LSU Baseball Transfer Portal Target Commits to the Arkansas Razorbacks

Jay Johnson and the LSU Tigers continue navigating a critical offseason in Baton Rouge after capturing a National Championship in June.

LSU has attacked the NCAA Transfer Portal with six additions to this point with an emphasis on stacking talent to the pitching staff.

“I said this, people were laughing at me but if you’re a pitcher and you don’t want to come here you’re out to lunch,” Johnson said with a laugh. “The Draft, signing bonus and all that… we’ve accumulated about 12 million real quickly in the past few years.

"And when this Draft starts we’ll have Kade [Anderson], Anthony [Eyanson] and Chase [Shores] getting to 14 million. I feel real proud of what we’ve done on that side of the ball with coach [Nate] Yeskie and it’s been awesome to see the results and its led to championships and Major League Baseball dreams.”

The LSU Tigers were linked to Oregon State right-handed pitcher James DeCremer III in the NCAA Transfer Portal with Johnson and Co. making a run for his services.

The righty appeared in 14 games with three starts for the Beavers in 2025 where he went 3-0 with a 5.65 ERA and striking out 30 batters in 28⅔ innings pitched.

Now, DeCremer has revealed a commitment to the Arkansas Razorbacks after going public with a decision on Monday night.

Woo pig 🐗 #Committed pic.twitter.com/TQga9Lj6ml
— James DeCremer III (@JDDeCremer) July 15, 2025

For the LSU Tigers, the program has stacked four newcomers on the mound this offseason via the Transfer Portal.

The LSU Additions [4]: Portal Newcomers on the Mound

No. 1: Danny Lachenmayer - Pitcher [NDSU]

Lachenmayer, a coveted freshman in the NCAA Transfer Portal, selected the National Champion LSU Tigers over the Arkansas Razorbacks after visiting Fayetteville last week.

The talented southpaw was used as a relief option in 2025 for the Bison where he made 24 appearances and recorded nine saves for North Dakota State.

Lachenmayer pitched 38 innings with a 2.37 ERA, 56 strikeouts, 18 walks and a .192 batting average against him during his freshman campaign.

No. 2: Ryler Smart - Pitcher [Tennessee]

Smart, a Top-25 rated left-hander in the 2024 Recruiting Cycle, signed with the Volunteers after prepping at Pearland (Tex.).

The 6-foot-4, 236-pounder redshirted during his lone season in Knoxville after recovering from injury.

Smart was rated as the No. 183 overall prospect in the 2024 Recruiting Cycle and the No. 25 left-handed pitcher prior to signing with the Volunteers.

Now, he heads to Baton Rouge after committing to Johnson and Co. following a visit with the program this week.

No. 3: Santiago Garcia - Pitcher [Oregon]

Garcia, a relief pitcher for the Big Ten program in 2025, handled business with the Ducks during his lone season in Eugene (Ore.).

The talented southpaw appeared in 22 games in 2025 for the Ducks where he finished with a 3-0 record and an ERA of 4.18.

Garcia also recorded four saves where he served as one of the team’s relief pitchers; getting 28.0 innings of work to throw 38 strikeouts to only 18 walks.

Prior to making his way to join the Oregon Ducks, Garcia spent one season at Central Arizona Community College where he pitched 23.2 innings with a 3.04 ERA, striking out 38 batters.

LSU has now added three left-handed pitchers via the NCAA Transfer Portal with Johnson and Co. attacking the free agent market.

No. 4: Dax Dathe - Pitcher [Angelo State]

Dathe, one of the top pitchers at the Division II level, will spend his final season of eligibility with the defending National Champions next spring.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder will exercise his seventh season of eligibility after an impressive stint with Angelo State.

Dathe capped off the 2025 season with 15 appearances with 13 starts for his Division II program while rounding out the year with a 2.99 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 72.1 innings pitched.

He allowed 53 hits, 31 walks and a .206 opponent batting average.

Across two seasons with the program, Dathe logged a 4.00 ERA with 208 strikeouts where he'll look to translate his success to Baton Rouge.

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