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USA Today
12 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Ethan Frey: The Pride of Rosepine shines for LSU baseball in the big moments
Ethan Frey: The Pride of Rosepine shines for LSU baseball in the big moments Rosepine, Louisiana, is a small town in Vernon Parish with a population of just under 2,000 people. It is located on the west side of Louisiana, near the Texas state line. Why am I talking about Rosephine? Because it is the home of LSU baseball player, Ethan Frey. Frey was a two-sport standout for the Rosepine High School Eagles. He starred as the quarterback on the football team and as a catcher and pitcher on the baseball diamond. Frey led the Eagles baseball team to back-to-back 2A state championships in 2021 and 2022. As a senior, he had a .487 batting average with 13 homers, 64 RBI, 39 hits, 37 walks, and only 12 strikeouts. He was the MVP in the state championship game in both seasons, and he was named Louisiana Mr. Baseball in 2022. Now, let's rewind a few years. As he entered his Sophomore year in 2019, Frey committed to play baseball for LSU. Former LSU head coach Paul Mainieri recruited him. For Frey, it was a dream come true. 'Putting that Tigers uniform is every Louisiana kid's dream,' Frey said. 'To see that Tiger on your chest, those pinstripes, and the purple and gold is unreal.' Little did Frey or anyone else know how much the world would change soon. Frey entered his sophomore season riding high after committing to LSU. Frey missed out on a full baseball season that spring as the world was upended by the COVID-19 pandemic. While the world stood still, Frey continued to work. He remained committed to LSU and came back to help lead the Eagles to a state championship as a junior. As Frey entered his senior year, his world would change again. After the 2021 baseball season, Paul Mainieri stepped down as the head coach of the LSU. When a coaching change happens during a recruiting cycle, it is not uncommon to see some of the commitments that the prior coach had decided to commit and sign elsewhere. Frey remained loyal to LSU. The Tigers hired Jay Johnson in 2021, and during Jay's first month on the job, he was introduced to Ethan Frey and did not even know it. Frey was at Alex Box Stadium participating in an Area Code baseball tryout when Johnson spotted him. As the story goes, Johnson was impressed. He introduced himself to Frey and learned Frey was already a commit. Admittedly, Frey was suspicious of Johnson due to Johnson being a coach from the West Coast. 'West Coast coaches – most people don't love them down here, but I guess it's working for us, so I'm not going to complain. He's a great coach. I'm super thankful he's given me the opportunity," Frey said in the Tiger Rag feature. Frey stuck with his commitment and signed with the Tigers on November 27, 2021. During his Freshman season on the Bayou, Frey played in 19 games and had 19 at-bats. He finished with a .263 batting average, going 5-for-19 with a double, three walks, six strikeouts, and nine RBI. He did not get a ton of playing time, but he got to be a part of the Tigers' national championship team. During his Sophomore season, Ethan appeared in 34 games, but a dislocated shoulder that required surgery would knock him out for the remainder of the year. While all of this is going on, the transfer portal is running rampant in college sports. People were entering the portal left and right, and when you have the talent that Frey has, it could be an enticing opportunity to enter the portal and go start elsewhere. He could start anywhere else in the country. As I have said a few times in this article, though, he remained loyal to LSU. Through the highs and the lows, he stayed and competed every day. That is an admirable trait that a lot of people do not possess these days. During his entire recruiting process in high school, during a pandemic, during a coaching change, he showed up and showed out every day. LSU has had a few players recently come through with that kind of attitude. It reminds me of Cade Beloso, one of my favorite players from that 2023 national championship team. It reminds me of Josh Pearson, who has stayed at LSU and grinded it out after helping the Tigers win the ship in 2023. Some kids just love LSU. They bleed purple and gold. Frey is one of them. This season, Frey has served mainly as the designated hitter for the Tigers, and he has been a star in that role. He has appeared in 55 games and has a .359 batting average with 13 doubles, one triple, 13 homers, and 49 RBI. He has had a few great games this season, but none have been bigger than Game 7 against Little Rock in the Baton Rouge Regional. LSU needed a hero to save the day and send the Tigers to the Super Regionals, and Frey was that guy. He finished the game 4-for-4 from the plate with two doubles, a homer, and four RBI. Also, Wendy's, if you are reading this, there has to be some kind of NIL deal for a guy named "Frey (pronounced like fry)" going 4-for-4. Johnson's had plenty of praise for Frey in 2025. "Success was coming. He's the best. I have high opinions of a lot of our players, and none higher than Ethan," Johnson said. During the entire regional, Frey went 6-for-16 (.375) from the plate with three doubles, one triple, one homer, and six RBI. The Tigers would not be hosting West Virginia in the Super Regional this weekend if he had not shown up when the lights shone the brightest. Ethan Frey is a story of hard work, perseverance, and resilience. Ethan is a guy who has done things the right way. He also has a great support system. His mom and his older sister always post great things about Ethan on social media. His dad, Ross, was once honored before a baseball game last year as LSU thanked him for his military service. This weekend, Frey will be swinging away at Alex Box Stadium once again. I will be pulling for him and all of the other Tigers as I write about the game, but I just wanted to take a moment to highlight a guy who deserves the spotlight on and off the field.
