The Opening Day Starter: LSU Baseball Reveals Pitcher Set to Take the Mound

Jay Johnson and the LSU Tigers will begin their quest to Omaha on Friday with an Opening Day clash agains Purdue-Fort Wayne in Alex Box Stadium.

Johnson and Co. will begin the season with all eyes on the Tigers following a successful offseason for the program.

Now, with opening weekend arriving, the staff has revealed who the weekend starters will be for the first series.

The Friday Night Starter: Sophomore Kade Anderson.

The young stud worked through an impressive offseason, and after proving to Johnson that he is capable of earning Friday duties, he's received the nod this week.

Anderson will serve as a leader for the program, but understands the talented pitching staff the program attains in Baton Rouge.

“Being the Friday night starter puts yourself in that situation already, but I can only pitch six or seven innings on a weekend and we have a lot of innings ahead of us," Anderson said on Wednesday. "Bringing those guys along will only benefit me and the team as well.”

Who else earned starting roles heading into the first series of the 2025 season?

The Opening Weekend Starters:

The Friday Starter: Kade Anderson

LSU sophomore Kade Anderson will serve as the program's Friday night starter heading into Opening Day.

Anderson, a 2025 Baseball America Preseason All-American, recorded an outstanding 2024 freshman season for LSU, making 18 appearances (nine starts) and posting a 4-2 mark with a 3.99 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 38.1 innings.

The native of Madisonville, La., was especially effective in the postseason, working 2.1 scoreless innings over two NCAA Chapel Hill Regional appearances on the same day (June 2 vs. Wofford and North Carolina) with two hits, one walk and six strikeouts.

Anderson also made two appearances in the SEC Tournament, working 1.2 scoreless innings with one hit, one walk and three strikeouts.

The Saturday Starter: Anthony Eyanson

UC-San Diego transfer Anthony Eyanson has received the nod from Johnson as the program's Saturday starter heading into Opening Weekend.

Eyanson, who transferred to LSU last summer from UC San Diego, was an All-Big West Second-Team selection in 2024, posting a 6-2 mark and a 3.07 ERA in 82.0 innings over 14 appearances (nine starts) with 85 strikeouts and a .190 opponent batting average.

Eyanson, a member of the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team, was twice named the Big West Pitcher of the Week in 2024. The product of Lakewood, Calif., is ranked No. 4 on the Baseball America list of the Top 100 College Transfers for the 2025 season, and he received 2025 Preseason All-America recognition from the NCBWA.

The Sunday Starter: Chase Shores

LSU's Chase Shores will serve as the Sunday starter as he returns to the program after missing the 2024 season.

Shores, a product of Midland, Texas, returns to the mound for LSU in 2025 after missing last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He appeared in seven games (four starts) during the Tigers’ 2023 National Championship season before being sidelined by an elbow injury on March 31.

Shores posted an 0-1 mark and a 0.96 ERA in 2023 with nine walks and 15 strikeouts in 18.1 innings, limiting opponents to a .231 cumulative batting average.

Classified as a junior academically, Shores was ranked No. 20 on the Perfect Game Baseball Top 100 Juniors list for the 2025 season, and he received 2025 Baseball America Preseason All-America recognition.

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