Another day brought three new additions for LSU baseball, one of which was expected.
The Tigers officially announced the hire of former Arizona State assistant coach Jason Kelly as the new pitching coach on Jay Johnson's staff. The hire was first reported earlier in the week.
“Kelly is excellent in the game in regards to his preparation and pitch calling," Johnson said in a press release announcing the hire. "He is outstanding in the training environment, helping pitchers develop elite velocity, pitchability and pitch design.”
Kelly was named Assistant Coach of the Year in 2018 as he helped lead Washington to Omaha, before joining the Sun Devils the following season.
LSU is yet to announce Johnson's second assistant coaching hire, which was reported to be former Dallas Baptist University assistant Dan Fitzgerald in the role of recruiting coordinator.
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But the Tigers' biggest scores of the day came in the form of a pair of transfer players, adding to the already impressive haul slated for the Tigers' roster since Johnson was announced as the successor to Paul Mainieri in June.
Late Wednesday evening power-hitting Samford catcher Tyler McManus announced he had chosen LSU as his graduate transfer destination.
McManus, a catcher, has a career .357 batting average to go with 15 home runs and 64 RBIs across two seasons with the Bulldogs, and looks to provide a good bit of pop from a traditionally light-hitting position. LSU starter in the 2021 season was Alex Milazzo, an excellent defensive catcher but with little success with a bat. Over 52 games last season, Milazzo batted .220 with 46 strikeouts in 149 plate appearances.
Shortly before noon Wednesday another name was added to that transfer list in the form of right-handed pitcher Eric Reyzelman, who will enter the transfer portal from the University of San Francisco and finish out his collegiate career in Baton Rouge.
Reyzelman is just over a year removed from Tommy John surgery, according to a report from The Advocate, and offers a veteran bullpen arm with strikeout potential. During his sophomore season in 2021, Reyzelman struck out 39 batters across 35 innings of work, but sported a hefty 6.17 ERA.
LSU had already landed a transfer prize with the transfer decision of freshman Arizona All-American Jacob Berry, along with the flipped commitment of infielder Mikey Romero, who had initially committed to join Arizona's former roster with the Wildcats.
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