Former Bear Jack Pineda Announces Transfer to LSU
Last week, things appeared to be trending in the right direction for the Baylor Bears baseball program.
On June 15 the Bears announced the hire of Mitch Thompson from McLennan College, with Thompson entering a Baylor program that is in desperate need of a shot of positivity.
Now, however, the Bears program took another hit as infielder Jack Pineda announced he would be transferring to the LSU Tigers. Pineda was one of eight players to put their names in the portal following a disappointing 2022 season, with Tre Richardson already having to transferred to TCU.
Pineda slashed an impressive .300/.391/.502, while hitting seven home runs and driving in 35 runs. He would also have the second-best OPS on the team at a solid .893.
There was always a realistic opportunity that Thompson would be entering a rebuild in year one, as overcoming eight names in the transfer portal is a lot to ask for a new coach. Having just gone 26-28, it may be unrealistic to expect Thompson to turn Baylor into a College World Series contender overnight.
On the other side, Pineda is joining one of college baseball's blue blood programs. LSU made the NCAA Tournament once again in 2022, losing to Southern Miss in the Hattiesburg Regional final. The Tigers are not hurting for talent but adding an experienced bat-like Pineda makes them that much more deadly.
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
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