BATON ROUGE, La. – Pitcher Garrett Edwards and infielder Ben Nippolt, both members of LSU’s 2023 National Championship baseball team, received degrees Friday as graduation ceremonies were held on campus.
Edwards, a right-hander from Pitkin, La., earned a degree in sport administration, and Nippolt, a product of St. Paul, Minn., earned an interdisciplinary studies degree.
Academic achievement continues to be a cornerstone of the LSU baseball program, as 122 student-athletes have earned degrees over the past 17 years. In addition, LSU baseball players have received SEC Academic Honor Roll recognition on 183 occasions since 2007.
Edwards pitched at LSU from 2021-23, appearing in 43 games (three starts) while posting a 6-2 record, five saves and a 3.29 ERA in 68.1 innings with 23 walks and 70 strikeouts.
He pitched very effectively in 2023 over 10 relief appearances before suffering a season-ending elbow injury in early April, posting a 4-0 record, one save and a 1.93 ERA in 23.1 innings with five walks, 27 strikeouts and a .184 opponent batting average.
As a freshman, he recorded a superb relief effort versus Central Connecticut in the 2021 NCAA Eugene (Ore.) Regional, firing 5.0 shutout innings and allowing two hits with no walks and four strikeouts.
A two-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, Edwards was selected in the 11th round of the 2023 MLB Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays, and he has pitched this season in the club’s minor league organization.
Nippolt played as an infielder at LSU for two seasons (2023-24), appearing in 76 games (14 starts) and collecting 11 hits, one double, 10 RBI and 15 runs.
He was an All-Atlantic 10 selection in 2022 at Virginia Commonwealth, where he hit .308 with nine doubles, one triple, two homers, 31 RBI and 48 runs.
Nippolt batted .318 in 2021 at Des Moines (Iowa) Area Community College with one homer, 45 RBI, 48 runs 12 steals and 39 walks, earning JUCO All-Conference recognition.