot shot – and tied for the most 400-foot blasts in the combine with three

44 Trent Caraway, INF, Jr.

Dana Point, Calif. (JSerra Catholic HS/Oregon State)

• Rated No. 30 on 2026 Baseball America list of Top 100 College Transfers
• Batted .281 (88-for-313) in two seasons (2024-25) at Oregon State with 20 doubles, 14 homers, 57 RBI and 67 runs
• 2025 NCAA Corvallis Regional Most Outstanding Player … hit six home runs in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, marking the most in Oregon State history

16 Ethan Clauss, INF, Fr.

Las Vegas, Nev. (Palo Verde HS)

• Rated No. 65 on 2026 Prep Baseball Report list of Top 100 College Freshmen
• Rated No. 37 among the nation’s best high school shortstops and No. 105 among the nation’s best overall players by Perfect Game
• Hit .404 as a high school junior in 2024 with a .493 on-base percentage and a .614 slugging percentage

24 Seth Dardar, INF, RS-Sr.

Mandeville, La. (Holy Cross HS/Kansas State)

• Rated No. 91 on 2026 Baseball America list of Top 100 College Transfers
• Batted .326 (60-for-184) in 2025 at Kansas State with 18 doubles, 13 homers, 45 RBI and 39 runs … sidelined during the 2024 season due to injury
• Played two seasons (2022-23) at Columbia … batted .299 in 2023 with 11 doubles, one triple, eight homers and 32 RBI

30 Dax Dathe, RHP, RS-Sr.

Round Rock, Texas (Stoney Point HS/Angelo State)

• Pitched two seasons (2024-25) at Angelo State, posting an 18-5 mark and a 4.00 ERA in 157.2 innings with 61 walks and 208 strikeouts … voted 2024 and 2025 First-Team All-Lone Star Conference
• Recorded a 9-1 record and a 2.99 ERA in 2025, working 72.1 innings with 31 walks and 98 strikeouts
• Began his college career in 2020 at Houston before playing two seasons (2021-22) at Grayson College and one season (2023) at Texas Tech

34 Santiago Garcia, LHP, Jr.

Las Cruces, N.M. (Centennial HS/Oregon)

• Rated No. 38 on 2026 Baseball America list of Top 100 College Transfers … high school teammate of LSU shortstop Steven Milam at Centennial HS in Las Cruces, N.M.
• Made 22 relief appearances in 2025 at Oregon, posting a 3-0 mark and a 4.18 ERA in 28.0 innings with four saves, 18 walks and 38 strikeouts
• Pitched the 2024 season at Central Arizona CC, recording a 1-1 mark and 3.04 ERA in 23.2 innings with 38 strikeouts

14 Daniel Harden, OF, Jr.

Prairieville, La. (Catholic HS/McLennan CC)

• Hit .354 in his 2025 sophomore season at McLennan CC in Waco, Texas, with 16 doubles, three triples, 12 homers, 59 RBI, 80 runs and 21 steals … batted .274 as a freshman at McLennan CC in 2024 with 11 doubles, two triples, eight homers and 33 RBI
• Helped lead Catholic High to the 2022 baseball state title, and he played on two state championship Catholic High football teams

28 Danny Lachenmeyer, LHP, So.

Eagan, Minn. (Eagan HS/North Dakota State)

• Rated No. 32 on 2026 Baseball America list of Top 100 College Transfers
• Earned 2025 First-Team All-Summit League honors, recording nine saves and a 2.37 ERA in 38.0 innings (24 relief appearances) with 18 walks and 56 strikeouts
• Logged a season-high seven strikeouts, including four over the final two innings, to help NDSU win the 2025 Summit League Tournament championship game over Oral Roberts

22 Cooper Moore, RHP, Jr.

Bixby, Okla. (Bixby HS/Kansas)

• Rated No. 48 on 2026 Baseball America list of Top 100 College Transfers
• Made 44 career appearances (14 starts) in two seasons (2024-25) at Kansas, recording a 3.98 ERA in 122.0 innings with 32 walks and 116 strikeouts
• Voted 2025 Second-Team All-Big 12, as he was 7-3 (14 starts) with a 3.96 ERA in 88.2 innings, recording 19 walks and 85 strikeouts

23 William Patrick, OF, Fr.

Monroe, La. (St. Frederick HS)

• Rated No. 34 on 2026 Prep Baseball Report list of Top 100 College Freshmen
• Rated No. 26 among the nation’s best high school outfielders and No. 121 among the nation’s best overall players by Perfect Game … ranked as the No. 1 outfielder and the No. 2 overall player in the state of Louisiana by Perfect Game
• Ranked No. 90 on the MLB.com list of the Top Prospects for the 2025 MLB Draft … batted .472 in his 2025 senior high school season with a .607 on-base percentage and a 1.460 on-base plus slugging percentage … collected five homers, 13 doubles, three triples, 23 RBI, 44 runs and 27 stolen bases.

