Having most recently lost several major pieces to the 2024 MLB Draft, the 2025 LSU baseball lineup has officially received some excellent news, as both shortstop Michael Braswell III and first baseman Jared Jones have announced their decisions to come back for another season.
Impact shortstop Michael Braswell III gets the party started
Itās been a good couple of days for coach Jay Johnson and the 2025 LSU baseball roster.
With the 2024 MLB Draft currently in the midst of its third day, many Tiger fans have spent the last few days anxiously watching the tv as they slowly learn about what next yearās purple and gold team is going to look like.
The team notably had several underclassmen get drafted in the early rounds such as rising senior infielder Tommy White (Oakland Athletics) and rising junior left-handed pitcher Griffin Herring (New York Yankees), but the day wasnāt all about players going to the next level.
Immediately following day two last night, the Tigers received some excellent news from a major piece of the 2024 LSU baseball lineup, as shortstop Michael Braswell III took to Twitter to make his intent to return known to the world.
After struggling early during the 2024 season from a bat-to-ball standpoint, concerns started to pop up early with Braswell III ā a former transfer from South Carolina ā but his elite defense managed to keep him solidly in the lineup most of the year.
As it would turn out, this couldnāt have worked out better for coach Jay Johnson and his team. Finishing the year with career highs in batting average (.311), hits (66), doubles (12), home runs (4) and just about every other batting statistic, the 6-foot-2, 204-pound junior ended up being a major impact player for the Tigers on offense.
Now, with his return to Baton Rouge, LA for the 2025 season, heās more than likely going to be penciled into the starting lineup with a chance to continue the massive growth he showed over the last year or so.
Slugging first baseman Jared Jones becomes second piece of LSU baseball lineup to announce return for 2025 season
As if the return of their starting shortstop wasnāt enough, the positive momentum continued into today, with elite batter Jared Jones announcing his return to Baton Rouge this afternoon.
Many had the talented first baseman ā nicknamed āBearā ā listed as one of the most impressive bats in the entire draft this year, and for good reason. Having led the purple and gold in home runs (28) during the 2024 season, he was the true definition of a slugger.
Additionally, with the flexibility to play either first baseman or catcher, the 6-foot-4, 253-pound Georgia-product isnāt any slouch on the defensive side of the ball.
Still, with that said, thereās little doubt in anyoneās mind that his bat is the biggest draw for just about any and all MLB teams out there.
Ultimately, both Braswell III and Jones played major roles in the LSU baseball run to the NCAA Tournament this past season. Now, with both returning, thereās little doubt that they have high hopes of going even further during the 2025 campaign ā already beginning to talk about national championship aspirations.
Still, itās important to note that the program brought in double-digit transfer additions to go along with several other immediate impact freshmen. In short, expect plenty of competition this coming offseason as far as the starting lineup is concerned.
Regardless of what the coming year has in store for the veteran pair, Tiger fans have every reason to be excited to see them holding onto those purple and gold jerseys for at least one more year.
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