What LSU baseball will be looking for out of transfer portal after 2024 season
It's going to look different.
LSU baseball, who's 2024 season came to an end in heartbreaking fashion to North Carolina in the Chapel Hill Regional last weekend, will see fan favorites and other notable players leave the friendly confines of Alex Box Stadium and the team this offseason for a variety of reasons.
Some, such as star third baseman Tommy White, will hear their name called early in the MLB Draft next month, while others, like we've seen over the days since the Tigers lost to the Tar Heels, 4-3, in extra innings, will hit the transfer portal.
The departures, both expected and unexpected, creates needs for Jay Johnson and his staff for what they'll need in 2025.
"It’s kind of led to a hustle to what we need to do to put our 2025 roster where it needs to be. It will look different by design," Johnson told media members Tuesday.
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"I’m very excited about that. We’ve had some good interactions in campus visits and out on the road here in the past couple of days. We’ll continue until the first day of school to put ourselves in the best position moving forward."
With Tommy White all but gone, LSU baseball needs more power
White obviously supplanted the power within LSU's lineup the last two seasons, hitting 48 home runs. He is projected to be a consensus top 20 pick in the MLB Draft, putting an end to his time in Baton Rouge.
Draft-eligible sophomore Jared Jones led the Tigers in homers in 2024 with 28 and Johnson said Tuesday that Jones is welcomed back to LSU if he so chooses after his draft fate. Hayden Travinski belted 16 home runs this season and he's out of eligibility.
Whether Jones decides to come back or not, the Tigers are still going to be in the market for power hitters. A big bat that can play the hot corner or in the outfield is a necessity for Johnson and crew.
LSU baseball needs a closer
Johnson spent time Tuesday discussing sophomore left-hander Griffin Herring, who is draft-eligible this offseason, and said if Herring opts to return that he would start on the weekend.
Herring was not meant to be LSU's closer this season but that's the role he performed his way into as he became the best and most reliable arm out of the bullpen for LSU as the season progressed.
That move, or Herring's possible exit to the big leagues, creates the hole on the backend of LSU's bullpen. Finding someone that can come in and consistently close the door on games is a vital piece for the Tigers next season.
More bullpen help will be key for Jay Johnson, staff
Between graduation and transfer portal, LSU is seeing eight pitchers leave the program. It's possible two more, Herring and starter Luke Holman, are gone as well — Holman is expected to be drafted high enough to where it ends his time with the Tigers.
Johnson has said there'll be some shuffling of roles among the pitchers that will be back with the team next season and that reconfiguring will leave holes in the bullpen. LSU has started to attack this, bringing in Chandler Dorsey, a right-handed pitcher from South Florida, but more will need to be added to get the staff in good shape for 2025.
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Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: What LSU baseball will be looking for out of transfer portal
