Jay Johnson says Brady Neal is 'just about' to full strength, not on active roster

Jay Johnson provided a positive update on one of LSU’s brightest young stars in catcher Brady Neal.

Neal has been sidelined with an undisclosed injury for awhile, but the Tigers would love to have him back on the field with them as they search for a title in Omaha at the Men’s College World Series.

After winning their first game at the event, Johnson explained that Neal is close, he’s just not on the active roster at the moment.

Jay Johnson said that Brady Neal isn’t on the active roster but he is “just about back to full strength.”

Neal has been catching and hitting batting practice today.#LSU

— Koki Riley (@KokiRiley) June 18, 2023

“Jay Johnson said that Brady Neal isn’t on the active roster but he is ‘just about back to full strength.’ Neal has been catching and hitting batting practice today,” tweeted LSU reporter Koki Riley of USA TODAY Sports and The Daily Advertiser.

The young, talented freshman showed some signs of promise in 2023, but his contributions to the LSU program will likely come over the next couple of seasons. Still, he must be itching to get back on the field, seeing his teammates’ success in Omaha.

The Tigers will next take the field on Monday night against top seeded Wake Forest in what should be a tremendous showdown. Jay Johnson will be looking to coach his team to a victory, and Brady Neal will be cheering LSU on the whole time.

More on Day 4 at the Men’s College World Series

We’re getting closer and closer to knowing the two teams who will compete for the 2023 College World Series title, with Day 4 of action set to begin Monday. Stanford and Tennessee will start off the action with an elimination game at 2 p.m. ET. 

The loser of that game will be the second team to be eliminated from the CWS, as Virginia became the first with a 4-3 loss to TCU on Sunday. The Cavaliers trailed 3-1 entering the seventh inning but began a late comeback attempt as Ethan Anderson hit a solo home run to cut the deficit to 3-2. 

The Horned Frogs were quick to answer, however, as an RBI double from Austin Davis gave them the two-run cushion needed to hang on for the win. Virginia didn’t give up as it scored another run in the bottom of the inning and then got Casey Sauke in scoring position at second base in the ninth. Alas, TCU pitcher Ben Abeldt struck out the next batter to end the Cavaliers’ season and keep his team’s alive.

The second game from Sunday between Oral Roberts and Florida also came down to the wire. Despite trailing 5-1 entering the seventh inning, the Golden Eagles got a two-RBI home run from Matt Hogan to cut the deficit.

The Gators then made a huge mistake with the bases loaded in the eighth, as coach Kevin O’Sullivan made a visit to the mound when he had none left. As a result, he was forced to pull closer Brandon Neely and put in freshman Cade Fisher. Florida got out of that inning without giving up a run, but wouldn’t escape the pressure in the ninth. 

Oral Roberts once again loaded the bases and scored another run, and all eyes were on Jacob Godman as he stepped up to face Fisher. He hit a ball to deep center that was ultimately caught as Gators fans, players and coaches alike breathed a collective sigh of relief as they hung on to win. 

With the loss, ORU will now face TCU in an elimination game Tuesday. You can view the full bracket and schedule for Day 4 of the College World Series here.

On3’s Chandler Vessels contributed to this article.