LSU Baseball Stars DOMINATING Summer Leagues! 🔥 Who’s Standing Out?

LSU Baseball Stars DOMINATING Summer Leagues! 🔥 Who’s Standing Out?

LSU football is near, but several Tigers are dominating in summer baseball. We’ll tell you who. Locked on LSU. Here we go. You are locked on LSU, your daily podcast on the LSU Tigers, part of the Locked On podcast network. Your team every day. Okay, let’s get it. It is locked on LSU, your team every day. I’m your host, Matt Mccona. Thanks so much for making us your first listen. We are free, available wherever you get podcasts, of course, on YouTube as well. So, please subscribe as always. One of the fastest ways to help us grow is by leaving your comments below. Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new customers can get $150 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins. We do have our weekly visit with Shay Dixon from On Three, the Bengal Tiger. So, we’ll get you a recruiting update on three of the probably the three main remaining targets for LSU football in this recruiting cycle with some big announcements coming up next month in August. So, we’ll get to that here in just a second. But as you might imagine, with LSU on the heels of a baseball national title, the eighth in program history, the uh the hunger for baseball news is tough to satiate every time we we do baseball videos or content here on the podcast. They do exceptionally well and I keep getting asked by many of you. So, thank you for the comments for updates on how the guys are doing in Summerball. So, I figured let’s put together a little bit of a roundup of how LSU Tigers who have dispersed for the summer and are pitching or playing in their summer leagues, how they are doing. Um, some had already left the team uh were not on the postseason roster. Uh, for example, guys like Eddie Yammen and Devin Sheeran, who we’ll update in just a second. Yammen red shirted this year, the transfer from Dayton, who’s having a great summer. Devin Shearan was thought to be a guy who might factor in LSU’s rotation in 2025, but tore his ACL before the season, didn’t play this past year, and he’s having a fantastic summer as well. But the guy probably worth starting with here is Maverick Rizzy, who’s up in Brewster, Mass in in the Cape, Cape Cod League, a pitching for the Brewster White Caps. If you’re on Twitter or X, you can go follow some of the Brewster uh Twitter accounts and see highlights of how RZY has has done so far. Um, up to this point, Maverick Rzzy has thrown six and two/3 innings. He’s faced 23 hitters and allowed just two base runners. Uh, those two base runners, by the way, one hit and a hit by pitch. That’s it. 12 strikeouts and six and two-thirds innings pitched, by the way. That means um he’s recorded 20 outs. 12 of the 20 outs he’s recorded have been by virtue of a of a strikeout. So you Jay Johnson has often said uh this this is not new. He said it since he was on campus. He is going to have a premier arm at the back of the bullpen. And we’ve we’ve seen that manifest through his time here. You can think back to Gavin Gry being the closer for the national championship team and Chase Shores closing out the national championship in 2025. Like that’s just how it’s it’s going to be. Um Eric Raelman and Jay Johnson’s first year who Eric Raelman’s climbing in the Yankees organization is pushing toward potentially, you know, making a his big league debut. So Jay’s always going to have an elite arm in the back end. With Chase Shore is gone now, you can look at Maverick Grizzy and say that could very well be the guy in line for that role. Now, this year we saw obviously Zack Cowan filled that role exceptionally well and maybe maybe Cowan um maybe Cowan finds his way back into the rotation. I’m not so sure that a fast ball at 92 with a dynamic change up is going to be good enough to to be part of a consistent rotation to get you through the lineup multiple times um against SEC hitters, but maybe that’s an option. And of course, we saw Kase Evans, who was outstanding for LSU. Evans very likely starts next season as the the favorite to be your Friday night starter, especially with the way he extended in the postseason. They gave him the opportunity to be in the rotation, you know, at the start of SEC play uh in 2025. So Evans likely, so replacing Evans and Shores, the back of your bullpen. Uh RZY looks like he could very well be be a guy in line to do that. Remember, Maverick Rzzy was at times outstanding for LSU. The stuff is undeniable. You’re talking about a guy that’s 6 foot n 253 pounds in the Cape. He’s bumping 97 miles an hour. And when you start to look at and recall like what he was able to do for the Tigers as a true freshman, there were times where the walks became a little bit of an issue. There was a stretch against Alabama where he walked two and two-thirds of an inning. He had a midweek performance against Northwestern State where he walked three. He walked two against Tennessee in an outing where he only made it a third of an inning. So like that’s you he walked two of the four hitters he faced. So that was a problem for for Rzzy. Uh in 24 and two/3 innings pitched. He walked um he walked 19 hitters. Again 19 hitters walked in 24 and 2/3. Compare that to what he’s