The LSU Baseball program enters the 2026 season with lofty expectations.
After winning National Championships in two of the last three seasons, LSU is the odds-on favorite to win the 2026 national title. Jay Johnson's squad has racked up plenty of preseason accolades, including being selected to win the SEC in the league's Preseason Coaches Poll, as well as being ranked No. 1 in the country by USA Today and Perfect Game.
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The Tigers return 19 players from last year's title team, including significant contributors Derek Curiel, Casan Evans, Steven Milam, and Jake Brown. While those players have firmly established themselves as bonafide stars, having younger players step up could pave the way for another title run in 2026.
William Schmidt primed for a breakout season in 2026
One returner who could be in line for a breakout season in 2026 is sophomore right-hander William Schmidt. Schmidt got his feet wet last year by tossing 32.1 innings across 17 appearances and six starts, and is primed to take on a much larger role in 2026.
The Baton Rouge native has been showing out this week during intrasquad scrimmages, and put together an eye-popping performance on Friday. Schmidt tossed 5.0 innings of shutout baseball without allowing a single hit and struck out a whopping 11 batters. In addition, he struck out nine consecutive batters at one point.
William Schmidt put on a show today.
— John Eads WAFB-TV (@JohnEadsWAFB) February 7, 2026
The sophomore got off to a bit of a rocky start but found his stride from the second inning on.
Schmidt striking out nine consecutive batters at one point, 11 K's on the day in five shutout, hitless innings of work. #LSU pic.twitter.com/InqOFiuf9s
Schmidt went 7-0 with a 4.73 ERA, 1.546 WHIP and 41 strikeouts through 17 appearances as a true freshman in 2025. Walks were a bit of an issue, as he issued 22 free passes over 32.1 innings, and his 6.1 BB/9 was the highest among all Tiger pitchers who threw at least 30.0 innings. If he can limit the free passes, Schmidt could put the whole country on notice with a stand-out 2026 season.
Coming out of high school, Schmidt was ranked as the No. 16 overall draft prospect by MLB.com. He posted elite numbers as a senior at Catholic High School in 2024, posting a 9-0 record to go along with a minuscule 0.44 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 63.2 innings of work.
Schmidt enters the new campaign with plenty of hype, as he was ranked as the No. 12 sophomore in the country on Perfect Game's list of the top 100 College Sophomores. Tiger fans are fired up to see what he can do in 2026. Schmidt and the Tigers open the new season on Friday, February 13 against Milwaukee.
Good morning
— Inside LSU Baseball (@Insidelsubsbl) February 6, 2026
Good afternoon
Good night ✌🏾
William Schmidt after a rocky first inning, has pitched 3 clean innings and can’t stop striking everyone out. pic.twitter.com/AtZ5qOn7xB