Kade Anderson proved he was a true ace as he helped lead LSU to an 8th national title, but he had to wait a few extra minutes to hear his name in the MLB draft.
The tall left-hander went No. 3 to the Seattle Mariners, the first of four LSU players picked on Sunday. It was a bit of a slide for Anderson, whom many analysts had slotted at No. 1 overall. Instead the Nationals and Angels went to the high school ranks for SS Eli Willits and P Tyler Bremner.
“It still doesn’t really feel real and when I heard my name," Anderson said. "Obviously, it’s what you dream about and just super grateful to be selected."
The Madisonville native finished his third season with the Tigers at 12-1 with a 3.18 ERA over 119 innings, while also leading the nation in strikeouts (180). Anderson saved his best for last this past year, hurling a complete game shutout in a 1-0 win over Coastal Carolina in the opening game of the CWS title series.
Anderson said conversations with the Mariners throughout the draft process made it clear that landing spot would be a good fit, if he was still on the board, but he was also quick to heap praise on his coaching staff for putting him in that situation.
“When you pitch in the SEC I think it’s just a stepping stone … and I’m really blessed with Coach [Jay] Johnson for giving me that chance and really cool memories I made along the way at LSU and super happy and fortunate enough that I was a part of that.”
The last time the Tigers won a national title was 2023, after which they became the first team ever to have players picked No. 1 (Paul Skenes, Pirates) and No. 2 overall (Dylan Crews, Nationals). Anderson marks the fourth LSU player selected in the top five since 2022.
Anderson's strikeout total is third on the LSU single-season strikeouts list, trailing only Skenes (209 Ks, 2023) and Ben McDonald (202 Ks, 1989).
The Tigers saw three other players drafted on Sunday, including RHP Chase Shores going in the 2nd round (47 overall) to the Angels. His selection was a bit of a surprise based on projections, with pitcher Anthony Eyanson (87 overall to Red Sox) and OF Ethan Frey (119 overall to the Astros) the next off the board.
A handful of more LSU names are expected to come off the board in Rounds 4-20 on Monday, including Daniel Dickinson and Jared Jones.