Ranking LSU baseball's best five players in the 2025 NCAA Tournament
LSU baseball won its eighth national championship on Sunday. For Jay Johnson and the Tigers, it was their second national title in three years. This team didn't carry the same star power as 2023 -- though Jay Johnson would tell you otherwise -- but the Tigers still got star performances from key players throughout the NCAA Tournament.
The starting pitching was stellar, particularly against Coastal Carolina in the College World Series finals. The one-two punch of Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson worked well into every game they could, which kept the Tigers' bullpen fresh.
LSU showcased a few different lineups throughout the run, with Johnson not afraid to mix things up. The Tigers got contributions from top to bottom, helping the Tigers go 5-0 in Omaha, the first team to do so since 2013.
Timely hitting was the key for the Tigers' bats, with LSU coming through time and time again in two-out situations and runners on base.
Here are the top five players for LSU baseball in the 2025 NCAA Tournament and College World Series.
5. Outfielder Chris Stanfield
Stanfield showed his experience level on the biggest stage when LSU needed him most. In regionals, he batted in three runs against Dallas Baptist and scored two runs in the opener against Little Rock. Stanfield's success continued in Omaha as he totaled two RBI in the College World Series opener against Arkansas. In the championship clinching game versus Coastal Carolina, he batted in two RBI and crossed the plate himself.
The everyday center fielder, Stanfield flashed the leather multiple times even while dealing with odd winds inside Charles Schwab Stadium. He finished the NCAA Tournament with 12 total bases, nine hits, and eight RBI.
4. First basemen Jared Jones
The team's go-to slugger, Jones racked up 24 total bases in the NCAA Tournament and finished with four multi-hit games. Even when he seemed to be in a slump, Jones found a way to come through when his team needed it most.
Against UCLA, Jones hit a three-run home run to put the Tigers ahead for good before the postponement. In the back-and-forth contest between Arkansas, Jones hit a solo shot to tie the game and knocked in the game-winning run with a walk-off RBI single to send LSU to the College World Series finals.
3. Shortstop Steven Milam
In a lineup that experienced plenty of changes during the postseason, Milam remained a fixture in the top half. He racked up 15 hits and 13 RBI during the NCAA Tournament. His biggest moment was a grand slam against West Virginia in the Baton Rouge Super Regional.
Even when Milam didn't reach base, he gave quality at bats that forced opposing pitchers into extra work. He remained reliable at shortstop, helping the Tigers keep the base paths clear with solid defensive play.
2. Outfielder Derek Curiel
In his first collegiate postseason, Curiel finished his true freshman year as strong as he started it. He finished 2025 on a seven-game hitting streak with 35 total bases plus walks combined. he hit a three-run homer against West Virginia in the super regional and batted in two runs against Coastal Carolina in game two of the finals.
Curiel's status as a true freshman means little compared to his contributions to winning the national championship. He played like a veteran all year with discipline in his plate approaches and communication as the every day left fielder.
1. Pitcher Kade Anderson
LSU's success in the NCAA Tournament started with its ace. Anderson made four starts and only got better as play wore on. Aside from allowing seven runs to West Virginia in a heavy offensive night for both teams during super regionals, Anderson surrendered just one across 23 innings. He picked up 35 strikeouts in during the tournament.
