LSU baseball announced new coach Jay Johnson earlier this week, and its first notable transfer decision followed two days later in the form of infielder Zach Arnold.
The sophomore has entered the NCAA transfer portal, according to a report from The Advocate, and has yet to choose an official transfer destination.
The sophomore played sparingly in his first season with LSU while recovering from rib injury during fall practice that year that required surgery. He appeared in 49 games during the 2021 season, batting .301 with 7 home runs and 26 RBIs.
The decision marks the second time Arnold has chosen to shift his college destination following a coaching change. He was originally committed to Oregon out of Great Oak High School in Temecula, California, but was released from his letter of intent after the Ducks parted ways with coach George Horton.
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He eventually landed at LSU with Paul Mainieri, who announced prior to the NCAA Tournament that he would retire at season's end. Arnold started LSU's final six games across the Eugene regional and Super Regional loss to Tennessee. His top performance came in an elimination game against Central Connecticut, in which he went 3-for-4 with a run scored. He followed that up with a 2-for-4 performance in the Gonzaga rematch, with an RBI and two runs scored.
Johnson, fresh off a College World Series trip as the coach of the Arizona Wildcats said during his introduction on Monday that he hadn't yet gotten a chance to meet many of LSU's players in person. He's already flipped at least one recruit, with infielder Mikey Romero announcing in the hours after the coaching news broke that he'd change his commitment from Arizona to LSU.
A dozen Arizona players have also reportedly entered the transfer portal following Johnson's departure.