Chicago Tribune
a day ago
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Organizers hopeful their famous classmate Hillary Clinton will attend the Maine South and East high schools 60 year reunion
Later this month, members of the Maine East/Maine South high school class of 1965 – which includes notable alums Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Candy – will attend what organizers believe will be their last formal reunion. 'Everybody that I talk to asks: 'Is Hillary coming? Is Hillary coming?'' Maine East/Maine South Class of '65 reunion committee member Bill Frey said, referring to the former secretary of state and first lady. 'I hope she does come, really,' Frey said, 'because this will be our last formal one.' The reunion is set to start June 20 with a cocktail reception. The main event is scheduled for the next day, with both taking place at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare Chicago, organizers explained. The Class of 1965 was divided between two schools in the students' senior year, but they have – with few exceptions – held joint reunions every five years. In addition to Clinton and Candy, the class counts among its alumni an Olympic torch-bearer and a Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter. Their 1995 reunion drew national attention when Clinton, now a former New York senator, U.S. secretary of state and Democratic candidate for U.S. president, hosted the event in Washington D.C. during her time as first lady. Clinton had been one of the first students to graduate from Maine South High School. According to archived clippings from the student newspaper, 'Southwords,' Clinton, then Rodham, helped write a constitution for the student body leadership and campaigned for Republican Barry Goldwater in a student mock election. Nevertheless, Frey pointed out that the success stories to come out of Maine East and Maine South go beyond Clinton. He mentioned their classmate Tim Lindgren, a Hyatt hotel chain executive, helped Clinton's childhood friend Betsy Johnson Ebeling and other organizers plan for the 1995 reunion. There were approximately 1,200 attendees. 'Betsy and I were sort of the ringleaders of the Washington reunion,' Lindgren said. 'I was kind of a vehicle to help them with things like the Grand Hyatt Washington and helping them with the catering.' Ebeling died in 2019. And before Clinton was on the national stage, their classmate Steve Goodman had captured the spotlight for his folk songs like, 'You Never Even Call Me By My Name,' 'City of New Orleans,' and 'Go, Cubs, Go!' Goodman died of leukemia in 1984. 'He just passed away too soon. A tremendous talent,' said Frey. 'He was a revered member of our class.' Frey said that after the class's 10-year reunion in 1975, the members of the class of '65 devoted themselves almost religiously to attending reunions every five years. 'The only one we missed, really, is during the COVID year, 2020,' he said. Lindgren pointed out that the Class of '65 lived through a transformative and divisive time. They graduated a few years after President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated, the Vietnam War was beginning to escalate and the Civil Rights Movement was reaching a boiling point. But Lindgren believes it's the fact that his class was divided physically that sets them apart. 'You had to go to Maine South or you had to go to Maine East, and Oakland Street in Park Ridge was the dividing line,' Lindgren said. He believes it's that separation that has made his classmates so determined to hold on to those ties for so many years. 'All of a sudden, you split from all your friends. That was really hard for a lot of us,' he said. 'We were two separate schools, but we decided we would always be one reunion in one group.' But he also recognizes that as class members reach their late-70s, many of them won't make the trip back in another five years, and that soon there won't be enough of them to hold big formal reunions anymore. 'I think we'll see that this is the last highly organized reunion that will ever happen' for this graduating class, he said.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
AG Ellison condemns federal raid in Minneapolis
Federal officers drive down Lake Street following a raid at Las Cuatro Milpas in Minneapolis, Minnesota Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer) Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison condemned Tuesday's militarized federal law enforcement action in Minneapolis, saying 'it seemed like the point was to inflict terror and fear into the community.' Dozens of armed federal agents from multiple agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, raided a Minneapolis taco restaurant Tuesday in a majority-Latino neighborhood that was rocked by protests against the police murder of George Floyd five years ago. Minneapolis police were also present. The raid was Minnesota's first under President Donald Trump's Homeland Security Task Force, which he established via executive order on the first day of his second term, according to a statement from ICE, which called it a 'groundbreaking criminal operation.' 'If they want to inflict fear, and they wanted to discourage cooperation, they achieved both those goals yesterday,' Ellison said Wednesday in an interview with States Newsroom. