LSU Baseball Reveals Opening Weekend Starting Rotation Headlined By Casan Evans

Jay Johnson and the defending National Champion LSU Tigers will return to Alex Box Stadium this weekend to open the 2026 season with a series against Milwaukee.

In what will be another season with championship expectation, Johnson and Co. have reloaded the roster via the NCAA Transfer Portal paired with an elite 2025 Recruiting Class.

Now, with first pitch for the 2026 season roughly 24 hours away, Johnson has revealed the weekend rotation headlined by RHP Casan Evans as the Friday starter.

Friday Starter: RHP Casan Evans

Evans, a sophomore from Houston, Texas, earned 2025 Third-Team All-America and First-Team Freshman All-America recognition, as he posted a 5-1 mark with 2.05 ERA and seven saves in 19 appearances (3 starts). He worked 52.2 innings, recording 19 walks, 71 strikeouts and a .228 opponent batting average.

He posted and excellent relief outing versus UCLA in the College World Series, earning the win and limiting the Bruins to two runs on four hits in 4.1 innings with no walks and five strikeouts.

Evans earned the save versus Arkansas in LSU’s CWS opener, working 1.0 inning with no runs on one hit and one strikeout.

Evans, who was named to the 2025 First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll, delivered one of the best postseason outings in LSU history on June 2 in the Tigers’ NCAA Baton Rouge Regional championship game win over Little Rock. He entered the game in the second inning and allowed one run on four hits in 6.0 innings with three walks and a career-best 12 strikeouts.

LSU Tigers Baseball: Casan Evans. — Courtesy of LSU Tigers Baseball.

Saturday Starter: RHP Cooper Moore

The Kansas Jayhawks transfer is coming off of a standout sophomore campaign where he logged a 3.96 ERA, 85 strikeouts and 19 walks over 88.2 innings.

Sunday Starter: RHP William Schmidt

Schmidt appeared in 17 games (six starts) as a true freshman last season after posting a 7-0 record and a 4.73 ERA in 32.1 innings with 22 walks, 41 strikeouts and a .226 opponent batting average.

“I think sometimes, and this is why being a college baseball player is so important, that getting challenged and getting outside your comfort zone and coming to a place where the talent measures up to you, you learn the important things,” said LSU head coach Jay Johnson.

“I think you take a guy like William who probably overwhelmed everybody for two years at Catholic High, you might not understand why the midweek bullpen is important or the lift after the outing is important or going back and reviewing the game and taking the next step forward and improving as the season goes on.”

Now, the weekend rotation is set with all eyes on Evans, Moore, and Schmidt heading into this weekend's series against Milwaukee.

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