The possibility exists that LSU’s baseball team could lose starting shortstop Jordan Thompson to the Major League Draft next month.
If that were to occur the Tigers received some insurance at that position Thursday with the announcement of sophomore South Carolina shortstop/pitcher Michael Braswell on his Twitter account that he was transferring to Baton Rouge.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Braswell started in 91 of 105 career games at South Carolina which reached the NCAA Super Regional this season before being swept at Florida. His career batting average is .271 with 96 hits, 17 doubles, three homers and 50 RBIs.
Braswell got an up-close look at LSU this season with the Tigers winning two of three contests against the Gamecocks during the regular season and SEC Tournament. He started in each game and went 2-for-10 with four walks and two RBIs.
The former Perfect Game No. 2 shortstop and No. 5 overall player in his home state of Georgia earned a spot on the 2021 SEC’s All-Freshman team and was a semifinalist for the John Olerud Award, symbolic of the nation’s top two-way player that went to Paul Skenes of Air Force. Skenes transferred to LSU and transformed himself into the nation’s top pitcher and potential No. 1 overall draft choice.
Braswell batted .284, including a 16-game hit streak to begin the season, with a pair of homers and 27 RBIs in 54 games. As a right-handed pitcher, he also went 1-2 on the mound with three saves and a 5.40 ERA, striking out nine batters in five innings. He didn’t pitch in 2023.
The native of Mableton, Georgia hit .447 as a senior at Campbell High School. He was the No. 90 rated played in the MLB draft class by Baseball America and participated in the Perfect Game All-American Classic in ’20.
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