Projecting LSU baseball's starting pitching rotation for the 2026 season
The duo was arguably the top pitching tandem in the country. Anderson threw 119 innings with a 3.18 ERA. He led college baseball with 180 strikeouts and capped his LSU career with a complete game shutout vs. Coastal Carolina in the College World Series final.
Eyanson was equally impressive. He tossed 108 innings to the tune of a 3.00 ERA. He struck out 152 and walked 136.
Anderson and Eyanson leave big shoes to fill. That's 227 quality innings out the door. But LSU has the talent to reload.
The 2026 season is a long way away, but we'll take a look at what LSU's 2026 rotation is expected to look like. LSU will once again expect to compete for a CWS title with a top-notch rotation.
The Ace: Casan Evans
Evans was a true freshman in 2025 and didn't waste time emerging as one of LSU's top relievers. Evans' stuff was electric, earning him high leverage innings early in the year.
Evans was so good that Jay Johnson decided to give him a chance as a starter after Chase Shores began to struggle as LSU's Sunday arm. Evans impressed, but with LSU needing help in the bullpen, Evans returned to his relief role in the postseason.
With LSU's season on the line, Evans was dynamite out of the pen in Game 7 of the Baton Rouge Regional. He struck out nine straight batters at one point in that game.
Evans finished 2025 with a 2.05 ERA in 52.2 innings. He averaged 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings, which put him among the nation's elite arms. Evans has the stuff to be an SEC ace, and if his 2025 NCAA Tournament was a preview of things to come, LSU is in a good spot. Evans is the heavy favorite to win LSU's Friday night pitching job in 2026.
Saturday: Cooper Moore
With LSU losing the experienced arms of Anderson and Eyanson, the Tigers took a look in the transfer portal. Jay Johnson secured a starter with Power Four experience in Cooper Moore.
Moore, a right-hander, comes to LSU after spending two years at Kansas. Moore was one of the best available arms in the portal, and LSU had to battle programs like Tennessee to earn his services.
Moore only walked 1.9 batters per nine innings. That ranked No. 3 among all Big 12 starting pitchers. He only issued 19 walks all year.
Moore finished 2025 with a 3.96 ERA in 88.2 innings pitched. Expect Moore to take another step forward as he now gets to work with LSU resources and Nate Yeskie, one of the best pitching coaches in the country. Transfers pitchers have seen their draft stock skyrocket after transferring to LSU in recent years. Moore is looking to get the same boost in Baton Rouge.
Sunday: Zac Cowan
Zac Cowan transferred to LSU ahead of the 2025 season after excelling as a starting pitcher at Wofford. Cowan assumed a bullpen role with LSU and emerged as one of the top relievers in the SEC.
Cowan announced his plans to return to Baton Rouge for another season, but his exact role is unclear. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Cowan start on Saturday, start on Sunday, or continue in the closer role.
But right now, Cowan is the third-best arm on LSU, and he's capable of taking on a starter workload. We saw him do it at Wofford, and we saw him do it in the College World Series, where he pitched 5.1 fantastic innings vs. Arkansas. If that's the version of Cowan LSU will get in 2026, it's hard to justify keeping the right-hander in the bullpen.
Cowan finished 2025 with a 2.94 ERA in 52 innings. He struck out 60 and walked 12.
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