done now in the Cape. 26 uh I’m sorry, six and two/3 where he’s not walked a single hitter. So, if Maverick Grizz is developing command, the stuff is plenty good enough and he could likely factor into a back of the bullpen guy if he doesn’t earn one of the spots in the starting rotation. I mentioned Devin Shearan as well, and that’s something we’ve got to talk about because Shearan is another guy, remember, came in from Mount St. Mary’s, was throwing a 100. He was a lightly regard recruited guy. Lands lands at Mount St. Mary’s. He hits this major spurt. The VO ticks up to a 100 miles an hour, jumps in the transfer portal, lands at LSU, was thought to be a guy that could be part of the rotation in 2023, tears his ACL before the season starts, and misses this entire season. So, Sharon has been, he was not with LSU in Omaha, he’s been up at the Cape, he’s with the Falmouth Commodores. Um, and he has been fantastic. He started once. Uh, he’s thrown in eight games, 12 and a third. If the inning, by the way, if the inning count doesn’t seem large, it shouldn’t. This is managed a lot like um like you see in the minor leagues as well, you just don’t see guys generally extend because a lot guys are up there to get work. They’re not out there to throw, you know, complete game shutouts. They’re there just to get mound time and get work. So, eight inning uh eight games, just one start, 12 and a third innings pitched. He’s 11 hits, six earned runs. He struck out 12. The problem is he’s walked eight. So, but I I’ll draw the comparison to Chase Shores. And I’m not saying Devin Shearan’s going to be Chase Shores. I’m just saying when you haven’t been on the mound facing live hitters for for more than a year, there’s going to be rust. And it’s developing feel command again. And that’s sort of where where Devin Sheeran is right now. That’s why it’s so important for him to go throw this summer in the Cape. going to be so important for him to throw in fall ball and then preseason scrimmages that they’re going to have to get him mound time and it might be a thing like Chase Shores where it takes several weeks or months at the start of the season before he starts feeling that comfort again. So, um the stuff with Sharon is undeniable. You when you’re clocking triple digits, that’s something that is always going to turn heads and catch eyes. But, uh mound time is what is what he needs there. The two other guys I mentioned Eddie Yman. Um Eddie Yman’s such an outlier because he’s a 6’5 catcher transferred in from Dayton. He’s catcher first base, third base. Um red shirted this past year and uh he is in the uh he’s in the cave also with um the Falmouth Commodores. U he’s only had four uh at bats. He’s two for four. He has walked. Um, so still trying to get him uh more abs to see if he can s sort of uh elevate a bit. The guy who is uh turning heads in the Cape is John Pearson. He’s with the Lacrosse Loggers in the Northwoods League, not in the Cape, in the Northwoods League. Um, and he’s played 18 games and he’s hitting 271 with four doubles and three homers. He’s walked eight times. He has struck out 16 times, so the swing and miss has been a problem. But John Pearson figures to be one of those guys that’s going to work, you know, factor into the competition for first base, uh, maybe third base, right-handed DH, but it’s hard to imagine John Pearson winning the third base job with Trent Carowway coming in from Oregon State. Certainly seems like he’s going to be the plug-andplay third baseman. So, we’ll keep an eye on how all that goes. But so far, a very productive summer for a lot of guys with this LSU baseball team looking for bigger roles as the Tigers move into the 2026 season as they continue through summer. We’ll certainly keep you up to date as we know more. Stay with us here. It’s locked in LSU, your team every day. Summer sports are in full swing. And whether you’re all about baseball under the lights, golf on the green, or high stakes soccer action, FanDuel is the best way to make every game even more exciting. You’re already following the action, so why not make it a little more thrilling? With FanDuel, you can get in on the game while your friends are getting sunburned at the beach. Although, I can’t talk because I’m presently at the beach. Not sunburned, but enjoying the beach nonetheless. Listen, whether you’re placing a same game parlay, you’re watching a bet ride into the ninth inning, FanDuel makes it feel like I’m part of the action. And if you’re new to FanDuel, remember this. New customers can bet just $5 and get $150 in bonus bets if your first bet wins. Again, bet just $5. If you’re a new customer, bet just $5 and get $150 in bonus bets if your first bet wins. Open the FanDuel app today or visit fanduel.com to get started. Time for our weekly chat with Shay Dixon from On3 the Bengal Tiger. As we do every week, we talk a little recruiting. And remember, we are now in sort of a weird period uh on the recruiting calendar because for the first time now, it’s a recruiting dead period till September. So, we won’t see um LSU hosting prospects until the season begins, which is an odd is an oddity now, but you are still going to have several major prospects make their announcements in August before their