The Future: LSU Baseball in Good Hands, Freshmen Shine During 2024 Season

Jay Johnson and the LSU baseball staff knew they had a special 2023 recruiting class once the prized prospects put pen to paper last year, but the 2024 season proved this group is ready for the biggest stage.

Johnson and Co. rolled with several freshmen in the starting lineup this season spearheaded by Steven Milam at second base, Ashton Larson in right field and Jake Brown in center field.

LSU also received contributions from Kade Anderson on the mound after quickly emerging as a key piece for this program in the rotation.

The Tigers are now in premier position for the long haul with a handful of youngsters prepared to take that next step in 2024.

The Future of the Program

Steven Milam: Second baseman

Milam burst on the scene to close out the 2024 season as a key piece to the rotation at the plate, but his surge quickly began in the SEC Tournament after blasting a walk-off homer to take down South Carolina in the semifinals.

From there, he cemented his status as an LSU legend after launching another walk-off homer to propel the Tigers over Wofford in the NCAA Tournament.

“I wasn’t trying to win it in one swing,” Milam said. “That’s when you do too much. (Bouchard) threw probably, I think, eight fastballs, so I got my timing down and got a pitch I could drive, and it ended up leaving the park.”

Now, Milam will be one of the faces of the program moving forward after wrapping up the season with a .326 batting average with 72 hits, eight homers and 40 RBI.

What a year for Steven “Monster” Milam.

.326 AVG | 72 H | 8 HR (2 walk-offs) | 40 RBI

The Las Cruces native & Centennial High grad became an impact player for LSU as a TRUE FRESHMAN.

Great start to a collegiate career many should be excited to watch these coming years. pic.twitter.com/cciM5BDnzl
— Sam Guzman (@SamGuzmanTV) June 4, 2024

Kade Anderson: Left-Handed Pitcher

LSU pitching coach Nate Yeskie loves his left-handers, and after quickly throwing Anderson on the mound as a freshman, he was impressed with his youngster.

From there, the freshman became a key piece to the rotation, earning a few starts during the beginning of the season, then being utilized out of the bullpen in postseason play.

Anderson became a trusted player for Johnson and the Tigers with the chance to earn a starting role in the 2025 season.

He wrapped up his freshman campaign with a 4-2 record and an ERA of 3.99. Anderson struck out 59 batters and allowed 38 hits on the year.

Jake Brown: Centerfielder

Brown burst on the scene for the Tigers after making it to campus over the summer despite being selected in the 2023 MLB Draft. The No. 1 prospect in Louisiana arrived in Baton Rouge as one of the most coveted players on the roster.

In Year 1 with the Tigers, Brown was rotated in at centerfield, but Johnson put trust in his young player in postseason play.

Now, he'll be a key piece moving forward in the outfield alongside fellow 2023 signee Ashton Larson.

Brown finished his first season with the Tigers totaling: .264 batting average, four homers and four doubles.

Ashton Larson: Outfield

Larson became a utilized piece in the outfield for Johnson and Co. during the 2024 season and remained in his role during postseason play.

A savvy athlete, Larson displayed his unteachable traits with this program salivating at what's to come in the future.

There must be improvements at the plate moving forward, but for Larson, he's cemented his status as a player who will be pencilled in as a starter once again in 2025.

He wrapped up the 2024 season with a .298 batting average, three homers and six RBI. There is immense potential moving forward.

The NCAA Tournament Learning Curves:

The future is bright in Baton Rouge, and learning curves are expected when the moments are as monumental as they were on Monday.

Here's what Jay Johnson said during the Chapel Hill Regional:

“We’re always learning, but if you have experience at this time of the year, it’s really expensive. That’s part of the game and what we do in developing players. We had some of that [Saturday], and I wouldn’t have guessed we’d be rolling out three freshmen out in a road regional against the No. 4 team in the country, but a big reason why we’re here is because of those guys helping lead that surge late in the season.

"I have no problem with how we competed in the game. You win these regionals when your best players play great and somebody is going to pay that guy a lot of money and he got a couple good swings off tonight.”

LSU ended the 2024 season after going 43-23 with the program unable to make it out of Regional play for the second time in three years.

The defending National Champions battled back after sitting at 3-12 in SEC play in early April, but after cranking out 21 wins in the final 28 games of the season, LSU punched their ticket to postseason play.

Now, all focus shifts to the future of the program with freshmen Steven Milam, Jake Brown, Kade Anderson and Ashton Larson, among others, prepared to lead this program in 2025.

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How It Happened: LSU Comes Up Short Against North Carolina in NCAA Regionals

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Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and LSU Country: @LSUCountry_FN for all coverage surrounding the LSU program.