LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson announces transfer signings

BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson on Friday announced the signings of five Division I transfers that will join the Tigers for the 2023 season.

The additions to the LSU roster include right-handed pitcher Christian Little of Vanderbilt; third baseman Tommy White of North Carolina State; shortstop Carter Young of Vanderbilt; right-handed pitcher Thatcher Hurd of UCLA; and right-handed pitcher/utility player Paul Skenes of Air Force.

“We are excited to welcome these five players to LSU Baseball,” Johnson said. “All five are great talents and solid people that will blend well with our returning players and incoming recruiting class in ability, chemistry and program fit.

“We are looking forward to the fall and preparing for the 2023 season, this is a great day for the Tigers.”

Little, a native of St. Louis, Mo., has pitched the past two seasons at Vanderbilt, where he made 32 appearances (14 starts) and posted a 4.65 ERA with 95 strikeouts in 81.1 innings.

Little was rated in high school as the nation’s No. 5 right-handed pitcher by Perfect Game.

White, a product of St. Pete Beach, Fla., enjoyed an incredible freshman season at North Carolina State, as he was named the 2022 Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Year.

White hit .362 with 85 hits, 12 doubles, 27 home runs, 74 RBIs and a .757 slugging percentage, setting the NCAA freshman record for homers in a season. He had 26 multi-hit games and 19 multi-RBI outings, and he finished the year on 26-game reached base streak.

Young, a native of Selah, Wash., was instrumental as Vanderbilt’s starting shortstop in 2021 in leading the Commodores to the College World Series Finals. He blasted a team-high 16 homers and drove in 52 runs.

Young, who was rated the No. 17 high school prospect in the nation in 2019 by Baseball America, was selected earlier this month in the 17th round of the MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles.

Hurd, a product of Manhattan Beach, Calif., made nine appearances – including six starts – this season as a true freshman at UCLA. He posted a 2-0 record with a 1.06 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 34 innings while limiting opponents to a .138 batting average.

Hurd was the nation’s ninth-ranked pitcher and the No. 1 pitcher in the state of California as a senior at Mira Costa High School.

Skenes, who is ranked No. 25 in the D1Baseball.com listing of the top college prospects for the 2023 MLB Draft, enjoyed an exceptional 2022 season at Air Force both on the mound and at the plate, earning first-team All-America recognition.

Skenes recorded a 2.96 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 85.2 innings (15 starts), limiting opponents to a .224 batting average. He also hit .314 with 10 doubles, 13 homers and 38 RBI. In 2021, Skenes posted a 2.70 ERA while batting .410 with 11 homers and 43 RBI.

The Tigers are scheduled to report to campus by mid-August, and fall semester classes begin at LSU on Monday, August 22.