Anderson capped his LSU career with a complete game shutout in game one of the College World Series finals against Coastal Carolina. His durability preserved the Tigers' bullpen for what could've been two more contests. The left-hander persevered with runners on base and propelled his team to the
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC Sports
29 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Angels' Christian Moore puts majors on notice with 2 big homers exactly 1 year after CWS triumph
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Christian Moore made it to the big leagues less than 11 months after the Los Angeles Angels drafted him. A mere 10 days after he got that call, Moore felt he truly arrived when he hit two clutch homers to beat the Red Sox. Moore hit a tying solo homer in the eighth inning and a two-run shot in the 10th inning of the Angels' 3-2 victory over Boston. The walk-off homer capped a remarkable moment for the energetic No. 8 overall pick who could be a fixture in the Halos' lineup for years to come. Moore's new teammates celebrated his second blast by tearing the jersey off his back at home plate before dousing the Brooklyn native with two ice-cold coolers of sports drinks during his postgame interview. 'It means the world to me to be here in this situation,' said Moore, the Angels' top prospect. 'It's a full, complete circle, obviously. The Angels saw something in me at last year's draft, and they continue to see something in me, and I'm going to continue to go out there and try to win games.' One year to the day after Moore's Tennessee Volunteers won the College World Series, the second baseman had the biggest game of his promising professional career. The Angels already are sold on Moore's ability to thrive in the majors. 'He's going to be here for long time,' Angels shortstop Zach Neto said. 'For him to be able to do that in the eighth inning with that swing, and have the confidence to be able to do it again in the 10th, just shows who he is. We drafted him for a reason, and he's here for a reason.' Moore's big game didn't start out superbly, with fellow ex-Vol Garrett Crochet striking him out twice. But Moore learned from the challenges of facing one of the majors' best pitchers, and he came through with a pair of clutch homers off the Boston bullpen. 'Those were two really special (at-bats),' Angels acting manager Ray Montgomery said. 'To do that here is really fun for him. ... He has that youthful sort of exuberance that's refreshing, because there's just so much energy.' Moore first connected on a high fastball from Greg Weissert in the eighth, wiping out Boston's 1-0 lead that Crochet nursed through seven innings. After Marcelo Mayer led off the 10th with an RBI single for Boston, Moore ended it in the bottom half with a one-out homer off Justin Wilson. The drive hit the elevated wall in right field at Angel Stadium just barely above the yellow line signifying a homer, and Moore thought he only had a triple until he was waved home. 'I didn't believe it,' Moore said with a grin. 'I was kind of scared to get off the base, but the umpire made it pretty serious that it was a home run, so I was like, 'All right, I'm going to take your word for it and go celebrate with my boys. That's cool with me.'' The Angels aggressively have promoted their top prospects under general manager Perry Minasian, calling up Neto and first baseman Nolan Schanuel well before the industry norms. While Neto rounded into an elite player quickly, Schanuel needed a couple of years before he began contributing at an above-average level this season. Los Angeles is hoping Moore can quickly master the challenges of the majors after just 305 at-bats in the minors. Moore figures this big game will provide a boost to his confidence and competitiveness. 'It was definitely huge,' Moore said. 'If you look at (my offensive) numbers before today, it wasn't too good. I think that's just part of it, being young and trying to figure it out in this league. I think there's just a lot of good arms. Facing Garrett Crochet, he's definitely tough. I think it's (the same) for a lot of guys that are young. We're finding our way for sure, and we're going to keep doing it.'
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Auburn football among top schools for top-10 TE JC Anderson
After missing out on Kaiden Prothro and Xavier Tiller, Auburn shifts focus to another elite tight end. Thankful for it all 🖤11 am @ Mt. Zion Highschool ‼️ Auburn is working to rebuild its 2026 class after losing several key pledges. Hugh Freeze and his staff received good news on Tuesday when New Zealand offensive tackle Nikau Hepi announced his commitment to the program shortly after receiving an offer at a recent camp. Auburn's good fortune could continue next week as a four-star tight end lists Auburn as a finalist. JC Anderson, a four-star tight end from Mt. Zion, Illinois, revealed this week that he will announce his commitment on Tuesday, July 1, and that Auburn remains in the running alongside Ole Miss and Illinois. Those three schools were the only ones that Anderson took official visits to, with his visit to Auburn taking place during the weekend of June 6. While there, Anderson shared the content of his conversation with tight ends coach Ben Aigamaua, and what pitch he received from the Tigers with Auburn Undercover. "(Augamaua has) been showing me how they're going to use me from the beginning. He's all about the core values of the family of Auburn and how he's going to not only grow me as a player, but as a man and as a future husband and father too," Anderson said via Auburn Undercover. "That hits deep. He's a great dude and he knows me pretty well and I know him pretty well." Now that Auburn is a finalist, where do they stand with Anderson ahead of next week's big day? 247Sports insider David Johnson has logged the only crystal ball prediction for Anderson, choosing Ole Miss on June 24. On3's Recruiting Prediction Machine also favors Ole Miss, giving Lane Kiffin and the Rebels an 87.5% chance to land him. Illinois follows Ole Miss at 4.8%, with Auburn next at 1.9%. Anderson is viewed as Auburn's last chance to grab a 2026 tight end. Auburn's other targets, Xavier Tiller and Kaiden Prothro, have moved on from Auburn after Tiller committed to Florida State and Prothro left Auburn off his top-three list. The Tigers signed Ryan Ghea and Hollis Davidson during the 2025 cycle, and view those players as the future of the position. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
The U.S. revoked visas from a top basketball player's country. How the NBA kept his dream alive.
