GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
(First of the 5-part series “First Pitch Fever” on LSU opening baseball season on Friday)
When Kade Anderson was 4 and growing up in Madisonville, LSU’s baseball team won the national championship in the 2009 season.
When he was 18 and in high school, LSU won the national championship in the 2023 season. When Anderson signed with the Tigers, the 6-foot-2 left-hander was the No. 2 player in Louisiana for the class of 2023 after going 28-1 with a 0.22 ERA and 212 strikeouts at St. Paul’s High in Covington.
“I am a true Tiger fan,” he said. “It was the only place I ever wanted to go. To play at LSU was my dram ever since I was little.”
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When Anderson was 19 and a freshman at LSU, he struck out three in and inning and a third in an 8-4 Tigers’ win over North Carolina to help get the Tigers into an NCAA Regional championship game at North Carolina that would have put LSU in the Super Regional at home against West Virginia. But the Tigers fell, 4-3, in 10 innings.
On Friday, LSU opens the 2025 season against Purdue-Fort Wayne at 2 p.m. in Alex Box Stadium. And Anderson is expected to be on the mound.
“Growing up in Louisiana, it’s been kind of my dream,” he said recently. “Being the guy that coach Johnson can go to right out of the gate would be really special.”
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LSU coach Jay Johnson, who will be entering his fourth season, could go with 6-8 redshirt sophomore right-hander Chase Shores, or, or 6-2 junior transfer right-hander Anthony Eyanson, or 6-4 sophomore transfer left-hander Conner Ware.
“I wouldn’t say I’ve narrowed it down to three guys, but I have a pretty good idea where it will land,” Johnson said Friday. “And I’m not saying until late in the week.”
If he gets the start, Anderson knows everything can change quickly or later.
“You’ve got to win every game, and I truly mean that,” he said. “So, if I have to close out a Tuesday night game, I’ll be ready for it. It means a lot. At the same time, it’s a battle.”
Anderson was 4-2 with a 3.99 ERA in appearances and nine starts last season with 59 strikeouts in 38 and a third innings. He did not start any Southeastern Conference games, but he gained valuable experience late in the season in the SEC Tournament and the NCAA Regional in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He enters the season at No. 21 in Perfect Game’s top 100 sophomores.
“I like the experience we were able to get him,” Johnson said. “He had some successful experience last year with some wins and some good starts. Thought he was great in the postseason.”
Anderson struck out three with zeroes across the board in an inning of relief in the Tigers’ 13-6 win over Wofford before pitching against North Carolina. In the SEC Tournament, he threw an inning of relief in LSU’s 12-11 win over South Carolina in 10 innings, striking out two with a walk. In two-thirds of an inning in relief against Tennessee, he allowed one hit and struck out one.
“He’s left-handed. He throws multiple pitches for strikes,” Johnson said. “Has some good qualities within his pitches that grade well with the professional baseball.”
Since the end of last season, Anderson has added a slider to his high 90s fastball-curve-changeup repertoire.
“It’s going to help out my fastball,” he said. “It’s been a long journey to get it. I really tried to throw it last year, but this off-season I picked it up pretty good. And it’s going to continue to get better. I think it’s going to be a really good pitch. It’s a new grip.”
Anderson may need the extra pitch to get batters out and to stay ahead of his teammates.
“People have got to win spots at the end of the day. It’s whoever comes out on top, but we’ve got depth,” he said.
Another Anderson goal is to get a start in a home Super Regional this June 6-9 in Alex Box Stadium and help LSU return to Omaha, Nebraska, for the College World Series.
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t use it as motivation,” he said of LSU narrowly missing a home Super Regional last year. “It was a tough part, honestly – not being able to play in a Super Regional. That’s something I’ve dreamed of. I use it as a chip on my shoulder. This season, we’ll show that we can bounce back for sure.”
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Should LSU reach Omaha in June, it may be time for Anderson to think of his next dream. He is a draftable sophomore and could be in pro ball in the 2026 season. Or he could opt for an extended stay at LSU.
“I haven’t thought about it at all,” he said. “I’m just continuing to get better and mentally stronger. If that time comes, it comes. I want to be here for 10 years, if I could. So, honestly, I don’t really care about it too much.”
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