Could LSU Baseball land SWAC Player of the Year out of the transfer portal?
Cardell Thibodeaux entered the portal on Tuesday in search of his third school. He spent 2025 at Southern University, winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year awards.
In his breakout junior year, Thibodeaux batted .435 with 71 RBI, 18 home runs, 13 doubles, and three triples. He also swiped 23 bases. The outfielder started 49 games and now has a chance to move up the college baseball ladder.
Thibodeaux played his first two seasons of college baseball at Louisiana-Monroe. A dip in production playing time as a sophomore led him to make a switch to Southern, which paid off as he recorded the best year of his career.
Would Thibodeaux fit at LSU? The Tigers may return their entire outfield for 2026, but also need help at the plate with slugger Jared Jones off to the MLB.
Thibodeaux proved his abilities to see the ball and make things happen when he gets on base, but facing SEC pitching would be an adjustment. At five-foot-eight, it's unclear if Thibodeaux could find the same power he did in the SWAC, but he would give the Tigers a versatile weapon to challenge for starting time.
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