Preview: LSU hosts Purdue Fort Wayne to begin 2025 season

Baseball fans wake up with a different feeling today as the college baseball season officially begins. LSU takes on Purdue Fort Wayne in its season-opening series and all of the work that Jay Johnson and this program have put in since the heart breaking loss to North Carolina in last year’s regional looks to come to fruition.

Here is the official team preview with notes, game times, and information to know.

Let’s play ball.

Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons (0-0) at No. 2 LSU Tigers (0-0)

DATES/TIMES

• Friday, February 14 @ 2 p.m. CT
• Saturday, February 15 @ 11 a.m. CT
• Sunday, February 16 –  @ 1 p.m. CT

STADIUM

• Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field (10,718)

RANKINGS

• LSU – No. 2 Baseball America; No. 3 USA Today; No. 3 D1 Baseball
• PFW – unranked

RADIO

·        LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates

·        Live audio at www.LSUsports.net/live; Live stats at www.LSUstats.com 

ONLINE

• All three games will be streamed live on SEC Network +

LSU SERIES RECORD VS. PURDUE FORT WAYNE

• Friday’s game will mark the first meeting between LSU and Purdue Fort Wayne, which is a member of the Horizon League. The Horizon League also includes Milwaukee, Northern Kentucky, Oakland, Wright State and Youngstown State. LSU is 2-0 all-time vs. Youngstown State, and the Tigers have never played the other members of the Horizon League.

PITCHING MATCHUPS

Game 1

LSU – So. LH LH Kade Anderson (4-2, 3.99 ERA, 38.1 IP, 20 BB, 59 SO for LSU in 2024)

PFW – Gr. RH Dillon Fischer (transfer from Earlham College)

Game 2

LSU – Jr. RH Anthony Eyanson(6-2, 3.07 ERA, 82.0 IP, 24 BB, 85 SO for UC San Diego in 2024)

PFW – Jr. LH Zane Danielson (transfer from Lincoln Land CC)

Game 3

LSU – So. RH Chase Shores (0-1, 1.96 ERA, 18.1 IP, 9 BB, 15 SO for LSU in 2023; medical redshirt in 2024)

PFW – Jr. RH Gavin Walters (transfer from Lansing CC)

QUOTING COACH JAY JOHNSON

“We believe like we have a much better feel for our team this year than we did as this time last year. There’s plenty of talent in the position player group and on the pitching staff. We have a strong picture of the kind of team we have, the totality of our fall and spring preparation, and where we are today.”

ABOUT THE TIGERS

• LSU has won 23 consecutive season-opening games; the Tigers’ last loss in a season opener occurred on February 10, 2001, when LSU dropped a 9-8 decision to Kansas State in the original Alex Box Stadium.

• Coach Jay Johnson, the 2023 National Coach of the Year, enters his fourth season at the helm of the LSU program this weekend … Johnson, who directed LSU to the 2023 NCAA National Championship, has worked 12 seasons as a collegiate head coach, including one season (2005) at Point Loma Nazarene, two seasons (2014-15) at Nevada, six seasons (2016-21) at Arizona and three seasons at LSU … he directed Arizona to College World Series appearances in 2016 and in 2021, and to the 2021 Pac-12 title … he enters Friday’s season opener with a 454-234 (.660) overall record, including a 137-62 (.688) mark at LSU.

• LSUhas seven national championships (1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2009, 2023), the second-most in NCAA history … LSU has the second-highest all-time NCAA Tournament winning percentage (.707, 174-72).

• The 2025 Tigers feature seven returning position players with starting experience at LSU, including senior third baseman Michael Braswell III, senior outfielder Josh Pearson, junior first baseman Jared Jones, junior outfielder Ethan Frey, sophomore shortstop Steven Milam, sophomore outfielder Ashton Larson, and sophomore outfielder/left-handed pitcher Jake Brown.

• The pitching staff contains six veteran hurlers who have recorded innings at LSU, including junior right-hander Gavin Guidry, junior right-hander Kade Woods, redshirt sophomore right-hander Chase Shores, redshirt sophomore right-hander Jaden Noot, sophomore left-hander Kade Anderson and redshirt sophomore left-hander DJ Primeaux.

• Baseball America magazine has rated LSU’s newcomer class of D1 transfers, freshmen signees and JUCO transfers No. 1 in the nation for the 2025 season. LSU’s class of newcomers includes 12 NCAA Division I transfers, four JUCO transfers and 10 high school signees. Nine LSU players were ranked in August among Baseball America magazine’s Top 100 College Transfers, and 11 LSU newcomers appeared in the Baseball America Top 500 Prospects list for the 2024 MLB Draft that was held in July.

• Junior first baseman Jared Jones has been named to the 2025 Golden Spikes Award Watch List. Jones, a native of Marietta, Ga., was ranked No. 1 last week on the D1Baseball.com list of the Top 50 First Basemen in the nation. D1 Baseball also named Jones a 2025 Preseason First-Team All-American. Jones hit .301 (69-for-229) for LSU last season with 14 doubles, two triples, 28 homers, 59 RBI and 56 runs. His 28 home runs marked the fourth-most in LSU history and the most by a Tiger since first baseman Matt Clark also hit 28 in 2008. Jones, a 2023 Freshman All-American, finished the 2024 season No. 2 in the SEC in walks (59), No. 5 in home runs, No. 5 in slugging percentage (.747) and No. 9 in total bases (171).

• Sophomore left-hander Kade Anderson is rated No. 17 on the D1 Baseball list of the Top 150 Starting Pitchers in the nation. Anderson, a 2025 Baseball America Preseason All-American, recorded an outstanding 2024 freshman season for LSU, making 18 appearances (nine starts) and posting a 4-2 mark with a 3.99 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 38.1 innings. The native of Madisonville, La., was especially effective in the postseason, working 2.1 scoreless innings over two NCAA Chapel Hill Regional appearances on the same day (June 2 vs. Wofford and North Carolina) with two hits, one walk and six strikeouts.

• Junior right-hander Gavin Guidry has been named to the 2025 NCBWA Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List. Guidry, a 2025 Preseason All-America and All-SEC selection, made 22 relief appearances last season for the Tigers, posting a 2-0 mark, a 2.59 ERA and three saves in 24.1 innings with 18 walks and 36 strikeouts. The native of Lake Charles, La., pitched a combined 4.2 innings in LSU’s SEC and NCAA postseason games, allowing just one unearned run on three hits with six strikeouts and one save. He developed into one of LSU’s top arms out of the bullpen as a true freshman in 2023, making 23 appearances (one start) and posting a 3-0 record with a 3.77 ERA and three saves in 28.2 innings.

ABOUT THE MASTODONS

• Purdue Fort Wayne posted a 19-37 overall mark last season, 11-19 in the Horizon League … the Mastodons are led by INF/OF Justin Osterhouse, who returns for his sophomore season after earning All-Horizon League Second Team accolades last year. He slashed .355/.424/.609 with nine home runs and 38 RBI for the ‘Dons in 2024. 
• The ‘Dons don’t have to look too far back to their last win over an SEC squad, as PFW split a four-game series at Missouri last season.
• The Mastodons batted .272 as a team last season with 102 doubles, 10 triples and 44 home runs … PFW stole 69 bases in 80 attempts … the Mastodons’ pitching staff registered an 8.33 team ERA with 352 strikeouts and a .331 opponent batting average in 462.2 innings.

*LSU press release