True freshmen shine as LSU baseball heads to College World Series
True freshmen shine as LSU baseball heads to College World Series
True freshmen playing meaningful baseball in the SEC is a rarity with the talent level among all teams, but LSU baseball head coach Jay Johnson takes a different approach it's paying off.
Nobody in our league plays freshmen," Johnson said. "They just don't. We do, and they play pretty darn good baseball."
In both rounds of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, the youngsters gave LSU a boost. Derek Curiel remained a fixture near the top of the lineup while pitchers Casan Evans and Cooper Williams made high-leverage appearances.
Curiel finished the West Virginia series with five RBI, four hits, including a home run, and three walks. Evans earned the win in relief during the regional championship game by throwing six innings of one run ball with 12 strikeouts. Williams pitched 3.2 scoreless innings in relief after the Tigers fell behind Little Rock.
Johnson will continue to rely on the freshmen to move his team through the College World Series and beyond as he continues building the LSU program.
"They just need to be themselves," Johnson said. "I'm proud of them for contributing on a team this good. To contribute as much as that has is awesome and they're the foundation of this thing moving forward."
LSU will play begin its College World Series journey when the Tigers meet Arkansas at 5 p.m. CT on Saturday.
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