LSU Baseball Sees Eighth Player Enter Transfer Portal, Looking to Make Additions of Their Own
The LSU baseball program has taken a few hits this offseason with the departures of recruiting coordinator Dan Fitzgerald and pitching coach Jason Kelly, but the transfer portal has also put the Tigers in a bind.
Losing their eighth player to the portal on Monday in second baseman Will Safford, this roster continues to feel the heat. Safford started the season opener against Maine then made just six appearances this year for head coach Jay Johnson and the Tigers.
Safford saw playing time as a freshman in 2021, but his 2022 season was the polar opposite. Going 0-for-5 from the plate this year, he saw limited time as the year went on.
A Baton Rouge product, Safford attended University High before earning the opportunity to play for the Tigers.
Being named an All-State member two times throughout his high school career, Safford clearly has the talent to excel, but will need to put it all together at his next destination.
LSU infielder Collier Cranford fields a ball in the Tigers matchup against the Kentucky Wildcats.
The Tigers have lost Giovanni DiGiacomo, Collier Cranford, Brody Drost, Anthony Priester, Michael Fowler, Brennan Holt and Alex Brady to the transfer portal this offseason. Only Holt has announced his transfer home thus far, choosing Oklahoma State.
Coach Johnson has been adamant about changing the program into win-now mode with the transfer portal being both his biggest weapon, but also his biggest nightmare. Adding two players of his own via the portal in Big East Pitcher of the Year Dylan Tebrake and Baylor shortstop Jack Pineda, Johnson will surely be making more moves this offseason.