Gavin Guidry is a name LSU Baseball fans know well. Guidry came to LSU after an impressive career at Barbe High School in Lake Charles where he was named the 2022 Gatorade Louisiana High School Player of the Year. He was ranked as the No. 1 player in the state of Louisiana and made an immediate impact for the Tigers during their 2023 National Championship season.
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However, Guidry's Tiger career has been plagued by injuries. He entered the 2026 season with just 53.0 innings under his belt in his career, and missed all of last season due to a back injury. Now healthy, Guidry is off to a strong start on the mound in 2026, and his strong early showing boosts LSU's season outlook.
Gavin Guidry's strong start is a welcome sight for LSU's bullpen
Guidry has made two relief appearances through LSU's first four games of the new season, and both outings have been successful. In total, the redshirt junior has faced 14 batters over 4.1 innings of work, and just one has reached base.
Furthermore, he's racked up 10 strikeouts without issuing any walks. He also earned the win in the opener against Milwaukee and the save on Monday against Kent State. His off-speed pitches remain arguably the best in the SEC, and his fastball velocity was hovering around 92-93 mph.
Tigers Win! Tigers Win! pic.twitter.com/pGbmxkxNCA
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) February 17, 2026
LSU head coach Jay Johnson had plenty of good things to say about Guidry following LSU's 10-7 win over Kent State on Monday.
"I just think he's special. I always have. This is exactly what you want. He wanted to be an infielder, we worked on that, but it was, what you're seeing is meant to be. And it takes a special competitor to be the Friday pitcher or the closer. And he's got it. When he ran in on Friday, it was kind of like a blast from the past moment of him like how excited he was to get to the mound. Like, 'Let's got, coach get out of here, let me do my thing.' He's going to win."Jay Johnson
After such an impressive showing to begin the 2026 season, Guidry could be in for a monster role in LSU's bullpen. He can be used in high-leverage situations, as a closer, or even as a long relief guy. That versatility could come in extremely handy for the Tigers this season.
Guidry is now 6-0 with a 2.98 ERA in 47 appearances throughout his LSU career. He's also racked up 88 strikeouts in 57.1 innings of work. Now that he is back healthy, Tiger fans are excited to see what he can do throughout the 2026 season. His impressive start is certainly promising.