senior season start. And we’re keeping an eye on a trio of really big time prospects that LSU is in the mix for. Uh, and so we had a chance to visit with Shay Dixon from On Three, the Bengal Tiger, to give us an update on each of them. Uh, LSU already has one of, if not the top uh, wide receiver recruiting class in the country, and they could featuring Tristan Keys, who’s the number one wide receiver in the country, a couple of elite blue chip uh, Louisiana receivers as well, Jabari Mack among them. Uh, but Jace Matthews is another prospect out of Mississippi and he is one of the more highly touted prospects in America and Jay Dixon gave an update on Matthews. Pass on my phone. Uh, the first two people, Tristan Keys is one, Jace Matthews is two. So, that’s the type of uh talent we’re talking about in Jace Matthews. He’s going to go ahead and announce in uh in early August here, August 8th. Um Miss, Auburn, LSU A&M last team standings. But if you’re making me pick right now, I’d pick LSU. Um I know Auburn’s been hot and heavy on him&m missed on some receivers. They’ve tried for Tristan Keys. They had Booby Faster Lee for the West Coast. Um you know, some other Texas kids had left for the West Coast. So, they’re going to be in on them as well. But I don’t know. I I just think that they’ve done Boy, they’ve done so well in Mississippi, but for so long, Jace Matthews has been a guy that’s been around LSU, and I just think it took a while for LSU fans to look up and be like, “Oh, he’s the number two receiver in America.” Like, that’s how good he is. and you add him to that class that is the it would remind me of the neighbors Brian Thomas, Chris Hilton, Jack Bash uh group Dion uh Smith had signed in that class. He was an emergency ride of Mississippi at the time. Um but that’s the type of kind of talent you’re talking about here. And boy, that would be a a nice way to kind of bulk up wide receiver you, if you will, if you can bring in your two best receivers in Louisiana and then the two best out out of state receivers in the country. Yeah, that uh it is it is worth pointing out that um as we look at as we look at receiver for 2026 and beyond, notably 26. Look at where you’re losing. You’re going to lose Aaron Anderson. You’re going to lose Xavian Thomas. All of the the sort of one-year mercenaries that you brought in, Nick Anderson, Barry and Brown, they’re all going to be gone. Now LSU has recruited very well at the receiver position and you’ve got some young guys Kyle Parker, Kylin Bilot, young young Galani Watkins who we are looking at their their long-term ability to maybe be the next guys, but it’s also a position where you it’s a heavy numbers position, right? And so you do typically see guys enter the transfer portal. So, I’m not sitting here trying to project that anybody is entering the transfer portal, but we can look at recent, you know, trends. Guys like like Jaylen Brown, Kai Pin, uh you heard Shay mentioned, you know, Jack Bash, who of course signed with LSU, played for a couple of seasons, then then left via the transfer portal. So, um yes, it’s a spot where you always you are always going to have to fortify with numbers. So LSU right now with the best receiving class in America and they could add Jace Matthews who you heard Shay say it on three rivals ranks. It’s worth mentioning on three bought rivals. So um the on three ranking merged with rivals and they’re calling it rivals. So on three rivals rates him Jace Matthews as the number two receiver in the country in the composite. He’s the number 83 player nationally and the fourth best wide receiver. So, you were talking about an elite level receiver and Shay seems to think that LSU is still in a really good spot with Jace Matthews. Now, another spot on the offensive side that LSU has recruited exceptionally well under Brian Kelly. We’ve talked about it since the day Brian Kelly showed up. There’s two positions more than any other that he has pumped into the NFL draft at a higher clip and it’s offensive line and tight end. And Darius Gray is one of the top remaining uncommitted offensive linemen in the country. And Jay gave us an update on Gray’s recruitment. And Wilt Bong, Steve Wolf does such a great job. Chad Simmons, those guys, Sam speak from the national side. But Wilt Bong has really been tuned in with Darius Gray for a long time. And he put his LSU pick in a while back. And Gray’s made unofficial visits, his official visit weekend with family. And even though he’s from Virginia, we’ve seen Brad Davis and this staff go out to the east coast, wherever to sign kids. And Darius G Gray has just been a massive priority for him. And let’s go ahead and get this out of the way. He’s a fivestar and the number one interior alignment in the country. And last year, that’s where Curious Current sat as the top two interior alignment and number one, you know, five-star prospect. the year prior Tyler Miller coming out of Mississippi or was that two years ago was um Weston Davis who was late flip but fivear number one at the position. You just can’t count Brad Davis out and the staff out on these guys and I’m still leaning LSU. There’s a couple weeks left. It’s the NIL era, but it’s it’s a lot like Lamar Brown. There’s a million teams involved, but I always knew that it would come down to LSU and&M. And I think everybody feels this is going to come down to South Carolina team near and LSU. They’ve prioritized them for a long time. So, one of those teams is my guess, but my picks on LSU, and I haven’t moved it yet. So, uh, boy, if you want to round out a really nice O line class, it’s been very offensive tackle heavy, no better way to do it than go ahead and get the So Shay Dixon there still projecting LSU to land Darius Gray, the number one interior offensive lineman in America. You heard Shay mention, by the way, um, and this is in the composite. He is a five-star number one interior offensive lineman, the number 31 overall player regardless of position for what it’s worth. 