LSU Baseball: Three freshmen who went off opening weekend

Coming off a national championship, the LSU Tigers Baseball team brought in the No. 7 ranked recruiting class this season according to Perfect Game. Their class included just 13 players, but it was a class that Jay Johnson built very intentionally.

Not many ranked teams have more than maybe one or two freshman that are going to be impact players this season, but the Tigers have 3+ guys who are set to play a big role on this team in 2024.

This freshman class certainly had their ups and downs this weekend, but there were three guys who really stood out as difference makers in opening weekend.

The first of the three freshman who had themselves an opening weekend to remember is Steven Milam. In the fall, it looked like the New Mexico native had a lot of work to do before he saw the field, but Jay Johnson said he's been one of the most improved players on the team since they returned from winter break.

That game Johnson was referring to when he said "today was just a continuation of what he's been doing in January and February," was Milam's debut against Central Arkansas on Saturday. The freshman went 1-for-1 at the plate while drawing two walk and getting hit by a pitch. He reached base on all four at bats, which isn't too bad for a debut.

After that game, Milam earned himself the leadoff spot in the lineup for the final two games of the weekend. He'd finish the weekend 6-for-11 with one double, four RBI's and five runs.

Milam went from someone who probably wasn't going to play a lot to the Tigers leadoff batter who looks like he could be an everyday starter. He took some time adjusting to the college level, but he looked like a seasoned vet this weekend.

Jake Brown is the other position player freshman who put together a solid first weekend of the season. Brown appeared in three of the Tigers four games, starting two in right field and one in center field, and finished the weekend second on the team with a .600 batting average (Milazzo is at .750, but he's had four at bats compared to Brown's 10).

Brown's first plate appearance in college baseball went pretty well; he took the first pitch he ever saw in a collegiate game straight up the middle for a single. He'd go on to reach base two more times that game on HBP's.

Brown finished opening weekend with six hits on 10 at bats (all singles) and an on base percentage of .667. He also had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage on the weekend.

Brown was a part of this trio of freshman who really impressed on opening weekend, and I wouldn't be shocked if he continues to find himself in the lineup a lot, especially against right handed pitchers.

The final freshman I wanted to talk about was Kade Anderson. The left handed pitcher probably wouldn't have come to college if it weren't for him missing his entire senior season after Tommy John surgery, but he made it to Baton Rouge and looks to play a huge role in this pitching staff.

Anderson's first appearance came in the form of a start against Central Arkansas on Monday. He had his ups and downs, but for the most part, he executed his pitches and got out of jams.

He went 4.0 innings, allowing one run on three hits and three walks and striking out six batters en route to his first career win. At one point, he had runners on the corners with one out, and responded by striking out the final two batters of the inning to end the threat.

Here's what Jay Johnson had to say about his freshman pitcher after the game:

This LSU Baseball team is about as deep as it gets on both the pitching and position player side of things, and despite bringing in just 13 freshman, they still are going to have some young players make a big impact this season.

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