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Johnson Unveils Tigers’ Fall Baseball RosterJohnson Unveils Tigers’ Fall Baseball Roster

Johnson Unveils Tigers’ Fall Baseball Roster

LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson on Monday released the Tigers’ fall semester roster that includes the 21 members of the 2022 recruiting class that have joined the program.

  • BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson on Monday released the Tigers’ fall semester roster that includes the 21 members of the 2022 recruiting class that have joined the program.

    The class has been ranked No. 1 in the nation by Perfect Game, and the players in the class are eligible for the 2023 season.

    “Our entire staff worked tirelessly to put this class together,” Johnson said. “It features some of the top players in the country, and it will help accelerate our pursuit of getting the Tigers back to Omaha. There is high-end talent at every position all over this class, and it is a group that will complement the great group of returning players we will have in 2023.

    “This class reflects that there is no place better in America for the elite player to play college baseball. I know our fans will love seeing this group at ‘The Box’ in 2023 and beyond.

    “We’re very excited to begin the process of building our team, and do what we need to do to be prepared when we turn the corner for 2023. We’re very excited about the blend of new players with the returners. In my time as a coach, the biggest improvements I’ve seen from players has been between Year 1 and Year 2 in working with them in our program, so I’m really looking forward to working with the players we have back from last season.”

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Listed below are the members of LSU’s 2022 signing class:

Nate Ackenhausen, LHP – Owasso, Okla. (Owasso HS/Eastern Oklahoma State)

  • Posted an 8-1 record at Eastern Oklahoma State in 2022 with a 1.84 ERA, 14 walks and 89 strikeouts in 58.2 innings
  • Recorded 56 strikeouts and a 1.61 ERA in 28 innings at Eastern Oklahoma State in 2021

Kaleb Applebey, RHP – Mount Carmel, Ill. (Mount Carmel HS/Wabash Valley CC)

  • #2 Ranked Player in Illinois for Class of 2021 by Prep Baseball Report
  • Ranked as the No. 112 right-handed pitcher in the nation as a 2021 senior at Mt. Carmel (Ill.) High School

Nic Bronzini, LHP – San Ramon, Calif. (California HS)

  • #2 ranked left-handed pitcher in California by Perfect Game
  • Ranked nationally as No. 19 overall left-handed pitcher by Perfect Game

Micah Bucknam, RHP – Abbotsford, British Columbia (Mennonite Educational Institute)

  • Drafted in 16th Round of 2021 MLB Draft by Toronto Blue Jays
  • Ranked nationally as the No. 72 right-handed pitcher by Perfect Game

Ethan Frey, C/1B – Leesville, La. (Rosepine HS)

  • Ranked as the No. 1 catcher and the No. 2 overall player in the state of Louisiana by Perfect Game
  • 12 ranked catcher in the nation by Perfect Game

 Gavin Guidry, SS – Lake Charles, La. (Barbe HS)

  • #1 Ranked Player in Louisiana by Perfect Game for Class of 2022; played in Perfect Game All-American Classic
  • Ranked nationally as the No. 13 shortstop and No. 65 overall prospect by Perfect Game
  • Member of the 2021 18U Team USA National Team

Griffin Herring, LHP – Southlake, Texas (Southlake HS)

  • No. 3 ranked left-handed pitcher in Texas by Perfect Game
  • Ranked nationally as No. 28 left-handed pitcher by Perfect Game

Thatcher Hurd, RHP – Manhattan Beach, Calif. (Mira Costa HS/UCLA)

  • Made nine appearances – including six starts – in 2022 as a true freshman at UCLA, posting a 2-0 record with a 1.06 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 34 innings while limiting opponents to a .138 batting average.
  • The nation’s ninth-ranked pitcher and the No. 1 pitcher in the state of California as a senior at Mira Costa High School

 Jared Jones, C – Marietta, Ga. (Walton HS)