24/7 rates graze the number 16 player overall regardless of position in the in the uh the I guess now it’s the the rivals prediction machine. Um LSU a 51% chance followed by South Carolina at 32% chance to land Darius Gray. Um, yes, I do feel like the Darius Gray uh commitment is significant for LSU if they’re able to get it largely because of the position he plays there on the interior. You feel like you’re set with Tyrie Adams and Weston Davis as your tackles likely for the next two seasons. But DJ Chester moving over to guard most likely this year with Brilland Moore coming in at center, Josh Thompson likely your other guard. Carious Kern, five-star interior offensive lineman, was playing at left tackle in spring. So, he could very well be a guy who plays tackle. You have Solomon Thomas there, another five-star. That was a signing day flip from Florida State was a long time Florida State commit. Of course, um not only is Brad Davis, LSU’s offensive line coach, but um you know, the uh Alex Atkins, the longtime or the Florida State assistant who was their offensive coordinator, got fired, was Solomon Thomas’ recruiter. He ends up at LSU as the tight end’s coach. A lot of things that that led to that uh that connection there to get Solomon Thomas. Point being, Coen Eckl also there, another dominant interior player likely you is going to be featured as a center after um Brilen Moore’s season in Baton Rouge. All that to say, um you’re going to have a couple of spots open a starting offensive line in 2026. So, if you’re able to lure one of the the top interior offensive linemen in the country to Baton Rouge, that’s a guy who could very well be an early an early contributor, again, Brian Kelly can can go to any of these elite offensive linemen and say, “I’ll play you as a freshman because he did it with Will Campbell and Emry Jones. Both were starters as a freshman, as true freshman.” I mean, DJ Chester was a red shirt guy, but he started as a red shirt freshman every game at center a year ago. So, the opportunity is going to be that Weston Davis as a red shirt freshman is likely going to be your starting right tackle this year. So, Brian Kelly can go to these elite offensive linemen and say, “You do have a path to the field immediately here uh if they show up.” Uh there’s one more player uh that we need to talk about with Shay Dixon. And we’ll do that. It’s a one defensive player. We’ll do that as we come back to wrap up here on Locked in LSU. Your team every day. [Music] The final guy that we’re keeping an eye on and have been with Shay is Duce Geralds. Duce Geralds is a defensive lineman from the state of Georgia, but it’s way deeper than that. You’re going to hear Sheay explain Douch Gerald’s father played football at Scotlandville, which is just north of downtown Baton Rouge, and was recruited to Old Miss by Frank Wilson, who now of course is on LSU staff. There’s a lot of connective tissue here with Duce Geralds. Well, they’re very much in this. I mean, remember his dad, um, Davvern Geralds played at Scotlandville and went to Miss when Frank Wilson and Coach Oo, everybody was there. But, uh, Frank was the primary recruiter and now Frank’s here. Uh, so that’s really kind of helped him out for getting him to campus, then getting the whole family in for the official visit. And he’s been very quiet, Moose, about whom might lead. I mean, even I can tell you talking to people behind the scenes in different colleges, they’re all like, “So, who leads here? Who leads here? Who leads here?” And, um, kudos to him for kind of keeping it quiet. I saw an Oregon pick go in, but I can also tell you there’s some nervous moments around Oregon the past week of are we going to get him or not? And I think, look, yes, this dad went to Miss. Yes, they prioritized him. miss hasn’t had a great uh run uh this year on kind of in the trenches, certainly on the O line, but can they reel in a legacy in Gerald’s? I wouldn’t rule him out. He’s leaving Georgia. That’s where he plays his high school ball. Um I’m with you that Ohio State has a ton to sell. I don’t think he goes to Michigan. That’s the other school. If I’m putting a pick in, I’m putting it on LSU. So Sheay put another pick in on LSU there with Duce Geralds. Um I don’t know. I’ve never had a conversation with Duce Geralds. Uh I have we’ve played audio of Duce Geralds here on this show during his recruitment talking about LSU being home, Baton Rouge being home and the opportunity that he would relish in playing for LSU. And I believe