BATON ROUGE, La. – D1 Baseball on Tuesday named LSU the No. 1 college program in the nation, completing its ranking of the Top 100 College Programs that began in September.
D1 Baseball’s ranking of the Top 100 Programs focuses upon the establishment of a tradition of consistent winning in the last decade, and especially in the last five years. Its goal was to identify the programs in the best shape right now, with an eye toward the next five to 10 years.
Points were awarded for making NCAA Regionals, winning NCAA Regionals, reaching the College World Series, and winning the national championship in the last five seasons. A fewer amount of points were awarded for success between six and 10 years ago.
D1 Baseball writers Aaron Fitt, Kendall Rogers, Mike Rooney, Joe Healy and Mark Etheridge made adjustments to the ranking based on evaluations of coaching staff quality and stability, facilities, scholarship/financial aid situation, conference dynamics, momentum, recruiting and player development proficiency.
LSU was followed in the Top 10 of the ranking by Tennessee, Florida, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Virginia, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Texas and Florida State.
LSU head coach Jay Johnson, the 2023 National Coach of the Year, has a proven track record of postseason success, explosive lineups and highly-ranked recruiting classes at the helm of the nation’s most storied college baseball program. LSU has won 137 games during Johnson’s three-season tenure, the third-highest win total in the nation over that span.
In just his second season, Johnson enhanced LSU’s elite legacy by guiding the Tigers to the 2023 College World Series title, marking the seventh National Championship in school history.
He has produced 12 Top 5 round and 16 Top 10 round draft choices at LSU, including the 2023 No. 1 overall selection, right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes (Pittsburgh), the 2023 No. 2 overall pick, outfielder Dylan Crews (Washington) and the 2022 No. 6 overall selection, infielder Jacob Berry (Miami).
LSU in 2023 became the first school in history to produce the first two selections in a single MLB Draft when Skenes and Crews were chosen Nos. 1 and 2. Each made his big-league debut in 2024, and Skenes became just the fifth rookie in MLB history to start on the mound in an All-Star Game.
At LSU, Skenes was the 2023 Dick Howser Award winner, presented to the nation’s best NCAA Division I player, and Crews was the 2023 recipient of the Golden Spikes Award, presented to the most outstanding player in amateur baseball.
An SEC-record 13 LSU players were selected in the 2023 MLB Draft, including five in the first three rounds.
LSU was in 2023 was No. 1 in the nation in runs scored (634) and in shutouts by its pitching staff (12). The Tigers finished No. 2 in the nation in homers (144), walks received (413), hit-by-pitches (143), on-base percentage (.432) and strikeouts pitched per nine innings (11.7).
The 2023 Tigers also led the SEC in 12 different offensive categories, and the LSU pitching staff established a school record with 798 strikeouts.
A total of nine LSU players were chosen in the 2024 MLB Draft, including eight pitchers, a mark that tied the SEC record for most pitchers drafted in a single season.
LSU in 2024 led the nation in strikeouts pitched with 733, and the Tigers finished No. 2 in the nation in shutouts (7), No. 4 in strikeouts per nine innings (11.5) and No. 9 in hits allowed per nine innings (7.83).
The 2024 Tigers also featured All-American third baseman Tommy White, who completed his career No. 8 on the NCAA Division I all-time home runs list with 75, and he was selected in the second round of the draft by the Oakland Athletics.
The 2025 LSU squad opened its six-week fall practice session on October 10, and the Tigers begin the regular season on February 14, when they play host to Purdue Fort Wayne in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.
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