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the raid was not related to immigration enforcement, but 'a criminal search warrant for drugs and money laundering.' But information was sparse on the scene. Hundreds of immigrant rights activists and neighbors surrounded the restaurant, yelling at officers and attempting to block their armored vehicles. Many officers wore face coverings and camouflage fatigues, and some refused to identify which agency they were with. Officers used chemical irritants and piercing sirens to disperse the crowd. No one was arrested during the raid, Frey said Tuesday. Ellison said he was not informed of the raid before it happened, and that the raid was 'way over the top in terms of resource allocation.' Ellison's remarks add to a chorus of condemnation among local officials who are concerned about the fate of immigrants in Minnesota. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty released a statement Wednesday morning saying across the country, 'ICE is being deployed to terrorize people.' 'My singular focus is on the safety of the people who live here, and I want to be clear that ICE showing up alongside local law enforcement causes grievous and irreparable harm,' Moriarty said. DFL State Sen. Omar Fateh, who is running against Frey for Minneapolis mayor, said on social media that Minneapolis is a ''sanctuary' in name only.' 'There is no circumstance in which MPD should cooperate with ICE,' Fateh wrote. 'By labeling it in an investigation of 'criminal activity,' ICE visited fear into the heart of an immigrant neighborhood — and our communities were shaken.' After Trump's re-election, Frey promised that Minneapolis police would not assist with civil immigration enforcement. 'The Minneapolis Police Department's only role was assisting with crowd control and keeping the community safe as a large number of residents and bystanders had gathered at the scene,' Frey said Tuesday. 'They have not been involved in anything related to immigration enforcement.' Ellison said Wednesday that the state government also is not obligated to help federal agents locate and arrest immigrants. Asked how the raid's execution will impact his working relationship with federal agencies, Ellison said 'it's not that great now.'
USA Today
a day ago
- Business
- USA Today
LSU baseball head coach Jay Johnson explains why he changed the lineup vs. Little Rock
LSU baseball head coach Jay Johnson explains why he changed the lineup vs. Little Rock With the 2025 season hanging in the balance heading into Monday's elimination game against Little Rock, LSU baseball head coach Jay Johnson made a change to his lineup for the first time during this NCAA Tournament. Amid struggles at the plate, slugger Jared Jones moved from second to sixth while Ethan Frey, the team's leading hitter, stepped into the two-hole. Coupled with continued strong at-bats from the top of the lineup, the Tigers put the pieces together in the nick of time, coming from behind to beat the Trojans 10-6 and win the Baton Rouge Regional. "You take a risk when you have a lot to gain," Johnson said. "We had a chance to play a Super Regional at home, two wins to go to Omaha, seven more to win a national championship, maybe eight. It was time to take a risk." Derek Curiel remained in the leadoff spot and worked two walks while Frey followed with four hits, four RBI and two walks. Johnson praised both for their efforts in crunch time along with Steven Milam, who Johnson said put together the best at-bats of his career. "He's [Curiel's] the engine of this offense and how he plays inspires the team," Johnson said. "And then, its Ethan Frey, one of the best hitters in the country right now," Johnson said. Johnson said he wanted to get Frey as many at-bats as possible. "I wanted them to feel the pressure immediately with [Frey] stepping in the batter's box," Johnson said. With Milam, Johnson felt good about the quality of his at-bats throughout the regional. "His at-bats this weekend were him as his best player. He will play baseball for a very long time if he takes the caliber of at-bats that he has," Johnson said. When discussing moving Jones to the six hole, Johnson said he wanted Jones to have the advantage of hitting lower in the order. At six, Jones has the chance to sneak up on pitchers. "On the best teams that I've had, that six-hole guy, after you're having to work through the top five and all those guys doing their job, sometimes they can get forgotten about a little bit. Or the pitcher lets up just a little bit. And I wanted to kind of give Jared that advantage," Johnson said. The change paid off with LSU scoring 10 runs. Now, LSU turns its attention to the Baton Rouge Super Regional vs. West Virginia, beginning on Saturday.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Five takeaways from LSU baseball's Baton Rouge Regional championship