there’s sincerity there. But at some point, I think we also have to to realize, you know, even on the 4th of July when we’re waiting on commitments, LSU ends up missing out on a linebacker to Arkansas was a guy that LSU had prioritized that that Blake Baker really wanted. Um, and they missed out on it because, as you heard Shay say, in the NIL era, things change. And it’s not just NIL, it’s also revenue share. So, while you may want a player and the player may really like you and covet you, there’s there is a financial component to all of this now. And by the way, that that works in LSU’s favor at times as well. And I’ve explained this, but just again for maybe if you’re an everydayer, you’ve heard it and shout and thank you for that. If you’re not, I’ll explain it again. But um this is something I’ve seen with my own two eyes. I’m not guessing LSU the way that they’re structuring um their revenue share or you know p previously at the NIL is they effectively have created a pie chart of sorts uh with their roster. So, if you look at the total budget, think of it as a pie chart, 100%. They’ve allocated a percentage of that of those dollars by position. And then when you break it down by position, so let’s say hypothetically if you’re going to give 17% to the offensive line. Again, I don’t know if that’s the exact number off the top of my head. Just work with me. Here’s a hypothetical. You have 17%. So 17% of whatever that total dollar number is, that’s the total budget for the offensive line. and now it’s divvied up among all the scholarship offensive linemen with their dollar amount based on whatever formula they have. Right? So all that to say LSU may really want Duce Gerald’s, but does Oregon covet him more and have a better path to the field and a higher revenue opportunity. It’s the kind of conversation and the kind of considerations that all of these players have to make. I just I’ve just been around recruiting long enough. Not not that I and maybe it’s one of those things where because I’m not so close to it, I can I can pull back, take the 10,000 foot view and and think about all the guys that LSU or any school thought you’d get and it’s a sign of day surprise or a flip or a miss or whatever the case may be. Um, for whatever it’s worth in the rivals predictor, Oregon is at 64.6% followed by Ohio State, Miss and then LSU at just 1.4%. So LSU is way down on the list among the predictions that have been made for Duce Geralds. It’s probably one of those situations where everybody that’s recruiting him thinks they have an awesome shot to get him. And ultimately it’s going to come down to most likely best opportunity to reach the playing field, financial opportunity coupled with what’s the most uh the the most attractive situation. He’s got his dad’s alma mater miss. He’s got LSU which is sort of his original home state. And then he’s got Oregon and Ohio State, two of the premier programs in college football. There’s no bad option there for Duce Gerald. Just remains to be seen what he will do. If you’re wondering about the bio, Gerald’s in the composite is the number 94 overall player in the country, the number eight defensive lineman. Uh ESPN ranks him as the number 40 overall player in the country. They’re higher on him than than the other two services are. But again, a very good player and a guy when you think about what Kyle Williams wants. He fits the the bold. He’s 6’1 270. Remember what they just brought in in Bernard Gooden from South Florida. Very similar. Whereas Bo Davis, we talked about want gigantic offensive lineman. The 65 350 type offensive lineman. Kyle Williams wants shorter explosive dudes that can blow up the launchpad and create a rush from the interior kind of like Kyle Williams played in his career. So Gerald’s fits that mold. We’ll see if the Tigers can land him. Okay, as we continue through the rest of July and into August as we get more of these recruiting announcements, we’ll certainly be talking about it right here on Locked on LSU. Hey, thanks so much for making us your first listen. Now for your second listen, how about you go check out the Portal show. Brian Smith has the latest rumors, portal entries, and signings. Be the most informed fan on the rapid changes to the college football landscape. Find The Portal on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hey, if you are on podcast, please subscribe on your favorite podcast app. Rate us, leave a review. If you’re on YouTube, please smash that like button, subscribe to the channel, hit the bell so you’re notified whenever we post a new video, and let a friend know that if they love the Tigers, we got you here every single day for Locked on LSU, your team every day.

LSU’s summer league stars are turning heads! We dive into how pitchers Maverick Rizy and John Pearson are absolutely dominating this summer, and we break down why Deven Sheerin is drawing comparisons to Chase Shores. Plus, we catch up with Shea Dixon of On3 to discuss LSU football’s chances of landing three elite prospects that could reshape the Tigers’ 2025 recruiting class.

Don’t miss this deep dive into LSU baseball’s rising stars and the latest buzz on the football recruiting trail!

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