97 Marcos Paz, RHP, Fr.

Carrollton, Texas (Hebron HS)

• Rated No. 7 on 2026 Prep Baseball Report list of Top 100 College Freshmen
• Rated No. 22 among the nation’s best high school right-handed pitchers and No. 3 among the best RHP in the state of Texas by Perfect Game
• Ranked No. 90 on the MLB.com list of the Top Prospects for the 2025 MLB Draft … missed his senior high school season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in July 2024

38 Ethan Plog, LHP, So.

Green Bay, Wisc. (Bay Port HS/Iowa Western CC)

• Made 13 appearances (11 starts) as a freshman at Iowa Western CC in 2025, posting a 5-3 mark and a 5.94 ERA in 36.1 innings with 42 strikeouts
• Posted a breakout junior season at Bay Port High in 2023, when he was named the Fox River Classic Conference player … logged a 7-0 mark in nine starts and allowed just three earned runs in 50.1 innings while recording 84 strikeouts

35 Reagan Ricken, RHP, Fr.

Temecula, Calif. (Great Oak HS)

• Rated No. 80 on 2026 Prep Baseball Report list of Top 100 College Freshmen
• Ranked by Perfect Game as the No. 4 high school right-handed pitcher in the state of California and the No. 13 overall right-hander in the nation
• Rated by ESPN as the No. 121 prospect in the nation for the 2025 MLB Draft
• His fastball has topped out at 97 mph, and he also played quarterback for the Great Oak High football team

32 Jack Ruckert, INF, Fr.

Baton Rouge, La. (Catholic HS)

• Rated the 2025 No. 1 overall high school player in the state of Louisiana by Perfect Game … rated the nation’s No. 32 shortstop and the No. 83 overall player by Perfect Game
• Led Catholic High to the 2025 state title, hitting .372 with a .503 on-base percentage, seven home runs, six doubles, 35 RBI and 50 runs scored.

25 Omar Serna Jr., C, Fr.

Houston, Texas (Lutheran South Academy)

• Rated No. 15 on 2026 Prep Baseball Report list of Top 100 College Freshmen
• Rated as the nation’s No. 4 high school catcher by Perfect Game, and the No. 1 catcher in the state of Texas … also ranked as the nation’s No. 41 overall player by Perfect Game
• No. 132 on the MLB.com list of Top Prospects for the 2025 MLB Draft … hit .465 as a high school junior in 2024 with eight homers, 35 RBI and an .851 slugging percentage

10 Brayden Simpson, INF, Sr.

Moseley, Va. (Cosby HS/High Point)

• Played three seasons (2023-25) at High Point, batting .323 (171-for-530) with 46 doubles, two triples, 37 homers, 136 RBI, 143 runs and 29 stolen bases
• Voted 2025 NCBWA Third-Team All-American and First-Team All-Big South Conference after hitting .389 (91-for-234) with 24 doubles, 22 homers, 78 RBI, 75 runs and 14 stolen bases … played both first base and third base during the season
• Finished among the Top 10 in the nation in 2025 in doubles (24), slugging percentage (.774), total bases (181) and RBI (78)

50 Ryler Smart, LHP, RS-Fr.

Pearland, Texas (Pearland HS/Tennessee)

• Redshirted as a true freshman at Tennessee in 2025
• Rated by Perfect Game in 2024 as the No. 5 high school left-handed pitcher in the state of Texas and the nation’s No. 25 LHP

52 Zion Theophilus, RHP, Fr.

Cincinnati, Ohio (Moeller HS)

• Rated by Perfect Game in 2025 as the No. 1 high school right-handed pitcher in the state of Ohio and the nation’s No. 32 RHP
• Named the 2024 Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year in his junior season, when he posted a 10-1 mark and a 1.15 ERA in 55 innings with 86 strikeouts and three complete-game shutouts … fired a no-hitter vs. Elder High in his senior season, striking out 17 batters

33 Zach Yorke, INF, Sr.  

Campbell, Calif. (Mountain Ridge HS/Grand Canyon)

• Rated No. 34 on 2026 Baseball America list of Top 100 College Transfers
• Played three seasons (2023-25) at Grand Canyon, batting .328 (199-for-606) with 32 doubles, two triples, 32 homers, 157 RBI and 127 runs … holds the Grand Canyon career records for most homers (32) and RBI (157) in the school’s NCAA Division I era
• Started 48 games in 2025 (44 at first base, four at DH), batting .339 (59-for-174) with 10 doubles, one triple, 13 homers, 46 RBI and 36 runs