1
LOUISIANA STATE
Last season: 40-27 (17-13 in SEC), lost in regional final. Final 2022 ranking: No. 24.
Coach (record at school): Jay Johnson (40-22, one season).
THE GOOD NEWS
Good news abounded all offseason in Baton Rouge. While Jay Johnson lost both recruiting coordinator Dan Fitzgerald (Kansas) and pitching coach Jason Kelly (Washington) to head coaching jobs in the offseason, he hired Wes Johnson away from the Minnesota Twins to be his pitching coach and 2018 Assistant Coach of the Year Josh Jordan as his recruiting coordinator. He also landed the top-ranked recruiting class in the country—even after losing five commits on the first day of the draft—and the top-ranked transfer class in the sport. The newcomers include third baseman Tommy White (North Carolina State), the Freshman of the Year; two-time All-American righthander/slugger Paul Skenes (Air Force) and premium young pitchers like Thatcher Hurd (UCLA) and freshmen Jaden Noot and Chase Shores. All of that is on top of the fact that LSU returns center fielder Dylan Crews, the 2022 co-Southeastern Conference player of the year and the early favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the draft.
THE BAD NEWS
LSU was undone last year in part by its pitching (4.32 team ERA) and defense (.962 fielding percentage). While Wes Johnson arrives with plenty of bonafides to help the Tigers take a step or two forward on the mound, and several new pitchers have been added to the staff, they will need to quickly find the right mix. The defense also remains something of a question mark. LSU is set to start a freshman at catcher, likely Brady Neal, and needs to shore up its infield defense, aside from first baseman Tre’ Morgan. LSU is built to be an offensive juggernaut and likely won’t need to be an elite defensive team. Finding a way to be more of an average one is a must.
PLAYER TO KNOW
Righthander/DH Paul Skenes was one of the prizes of the transfer portal after earning All-America honors as a two-way player in each of his first two seasons at Air Force. He now is one of the most important players for the Tigers in 2023. Big and strong at a listed 6-foot-6, 235 pounds, he can run his fastball up to 99 mph and launch tape-measure shots at the plate. He’s expected to pitch at the front of the Tigers’ rotation and will factor in as a hitter, though he is only expected to DH after also catching at Air Force.
PATH TO OMAHA
LSU won the offseason. Now, the challenge is to translate that to the diamond as it enters 2023 with the best lineup in the country and the deepest overall roster. Expectations in Baton Rouge are always sky high, but this year dreams of a national championship are more than justified. The Tigers can probably ride their offense to Omaha, but to go further and win their first title since 2009, they will need their run prevention to make a jump. LSU is also sure to have some highly talented and experienced players playing more complementary roles this year, so managing the clubhouse will be critical for Johnson and his staff. But with Crews, Morgan, Skenes, White and company on the field together, the Tigers will be formidable.
2023 LINEUP
2
TENNESSEE
Last season: 57-9 (25-5 in SEC), lost in super regionals.
Final 2022 ranking: No. 8.
Coach (record at school): Tony Vitello (191-77, five seasons).
THE GOOD NEWS
The Volunteers were college baseball’s dominant team in 2022, running away with the SEC title and the top seed in the NCAA Tournament. Tennessee came up short against Notre Dame in super regionals, but it was a season-long force. One key reason for that was its pitching staff, which led the nation in ERA (2.51). The Volunteers now return the five pitchers who threw the most innings last year, including their rotation of righthanders Chase Dollander, Chase Burns and Drew Beam. While they had five pitchers drafted, and lefthander Redmond Walsh, the program’s all-time saves leader, graduated, the Volunteers still return veterans Kirby Campbell and Camden Sewell, who have combined to make 130 career appearances. There will be no shortage of options for pitching coach Frank Anderson, who again should have one of the best staffs in the country.
THE BAD NEWS
Tennessee not only had the best pitching staff in the country, it also had the nation’s deepest lineup. Eight regulars from that group, including top-100 draft picks Drew Gilbert, Jordan Beck and Trey Lipscomb, are now gone. That’s a lot of offensive production to replace—Tennessee averaged 9.3 runs per game—as well as a loss of stability for a defense that ranked 16th nationally in fielding (.980). The Volunteers will look to a few holdovers in Blake Burke, Jared Dickey and Christian Moore to step into bigger roles after showing promise—and power—in limited action in 2022. They also hit the transfer portal hard, bringing in premium talents like shortstop Maui Ahuna (Kansas), a potential first-round pick, and outfielder Griffin Merritt, the 2022 American Athletic Conference player of the year. There’s plenty of talent for the Volunteers to work with, they just have to find the right combination and find the new leaders for the offense.
PLAYER TO KNOW
Righthander Chase Dollander transferred to Tennessee a year ago after pitching his freshman season at Georgia Southern. He proved to be a perfect fit for the Volunteers and broke out in 2022, going 10-0, 2.39 with 108 strikeouts and 13 walks in 79 innings. He was named SEC pitcher of the year, an All-American and established himself as the top pitching prospect in the 2023 draft. He has premium stuff and plus control, giving him the tools to dominate college hitters.
PATH TO OMAHA
Tennessee was reminded just how hard it is to make it to the CWS last year when it was upset at home in super regionals. But this year’s Volunteers have what it takes to make it to Omaha for the second time in three seasons. Their rotation enters the year as the best in the country and their overall depth on the mound can take them a long way. As long as Tennessee is able to find some new leaders in its lineup—replacing the energy of Gilbert and the experience of Luc Lipcius may be as difficult as replacing its power—it should have all the pieces for a special season.
2023 LINEUP
3
FLORIDA
Last season: 42-24 (15-15 in SEC), lost in regional final.
Final 2022 ranking: No. 22.
Coach (record at school): Kevin O’Sullivan (627-302, 15 seasons).
THE GOOD NEWS
Florida’s all-around star power is probably only exceeded by Louisiana State. All-American outfielder Wyatt Langford returns to lead the offense and is in the early mix to be the top overall draft pick. Catcher BT Riopelle and infielders Colby Halter and Josh Rivera are also back, somewhat unexpectedly after being draft-eligible in 2022. On the mound, righthander Brandon Sproat is back despite being drafted by the Mets in the third round. His return and the arrival of righthander Hurston Waldrep (Southern Mississippi) gives Florida an elite 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation. Kevin O’Sullivan’s Florida teams often have a lot of premium talent, and this is no exception, but stars like Langford, Sproat and Waldrep give the Gators a massive ceiling.
THE BAD NEWS
Florida averaged 6.6 runs per game in 2022, 11th most in the SEC, and now must replace and , two top-70 draft picks. The Gators traditionally thrive on pitching and defense but will need to rebuild the heart of the lineup around Langford and Riopelle. The team could use a bounceback season from Halter after he had an, who hit seven home runs in 104 at-bats after returning from Tommy John surgery. Adding speedster , who missed last year due to a hamstring injury, brings a new dimension to the lineup. Thanks to its pitching staff, Florida doesn’t need the lineup to out-slug opponents every day, but finding some more consistent offense would ease the pressure on the mound.
