LSU Baseball Is No. 1 In USA Today’s Preseason Poll; Previously No. 1 By Perfect Game

TIGER RAG NEWS SERVICES

LSU is ranked No. 1 in the nation in the 2026 USA Today Baseball Coaches Preseason Poll released on Tuesday, representing the Tigers’ fourth Top two ranking since last month.

LSU was rated No. 1 by Perfect Game, No. 2 by D1 Baseball and No. 2 by Baseball America in preseason polls released in January.

The 2026 season starts on Friday, February 13, when LSU plays host to Milwaukee at 2 p.m. in Alex Box Stadium on SEC Network +.

LSU Baseball TV Schedule Set For 2026 Season

Head coach Jay Johnson, who has directed the Tigers to the 2023 and 2025 National Championships in his four-season LSU tenure, enters his fifth season with a very talented squad that has 19 returning players and 20 newcomers on its roster.

The reigning national champions feature seven returning position players with starting experience at LSU, and 10 hurlers who have recorded innings for the Tigers.

Zach Yorke is a big reason why LSU should hit more than 103 home runs (39th in the country last year with 1.5 a game) this season:https://t.co/WofCW2UxAb

— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) February 2, 2026

The 20-player class of newcomers is composed of eight NCAA Division I transfers, one NCAA Division II transfer, two transfers from junior colleges and nine high school signees. Five LSU rookies have been ranked among the Prep Baseball Report’s top 100 college freshmen, and another six newcomers appear on Baseball America’s top 100 transfers.

LSU is one of nine Southeastern Conference teams appearing in the USA Today 2026 Preseason Top 25, along with No. 3 Texas, No. 5 Arkansas, No. 6 Mississippi State, No. 9 Auburn, No. 13 Georgia, No. 15 Tennessee, No. 16 Florida and No. 18 Vanderbilt.