LSU Gold
Position
Right-handed Pitcher
Height
6'6
Weight
219
Class
Junior
Hometown
Forest, Va.
B/T
R
High School
Liberty Christian Academy

2019 LSU Wally Pontiff Jr. Scholar-Athlete Award
2019 SEC Academic Honor Roll
2018 U.S. Collegiate National Team Member 
2018 SEC Academic Honor Roll
2017 Freshman All-American (NCBWA)
SEC Co-Freshman of the Week (May 22, 2017) 
2017 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll
2017 Second-Team All-Louisiana

MLB Draft: 7th Round in 2019 (Detroit Tigers) 
34th Round in 2018 (Atlanta Braves)
35th Round in 2016 (New York Yankees)
 
One of the top power arms in America that came to LSU in the fall of 2016 after being drafted by the New York Yankees … enjoyed a tremendous 2017 freshman season for the Tigers, working the early part of the year as a mid-week starter before making a move to the Tigers’ bullpen on April 4 … moved into LSU’s weekend starting rotation in 2018 and worked as a starter deep into the 2019 season before finishing his collegiate career by resuming his role as a closer … has two plus pitches — his fastball which has been reached 96 mph — and a wipeout slider … works on the mound with intense focus and a lot of competitive zeal … Hess was dominant in three starts for the U.S. Collegiate National Team in the summer of 2018, allowing no runs on three hits in nine innings with no walks and six strikeouts … a member of the 2018 SEC Academic Honor Roll and the 2017 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll as an interdisciplinary studies major … was awarded the 2019 LSU Wally Pontiff Jr. Scholar-Athlete Award for his achievements both on the field and in the classroom.

2019 Season
Appeared in 19 games (10 starts), posting a 4-5 mark, two saves and a 4.71 ERA with 82 strikeouts in 70.2 innings … worked most of the season as LSU’s No. 1 weekend starter, but moved to the bullpen beginning with the May 3-5 series versus Ole Miss … winning pitcher in NCAA Baton Rouge Regional second round game (June 1) vs. Southern Miss, working the final three innings and allowing one run on two hits with one walk and four strikeouts … fired four shutout relief innings vs. Mississippi State (May 22) in SEC Tournament with two walks and five strikeouts … earned save on May 17 versus Auburn, working two perfect innings with two strikeouts … picked up his first save of the season on May 14 vs. New Orleans, working 1.1 innings and allowing two runs on two hits with one walk and three strikeouts … earned a relief win over Ole Miss on May 3, working four innings (55 pitches) and allowing one run on three hits with one walk and seven strikeouts … suffered a pulled groin muscle in the first inning at Missouri (April 12) and had to leave the game … pitched in relief the following weekend vs. Florida (April 20), working 2.1 shutout innings with two hits and three strikeouts … excellent starting outing on April 5 vs. Texas A&M, limiting the Aggies to one run on five hits in six innings with five strikeouts … delivered a superb performance on March 22, as he posted a dominating win over fifth-ranked Georgia in Athens … Hess blanked the Bulldogs through eight innings, scattering eight hits with no walks and nine strikeouts … strong outing on March 16 vs. Kentucky (118 pitches) – 7.0 IP, one run on four hits with six walks and six strikeouts … worked 5.2 innings on March 8 vs. California (101 pitches), limiting the Bears to two earned runs on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts.

2018 Season
Appeared in 17 games (16 starts), posting a 7-6 record and a 5.05 ERA in 92.2 innings with 49 walks and 107 strikeouts … ranked No. 6 in the SEC in strikeouts with 107 … pitched brilliantly in a win over Arkansas in the SEC Tournament (May 26), limiting the Razorbacks to one run on one hit in seven innings with two walks and seven strikeouts … in wins over Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Tennessee in consecutive weeks (March 29, April 5, April 13), Hess was 3-0 with a 0.83 ERA in 21.2 innings, and he allowed just two earned runs on 10 hits with eight walks and 23 strikeouts in that span … defeated Tennessee on April 13, limiting the Vols to one run on three hits in seven innings with one walk and eight strikeouts … earned win at Texas A&M (April 5), limiting the Aggies to four hits in eight shutout innings with three walks and five strikeouts … posted win over Mississippi State (March 29), limiting the Bulldogs to one run on three hits in 6.2 innings with 10 strikeouts … defeated Missouri (March 16) in his first career SEC start, limiting Mizzou to two runs on three hits in six innings with eight strikeouts … defeated Toledo (March 2), limiting the Rockets to one run on six hits in seven innings with no walks and 13 strikeouts; Hess became the first LSU pitcher to record 13 Ks since Alex Lange versus Kentucky on March 28, 2015 … earned win versus Texas (Feb 23), allowing two runs on five hits in six innings with two walks and 10 strikeouts.

