The end of the college football season on Monday night means the college baseball season is right around the corner. The Tigers are either ranked first or second in the major college baseball preseason polls, as LSU attempts to win its first back-to-back championships since the 1996-97 seasons.
LSU has four spots on the infield that will need a new starter. The only returning starter is junior shortstop Steven Milam, who started every game at shortstop last year.
Milam hit .295 last season after hitting .326 as a freshman, but he increased his home run and RBI totals, hitting 11 dingers and driving in 57 runs.
Once again, Milam had a big postseason as he hit .385 in LSU’s 11 NCAA Tournament games and drove in a team-high 13 RBIs. He was named to the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional All-Tournament Team and the College World Series All-Tournament Team.
Six-foot-two, 295-pounder Zach Yorke will have the opportunity to replace former All-American Jared Jones at first base. Yorke played three seasons at Grand Canyon, batting .328 with 32 homers and 157 RBI. That’s the most home runs and RBIs in Grand Canyon history in the school’s NCAA Division One era.
“When he decided to go in the transfer portal and became available, we jumped on that one. He’s been awesome in every way you can imagine as a player, but as a person, leader, he fits in well with the supporting cast of the returners we have,” coach Jay Johnson said.
Oregon State transfer Trent Caraway has the inside track to start at third base. In two seasons at Oregon State, he hit .281 with 14 home runs and 57 RBIs. Caraway found the power stroke in last year’s NCAA Tournament as he hit six home runs and was named the NCAA Corvallis Regional Most Outstanding Player.
Caraway has a chance to be LSU’s lead-off man in the line-up, and Johnson likes his glove at the hot corner.
“He had a great fall defensively, made some adjustments hitting-wise, like where they are trending now,” Caraway said.
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Second base is not settled. Brayden Simpson, Tanner Reaves, and Seth Dardar are all possibilities.
If Dardar doesn’t win the job, he’ll have a good chance to be the designated hitter after hitting .326 with 13 home runs and 45 RBIs.
Johnson likes Reaves in the line-up. He hit .262 in 43 games last season.
Simpson hit 22 home runs at High Point last season and is someone who could also play at first and third base.
Sophomore Cade Arrambide will start at catcher. Johnson said Arrambide was the best player on the team in the fall after appearing in 36 games and hitting .242 with 4 home runs and 14 RBIs in 2025.
Arrambide is listed as one of the top sophomores in the country by Perfect Game.
Omar Serna and Eddie Yamin will serve as back-ups to Arrambide.