When Khaman Maluach's freshman season at Duke University ended in April, the biggest question about the 7-foot-2 big man's ability to play in the NBA had nothing to do with his shooting, size or skill. It had everything to do with his passport. Advertisement His enormous wingspan and potential made Maluach, who was born in South Sudan and raised in Uganda, the youngest player at last summer's Paris Olympics, playing for the South Sudanese national team while sharing the court with U.S. stars such as Kevin Durant and Bam Adebayo. Months later, after an all-conference season at Duke, there appeared little keeping him with nimble feet and shot-blocking prowess from the NBA. Yet on April 5, hours before the Blue Devils lost in the national semifinals of the NCAA men's basketball tournament and nearly three months before the NBA draft, that future appeared in flux. All visas held by South Sudanese passport holders were being revoked, the State Department announced. Questions immediately arose about whether Maluach would be eligible to be selected. But thanks to a little-known division of the NBA few have heard of, he's set to walk across the Barclays Center stage in Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday night. 'People always ask me: 'What do you do at the NBA? What do international basketball operations do?'' Troy Justice, the NBA's senior vice president and head of international basketball, said in an interview. 'And we say we make dreams come true. We give people an opportunity that wouldn't have it otherwise.' Maluach celebrates against Mount St. Mary's in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Raleigh, N.C., on March 21. (Zachary Taft / Imagn Images file) For more than three decades, the NBA has made its mission exporting basketball to the world. In 1992, as a 'Dream Team' of NBA players dominated the Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, and became a billboard for the league's star power globally, the league had just 21 international players. By last fall, a record-tying 125 — from a record-tying 43 countries — accounted for nearly one-third of the league. The league 'expects that to continue to grow and expand,' Justice said. Advertisement The demographic changes have reshaped the league. Though 48 of the first 49 Most Valuable Player award winners in NBA history hailed from the United States, 10 of the last 21 MVP awards have gone to foreign-born stars, including each of the last seven. When the Thunder's NBA championship parade passed through the streets of Oklahoma City on Tuesday, the title trophy was held by players from seven countries, including Canadian-born MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. As the NBA has brought basketball to the world, the often-thorny logistics of bringing the world's players to the NBA have fallen to the league's arm of international basketball operations. Its staff of 38, operating out of offices in 14 countries, have expertise in immigration law and visa issues, as well as relationships with governments around the world, that have allowed the league to grow those global ambitions. 'What we're seeing right now is at a time in which all the domestic leagues, NBA and WNBA included, are expanding their international footprint, the population of the world is growing and immigration processes are becoming more complicated,' said Travis Murphy, an immigration consultant to the NBA and former diplomat. 'And so it really is kind of this perfect storm of the global growth of leagues seeking to broaden their footprint, expand into more countries. At the same time, it's more difficult than ever to travel around the world. And that's not just international passports coming into the States. It's also U.S. passports.' By creating basketball 'schools' for youth players, as well as establishing Basketball Without Borders camps and academies abroad for elite-level teenagers, the NBA has tried to build, in effect, a funnel to discover and then develop its next generation of players. Justice said the NBA's international reach extends to 30 million coaches, referees and youth players annually. Advertisement Among them is Maluach. Born in Rumbek, South Sudan, Maluach fled the country with his mother and a few siblings at a young age for Uganda, where he was raised playing primarily soccer, with the nearest basketball court from his home a 40-minute walk away. He did not begin playing basketball until 2019, at age 12, after he was spotted by a scout who worked with the NBA's African operations. The scout called Brendan McKillop, an NBA associate vice president and head of Elite Basketball, to share that he might have found a prospect. By 14, Maluach had earned a spot in a Senegal-based academy operated by the NBA, whose feeder program eventually placed him on rosters in the NBA's Basketball Africa League, playing for teams based in South Sudan, Senegal and Uganda. As he improved, the NBA continued to open more doors, from participating in Basketball Without Borders camps, where he won most valuable player, to in front of NBA scouts at the league's annual minor-league showcase and later at a showcase during its All-Star weekend last year. At each stop, the NBA's international operations team worked to smooth his travel from one country to the next, just as it does with all of its international players. That work continued this spring after the State Department's action against South Sudan, as Maluach stayed in the United States to train ahead of the draft. Advertisement 'We've been on this journey ... with Khaman since age 14, and we're going to continue on this journey with him through the rest of his career, and we'll continue on this journey with him post his career,' Justice said. 