BATON ROUGE, La. – Former LSU pitcher Zack Hess received his college degree Friday after participating in the Academic Center for Student-Athletes Project Graduation program.
The mission of Project Graduation is to assist former LSU student-athletes with completing graduation requirements by providing counseling and information. The commitment to assist former student-athletes in obtaining a degree is always honored, no matter the length of time since they last attended LSU.
Hess was selected in the seventh round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers, and the right-hander has pitched four seasons in the club’s minor league organization.
He graduated from LSU with a degree in interdisciplinary studies, completing his remaining courses fully online.
Hess, a product of Forest, Va., pitched three seasons at LSU (2017-19), posting an 18-12 record and six saves in 66 appearances (32 starts) with a 4.42 ERA. He recorded 114 walks and 272 strikeouts in 224.0 career innings.
He earned 2017 Freshman All-America honors as one of the nation’s top relievers, registering a 7-1 record, four saves and a 3.12 ERA in 30 appearances (six starts) with 30 walks and 83 strikeouts in 60.2 innings.
He pitched brilliantly out of the bullpen in the 2017 College World Series, appearing in five of the Tigers’ seven games while recording three saves and 11 strikeouts in 7.0 innings.
Hess was a three-time member of the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll, and he was presented with the 2019 LSU Wally Pontiff Jr. Scholar-Athlete Award for his achievements both on the field and in the classroom.