Coach Jay Johnson is on a transfer portal heater and is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Earlier today, the LSU baseball head coach landed his fifth commitment of the offseason, as former Indiana State right-handed pitcher Luke Hayden will join the purple and gold in 2025.
LSU baseball lands their second Indiana State transfer portal target of the offseason
And just like that, right-handed pitcher Luke Hayden’s tour around Indiana has officially come to a close.
A product out of Bloomington, IN, Hayden elected to stay close to home for his college of choice, playing for the Indiana Hoosiers for two seasons before making his way over to Terre Haute, IN, to play for Indiana State in 2024.
Now, as we look ahead to the 2025 college baseball season, he’s set to make his way south to Baton Rouge, LA, where he’ll play for coach Jay Johnson and LSU baseball.
Officially listed as a 6-foot-1, 195-pound right-handed pitcher, Hayden was about as good as you’ll see for the Sycamores this past season, logging a 7-2 record and 3.81 ERA to go along with 91 strikeouts and 47 walks in 78 innings.
Important to note, while this was by far his best season at the collegiate level, it was also just a continuation of what he was able to do during his time with the Hoosiers, throwing for 46 strikeouts in 51.1 innings.
Similarly to some of the other new additions for the Tigers, the biggest challenge for the talented Indiana-based pitcher will be adjusting to a difficult SEC schedule next season. With that said, if he can get some good work in with the coaching staff this offseason, he’ll more than likely find his way into the pitching rotation for the purple and gold fairly early on.
Luke Hayden is now the fifth transfer portal commitment total for coach Jay Johnson this offseason, joining fellow Indiana State addition Luis Hernandez (infield), Mount St. Mary’s right-handed pitcher Deven Sheerin, Wofford right-handed pitcher Zac Cowan and USF right-handed pitcher Chandler Dorsey.
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