'These are lifelong commitments that we make to all of our international players.' Maluach and Houston forward Ja'Vier reach for a rebound in the NCAA Tournament semifinals in San Antonio on April 5. (Robert Deutsch / Imagn Images file) When Maluach arrived in the United States last summer, after having played in the Olympics, he held an F-1 visa, commonly used for international student-athletes in the United States. When that visa was no longer valid after three months, Maluach's I-20 kept him legally in status. Because of the fluctuating policies in the United States that added South Sudan to the travel ban list, he has not been able to leave the country since President Donald Trump took office in January. Trump signed a proclamation this month banning nationals from 12 countries from entering the United States, and the State Department later reportedly signaled it was considering expanding the travel ban. South Sudan was among the countries potentially affected. As Maluach's lone season at Duke ended, the NBA began paperwork for him to receive a B-1/B-2 business tourist visa, which is pending, according to the league. Should Maluach be drafted Wednesday or Thursday as expected, the NBA will begin the process of acquiring either a P-1 visa — the typical professional athlete visa for the United States — or the Canadian version if he is drafted by the Toronto Raptors. Advertisement Though Maluach entered the United States legally and was never considered in danger of being deported despite the State Department's revocation of South Sudanese visas, the Trump administration's policies toward South Sudan have added a layer of complexity to his professional future, nonetheless. If he is drafted by one of the 29 U.S.-based NBA teams, he would still travel internationally to Canada, to face the Raptors, and potentially elsewhere for preseason or regular-season games, and that travel would require additional steps for him to re-enter the country every time he leaves. The league would start by filing a petition through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that would last the length of his initial contract. But every time he would want to return to the United States, he would first be required to interview at a U.S. embassy. Whereas the NBA once handled around 400 immigration and visa cases a year, Justice said, it now handles well over 2,000. Ensuring players' movement around the world requires close relationships with multiple governments, starting with the United States. Living in the United States while holding a passport from a country whose visas have been revoked or could face a travel ban creates immense uncertainty. But 'it's less of a nightmare for athletes, because there's the blanket exemption for athletes coming to participate in major sports competitions,' said Jeff Joseph, the president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. The NBA helped lobby the U.S. government to create its 'national interest' exemption in the summer of 2020 to help its players return from abroad to take part in the restart of the season amid the pandemic, Murphy said. The NBA has managed its relationship with the U.S. government through multiple administrations in part by acting as a diplomatic partner. It has created a 'Hoops for Troops' program, and its works have involved former NBA and WNBA players in a sports envoy program sponsored by a division of the State Department. Advertisement Organizing travel has become more complicated, Murphy said, 'not necessarily because of any one administration, but more just a reflection of the global immigration landscape.' Asked how the State Department works with professional sports leagues to approve visas for foreign-born players, a spokesperson for the agency said, in part, that "every applicant for a U.S. visa undergoes extensive security screening to ensure that individuals who pose a threat to the United States, its citizens, or its national interests do not obtain visas. This comprehensive screening continues throughout the validity period of the visa." Though the NBA officially entered its offseason Monday, the work doesn't end for the international operations team's work handling visas and immigration and growing its grassroots base. Along with this week's NBA draft, the league is hosting this week a "rising stars' tournament featuring youth players from 11 countries. Next month, its annual Summer League takes place in Las Vegas. There is also a volunteer coach program run by the Basketball Africa League and a handful of other commitments requiring the work of the international operations group. 'It's this whole process because it very much matters where the individual is from and what passport they hold,' Murphy said. 'And so it may be a Nigerian athlete that we're trying to get into Singapore, and those requirements might be different than what it is for an American or a different nationality. Advertisement 'So it's managing that, navigating that, making sure you have the right information and then building those relationships with embassies, consulates and foreign governments, as well as our own U.S. government, to make sure that you can get things done when the time comes.' On Tuesday, the night before Maluach was expected to be drafted and learn which city he will soon call home, Justice and others inside the NBA's international operations staff took Maluach and a few of his siblings to dinner. To McKillop, who first met Maluach as a raw, 14-year-old soccer player, draft night is not only a celebration for players who are selected but also 'the culmination of years and years of work for our NBA Academy staff based around the world, who spend almost every minute of every day with them.' 'I don't think Khaman would ever say this, but he has not had an easy life, going from South Sudan to Uganda, moving thousands of miles away from his family at age 14,' McKillop added. 'And then he gets to this point where, especially in today's college basketball landscape, where schools are lining up to throw hundreds of thousands of dollars at him, and as he's having success, agents are clamoring to represent him, and when kids are put into that situation, it's easy for them to forget who they are and where they came from. Advertisement 'And that is not a concern at all when it comes to Khaman; he is as humble a young man that has ever come through this program. We are thrilled that he has this opportunity in front of him.' An opportunity made possible, behind the scenes, by the NBA. This article was originally published on