2017 Season
Made a team-high 30 appearances (six starts) on the mound, posting a 7-1 record and a 3.12 ERA in 60.2 innings with 30 walks, 83 strikeouts and a .182 opponent batting average … worked the first two months of the 2017 season as the Tigers’ mid-week starter, but moved to the bullpen in early April … after moving to the bullpen — beginning with LSU’s April 4 game vs. Grambling — he worked 32.1 innings in 22 appearances and allowed nine earned runs (2.51 ERA) on 19 hits with 18 walks and 48 strikeouts … pitched brilliantly in the 2017 College World Series as a reliever, appearing in five of the Tigers’ seven games while recording three saves and 11 strikeouts in seven innings … recorded a strikeout in the ninth inning with two runners on in LSU’s 5-4 CWS-opening win over Florida State (June 17) to earn a save … earned second CWS save on June 21 versus Florida State, firing one scoreless inning with three strikeouts in 7-4 win … earned third CWS save on June 23 versus Oregon State, firing 1.2 scoreless innings with four strikeouts in 3-1 win … worked the final 1.2 scoreless innings in 6-1 CWS semifinal win versus Oregon State (June 24) to send LSU into the CWS Finals … picked up relief win in Game 1 of NCAA Super Regional vs. Mississippi State (June 10), blanking the Bulldogs over final 1.1 innings with one hit, no walks and one strikeout … recorded the strikeout to end the game and preserve the 4-3 win with the tying run at third base … pitched a combined three innings in two NCAA Regional appearances, allowing one run on one hit with one walk and seven strikeouts … pitched a shutout ninth inning versus Rice in Regional title game (June 4), allowing no hits with three strikeouts … worked a combined 1.1 innings in two SEC Tournament appearances vs. Missouri and Arkansas, allowing on unearned run on one hit with one walk and two strikeouts … named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week on May 22 after making two appearances in LSU’s three-game sweep of Mississippi State (May 18-20), working a combined 4.2 shutout innings with two hits, one walk and eight strikeouts … he earned the save in LSU’s Game 2 victory, which clinched the SEC Western Division title for the Tigers, by firing 3.2 shutout innings with two hits, one walk and six strikeouts … Hess also worked the eighth inning in Game 1 of the series, retiring all three batters he faced with two strikeouts to hold a 3-1 LSU lead … credited with relief win on May 12 vs. Auburn, working 1.1 innings and allowing one unearned run on two hits with one walk and two strikeouts … earned relief win in LSU’s 10-inning victory over South Carolina (May 7), firing1.1 scoreless innings while allowing one hit … excellent relief effort at Alabama (April 28), working 2.2 scoreless innings with no hits, one walk and five strikeouts … picked up relief win at Kentucky (April 21), working 3.1 shutout innings with one hit, two walks and one strikeout … solid relief effort versus Ole Miss (April 15) in LSU’s 3-2 victory – entered the game in the seventh inning and worked 1.1 scoreless innings, allowing two hits with no walks and three strikeouts … fired 1.2 shutout innings vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (April 11), allowing one hit with no walks and four strikeouts; entered the game in the sixth inning with runners at second and third and one out, and he recorded two straight Ks to end the UL-Lafayette threat … tied his season high with seven strikeouts in five innings of work versus Tulane (March 28); fired a season-high 87 pitches in that outing … earned win over Southeastern Louisiana (March 22), limiting the Lions to one run on two hits in four innings with two walks and four strikeouts … defeated Louisiana College (March 14), firing six scoreless innings with one hit, no walks and seven strikeouts; threw 5.2 perfect innings before allowing an infield single … picked up first collegiate win vs. Hofstra (Feb. 22), firing five shutout innings and allowing two hits with two walks and strikeouts.

Prior to LSU
Named a 2016 Perfect Game first-team All-American … rated among Baseball America’s Top 400 college prospects … posted a 7-1 record in his senior year at Liberty Christian Academy with a 0.60 ERA, 110 strikeouts and 11 walks in 58.2 innings … a two-time first-team all-state selection in Virginia.

Personal
Full name is Zachary Tyler Hess … parents are Karl and April Hess … father is a family and marriage counselor, and he works as an NCAA Division I basketball official; mother is a real estate agent … father played basketball at Liberty University from 1976-80 … has one older brother, Nate … says he chose to attend LSU for the opportunity to work with pitching coach Alan Dunn and the chance to win a national championship … majoring in interdisciplinary studies at LSU … born February 25, 1997, in Lynchburg, Va

Hess’ LSU Career Highs
Innings: 8.0 at Texas A&M (4/5/18); at Georgia (3/22/19)
Strikeouts: 13 vs. Toledo (3/2/18)
Hits Allowed: 11 at Mississippi State (3/28/19)
Runs: 9 at Oregon State (6/2/18)
Earned Runs: 8 two times; most recently at Oregon State (6/2/18)
Walks: 6 vs. Notre Dame (2/17/18); vs. Kentucky (3/16/19)

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