  • No. 4 ranked catcher nationally and No. 1 ranked catcher in Georgia by Perfect Game; played in Perfect Game All-American Classic
  • Ranked nationally as the No. 47 overall prospect by Perfect Game

Paxton Kling, OF – Roaring Springs, Pa. (Central HS)

  • Ranked as the No. 6 overall prospect in the nation by Perfect Game
  • No. 2 ranked player in Pennsylvania by Perfect Game for Class of 2022; played in Perfect Game All-American Classic
  • Member of 2021 18U USA National Team

Christian Little, RHP – St. Louis, Mo. (Christian Brother College/Vanderbilt)

  • Pitched the past two seasons at Vanderbilt, where he made 32 appearances (14 starts) and posted a 4.65 ERA with 95 strikeouts in 81.1 innings.
  • Rated in high school as the nation’s No. 5 right-handed pitcher by Perfect Game.

Aiden Moffett, RHP – Mount Olive, Miss. (Taylorsville HS)

  • No. 1 ranked right-handed pitcher in Mississippi for Class of 2022
  • Ranked nationally as the No. 56 right-handed pitcher by Perfect Game

 Brady Neal, C – Tallahassee, Fla. (IMG Academy)

  • Selected in the 17th round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers
  • No. 1 ranked catcher in Florida for Class of 2022; played in Perfect Game All-American Classic
  • Ranked nationally as the No. 2 catcher and the No. 29 overall prospect by Perfect Game

Ben Nippolt, INF – St. Paul, Minn. (Mounds Park Academy/Des Moines Area CC/Virginia Commonwealth)

  • 2022 First Team All-Atlantic 10 at VCU, which claimed the A-10 title
  • Appeared in 51 games, including 45 starts, batting .308 with a .430 on-base percentage and a .407 slugging percentage; collected 53 hits, including nine doubles, a triple, two home runs, 48 runs and 31 RBI

 Jaden Noot, RHP – Oak Park, Calif. (Sierra Canyon HS)

  • Selected in the 19th round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers
  • No. 1 ranked right-handed pitcher in California for Class of 2022; played in Perfect Game All-American Classic
  • Ranked nationally as the No. 8 right-handed pitcher and the No. 33 overall prospect by Perfect Game

Mic Paul, OF – Salt Lake City, Utah (Olympus HS)

  • #1 Ranked OF in Utah for Class of 2022
  • Ranked as the No. 69 outfielder in the nation by Perfect Game

DJ Primeaux, LHP – Baton Rouge, La. (Central HS)

  • Ranked as the No. 1 left-handed pitcher and the No. 7 overall player in the state of Louisiana by Perfect Game
  • 90 ranked left-handed pitcher in the nation by Perfect Game

 Zeb Ruddell, OF – Monroe, La. (Neville HS)

  • No. 3 ranked player and No. 1 outfielder in Louisiana for Class of 2022
  • Ranked nationally as No. 54 outfielder by Perfect Game

Chase Shores, RHP – Midland, Texas (Midland Lee HS)

  • No. 1 ranked right-handed pitcher in Texas for Class of 2022 by Perfect Game; played in Perfect Game All-American Classic
  • Ranked nationally as No. 23 overall prospect and No. 5 right-handed pitcher by Perfect Game

 Paul Skenes, RHP/UTL – Lake Forest, Calif. (El Toro HS/Air Force)

  • Ranked No. 25 in the D1Baseball.com listing of the top college prospects for the 2023 MLB Draft; earned first-team 2022 All-America recognition at Air Force.
  • Recorded a 2.96 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 85.2 innings (15 starts) in 2022, limiting opponents to a .224 batting average; also batted .314 with 10 doubles, 13 homers and 38 RBI.

Tommy White, 3B – St. Pete Beach, Fla. (IMG Academy/North Carolina State)

  • 2022 Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Year at North Carolina State
  • White hit .362 in 2022 with 85 hits, 12 doubles, 27 home runs, 74 RBIs and a .757 slugging percentage, setting the NCAA freshman record for homers in a season