Five takeaways from LSU baseball's Baton Rouge Regional championship LSU baseball advanced to a super regional after completing a game-seven comeback to beat Little Rock on Monday night. Ethan Frey gave LSU a 1-0 lead with a first-inning home run, but Little Rock erased that lead in the third with a five-run inning. That's when Jay Johnson turned to Casan Evans out of the pen, who was dynamite. Evans stabilized LSU, striking out 12 over six innings, allowing just one earned run. Evans, just a true freshman, threw 109 pitches, a career high. With Evans cruising on the mound, the offense went to work. LSU scored three runs in the fourth before tying the game in the sixth. The Tigers added five more runs over the final three innings to win 10-6. Ethan Frey and Luis Hernandez were the heroes at the plate, combining for three homers and seven RBI. Now, LSU turns its attention to West Virginia as the Tigers sit two wins away from a trip to the College World Series. Here are five takeaways from LSU's Baton Rouge Regional title. Eyanson and Anderson is the best pitching duo in America You'll have a hard time finding a better one-two pitching punch than LSU's Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson. On Friday, Eyanson pitched 7.2 shutout innings vs. Little Rock to kick the regional off with a win. He struck out seven and walked one. On Saturday, Anderson was equally impressive. Anderson struck out 11 over seven shutout innings. And on Monday, when LSU needed the final outs to win the regional, Johnson tabbed Eyanson out of the pen. Eyanson finished the game with 1.2 shutout innings. LSU's duo of aces has risen to the occasion time and time again this year. Even when the lineup has struggled, Anderson and Eyanson have done enough to get LSU wins. On the year, Eyanson owns a 2.50 ERA in 93.2 innings. That's one of the best marks in the country. Anderson has 156 strikeouts in 96 innings and is on his way to being a top-five pick in the upcoming MLB Draft. Ethan Frey delivers in the clutch Ethan Frey is arguably LSU's most valuable hitter. His .359 batting average and 1.151 OPS both are team highs. For much of the year, attention at the top of the lineup centered around Derek Curiel, Jared Jones, and Daniel Dickinson, but it was Frey who came up clutch in the regional. On Monday, Frey's first-inning home run put LSU on the board. Then, with LSU down four runs with the bases loaded in the fourth inning, Frey cleared the bases with a double and cut the deficit to one. Frey finished LSU's regional clinching win with four hits, reaching base six times. Johnson bumped Frey into the No. 2 hole, and it paid off. Frey came up big on Saturday, too, notching two hits and scoring three times in the win vs. Dallas Baptist. If Frey continues to slug like this, there shouldn't be many concerns about the LSU offense. Casan Evans is a budding star Casan Evans entered 2025 ranked No. 26 on Perfect Game's Top 75 College Freshmen list. Expectations were high, but Evans managed to exceed them. LSU opted to roll with Zac Cowan as the starter on Monday, but Cowan faltered early and Evans entered in the second inning. From there, all Evans did was dominate. At one point, Evans struck out nine straight Little Rock hitter. It was a sight for sore eyes after LSU struggled to throw strikes on Sunday and early on Monday. After the game, LSU pitching coach Nate Yeskie said being around Kade Anderson has been big for Evans. "I think that a guy like Anderson has really rubbed off on Evans because Evans. He loiters down in that other end of the dugout during games to try to get every advantage that he possibly can. And I think that you see that investment and just understanding the game better pays dividends in nights like tonight," Yeskie said. Evans worked out of the pen for most of 2025 before earning starts late in the year. As a starter, Evans' results were mixed, but he's the third-best pitcher on LSU's staff right now, especially with Cowan struggling. Questions about the rest of the pitching staff Outside of Eyanson, Anderson, and Evans, there are major questions about the LSU pitching staff. Zac Cowan was the SEC's best reliever for most of the year. But in Cowan's last 6.2 innings, his ERA is 14.85. LSU needs Cowan to turn it around. You can't count on Eyanson and Anderson to deliver seven shutout innings every time out. And even if they do, the regional proved you need more than just a couple of arms. It's easy to remember the stars on LSU's 2023 title squad, but LSU also had relievers step up in the postseason. Think back to Nate Ackenhausen pitching six shutout innings vs. Tennessee. LSU needs that type of emergence this June. LSU felt good about starting Jaden Noot on Sunday after Noot pitched four innings of one-run baseball in his SEC Tournament start, but Noot's night was done before the second inning ended. LSU has some things to figure out when it comes to pitching depth. LSU needs Jared Jones to get hot For most of the year, Jared Jones was one of LSU's top sluggers. He's one of the Tigers' most experienced hitters and has 61 career homers. But lately, it's been a struggle. Jones was just 5-20 in the Baton Rouge Regional, which included going 0-5 with three strikeouts vs. Dallas Baptist. Jones was in the No. 2 hole the first three games of the weekend, but Jay Johnson moved Jones to the No. 6 spot on Monday. Jones delivered a bounce-back performance, going 2-5 with a big two-run homer to put the game on ice in the top of the ninth. That's the Jared Jones LSU needs if the Tigers want to make a run at the title. LSU doesn't have game-breaking power throughout the lineup, but Jones can change a game with one swing.
