This is the third installment of the SEC opponent preview series. Bat Cats Central intern Jonathon Bruner will break down each conference opponent on the Wildcats' schedule. Next up is defending national champion LSU.
Quick Hitters
Head coach: Jay Johnson (507-249 overall, 190-77 at LSU)
Assistant coaches: Nate Yeskie (Pitching Coach), Josh Jordan (Assistant Coach, Recruiting Coordinator), Josh Simpson (Assistant Coach).
All-time series: LSU leads the all-time series 60-32-1
Most recent meeting: The two teams last met in the 2024 SEC Tournament, where LSU won 11-0 in eight innings. The last series between the two programs was in the 2023 Super Regionals, when Kentucky ran into the buzzsaw that was the eventual national champions. Current Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes shut out the Wildcats over 7.2 innings in the eventual 14-0 game one win. LSU ended the Wildcats’ season and advanced to Omaha in an 8-3 game two win.
The last regular-season series between the two squads was earlier in that 2023 season. This was a more tightly contested series as the Tigers took game one 16-6 before the Wildcats evened the series in game two with a 13-10 win. LSU won the rubber match 7-6 to take the series.
2025 Review
Although LSU's bid for back-to-back titles ended at the regionals in 2024, the Tigers were dominant throughout the 2025 season, capturing their second title in three years.
LSU dropped just one non-conference game before starting out 5-0 in SEC play. That streak was broken in a series loss to Texas, but the main blemish on the SEC slate was when Auburn completed a sweep.
The Tigers went 1-1 in the new format SEC Tournament with a win over Texas A&M before being bounced by Ole Miss.
Little Rock almost made it Deja vu for the Tigers by forcing a regional-deciding game five, but the Tigers won and advanced to the super regionals. LSU swept West Virginia in the Baton Rouge Super Regional to advance to Omaha.
LSU went 5-0 in the College World Series and defeated Coastal Carolina in the finals.
Players to know
OF Derek Curiel- Kentucky's Tyler Bell wasn't the only impressive freshman in the SEC last season. Curiel led the Tigers with a .345 batting average. He started 62 games in left and three in center, but is expected to play center full-time in 2026. A .470 on-base percentage and a .519 slugging percentage rounded out his freshman stat line. Curiel had success in the postseason, being named to the College World Series All-Tournament Team and leading the Tigers with a .390 batting average in the NCAA Tournament.
RHP Casan Evans- It’s rare that when an ace goes No. 3 in the MLB Draft like Kade Anderson that a coach can slide another elite arm in his spot, but Johnson will have that luxury with Evans. The righty was mostly used in relief as a freshman, and was amongst the 13 finalists for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year award. However, Evans made three starts, with his first being a win against Tennessee in April. In 52.2 innings, Evans posted a 2.05 ERA along with 71 strikeouts and seven saves.
RHP Cooper Moore- The transfer portal was good to the defending champs and Moore is expected to be another weekend arm for the Tigers. The righty put together a steady season for Kansas in 2025 as he worked 88.2 innings across 15 appearances (14 starts). Moore caught a groove on the backend of his sophomore season by working at least six innings in eight of his last 10 starts. Length and durability are massive late in the season and Moore brings both to the Tigers. He worked to a 3.96 ERA paired with 85 strikeouts and just 19 walks.
1B Zach Yorke- Jared “Bear” Jones was a beloved member of the 2025 LSU team at first base, but he elected to go pro instead of returning to the Tigers. This led Johnson to bring in Yorke, a transfer from Grand Canyon who spent three seasons with the Antelopes. Yorke entered the portal after finishing with a .339/.447/.632 slash line in his junior season. The solid season in 2025 landed him at No. 22 on Perfect Game’s Top 100 Seniors list coming into this season.
INF Brayden Simpson- Simpson is a transfer out of High Point and has positional versatility in the infield, but a bat that makes him a must-play for Johnson. The senior ranked No. 9 on D1 Baseball’s top 50 transfer hitters list and was one of the best hitters in the Big South Conference in 2025. Simpson put together a .389/.477/.774 slash line along with 22 homers and 78 RBIs. The BCBWA Third-Team All-American could be a huge bat for the Tigers in 2026 if that Big South talent transfers to SEC ball.
2026 Outlook
Do not expect a hangover for LSU coming off its national championship. This team is equipped to be right back in Omaha in 2026 with its combination of in-house talent paired with the No. 13-ranked transfer class per 64Analytics. This is a roster with few holes.
Johnson has shown the ability to churn out studs on the mound, and I expect that to remain the case this season with Evans and Moore anchoring the rotation. He has shown that same developmental prowess positionally, so I expect those returnees to make a jump as well. The No. 1-2 rankings in preseason polls are justified by this squad's roster and proven track record.
