Tulane Green Wave Basketball Preview

Patrick Harkness • October 10, 2024

Tulane Green Wave Basketball 

Season Preview



The Tulane Green Wave men's basketball team enters the 2024-2025 season with some optimism. After following a disappointing 2023-2024 campaign 14-17 and 5-13 in conference play. Head coach Ron Hunter, now in his sixth year at the helm (70-74), has gradually transformed Tulane into a team that should contend, but for some reason his teams seem to underperform. A Lot theories have been made to the underperformance of either the small ball style of play, lack of height, or the lackluster defense and rebounding on both ends of the court. No doubt Ron Hunter knows how to get his team to score quickly and effectively; it's the other end of the court that worries everyone. In his sixth year as head coach, he has a mountain of a challenge in front of him with losing 90 percent of his roster including all five starters and key bench players. But I believe there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Coach Hunter for sure knows how to recruit and hit the Transfer Portal (Fear the Wave Collective plays a big part in this remember to donate). He was able to bring in three highly touted freshmen that rank first, second, and twenty third in Tulane recruiting history and on top of that he managed to pull in another six transfers to help bolster this lineup. The player's Coach Hunter was able to pull in this year, recruiting and transfer portal, you can tell there was a massive desire on improving the defense and rebounding. It'll be very interesting to see how Coach Hunter manages a team full of youth and vets alike to gel and find their style of ball while finding the correct lineups. I believe this team will come out a little slow to begin the season with so much transition and youth but by conference play we should start to see what they got. Defense and rebounding will be key for this team in order for them to succeed. They definitely have some fire power beyond the arc but controlling the paint, boxing out, and playing solid D is where we will have to see how this team does. In my season preview of the Tulane Green Wave, I'll go over key departures, additions, 3 key players to success, projected lineups, positional breakdown scouting reports on new commits/transfers/returning players, plus we will take a look at the future of Tulane recruiting.



Coaching Staff



Head Coach

Ron Hunter  6th season 70-74 at Tulane

Associate Head Coach

Ray McCallum

Assistant Coach

Claude Pardue

Assistant Coach

Sean Mock

Assistant Coach

Gebereal Baitey


Support Staff

Director of Basketball Operations

Nate Summers

Athletic Trainer

Quinton Nease

Strength Conditioning Coach

Dan Rickaby

Student Athlete Development and Video Operations

Ben Miner



Last Years AAC Standings

Conf                     OVR

South Florida Bulls                           16-2                     25-8


Florida Atlantic Owls                        14-4                     25-9            


Charlotte 49ers                               13-5                      19-12


UAB Blazers                                     12-6                      23-12


Memphis Tigers                                11-7                       22-10


SMU Mustangs                                 11-7                       20-13


North Texas Mean Green                  10-8                      19-15


East Carolina Pirates                        7-11                       15-18


Tulsa Golden Hurricane                    7-11                       16-15


Tulane Green Wave                           5-13                      14-17


Temple Owls                                      5-13                     16-20


Wichita State Shockers                    5-13                      15-19


UTSA Roadrunners                            5-13                      11-21


Rice Owls                                           5-13                      11-21



Roster


#      Name Position             H/W      Class

0 Tyler Ringgold             F    6-8/215        R-FR


1 Kaleb Banks          F    6-8/210 JR


2 Gregg Glenn III      F    6-7/230 JR


3 Kam Williams      G/F    6-8/190 FR


4 Spencer Elliot      C            6-10/215 R-FR


5 Mari Jordan                  G/F    6-5/190 R-FR


6 Logan Stephens    G    6-1/200 R-JR


7 Rowan Brumbaugh     G   6-4/190 R-SO


8 Michael Eley        G    6-4/180 JR


9 KJ Greene            G    6-3/170 FR


11 Luke Rasmussen        G/F   6-8/210 SO


13 Joseph Teich      G     5-10/155 FR


14 Stefan Cicic        C     7-0/260 FR


22 Asher Woods      G     6-3/190 JR


23 Percy Daniels    C     6-10/220 JR


34 Jake Shapiro      G     6-1/190 R-SO


Bold- Returning

Italicized- Transfer

Underline- New Recruit



Key Departures


Sion James- 36 min,14 pts, 5.4 reb, 2.7ast, 1.6 stl, 51.4 FG%, 38.1 3pt%. Transferred to Duke, Sion was the only player last year who played defense for Tulane and one of my favorites. He was the most athletic player on the court, and it showed at times when he out muscled bigger players to the rim. Wasn't always Mr. Consistent but damn did he hustle. Is projected to be a late 2nd round pick in this year's NBA draft. 


Jaylen Forbes- 33.9 min, 14 pts, 3.8 reb, 1.8 ast, 1.4 stl, 38.2 FG%, 35.2 3PT%. Jaylen was a good ball player for the Green Wave. Jayen had one of the better shots on the team from beyond the arc and I watched him hit five straight jumpers, 3 of them for threes to bring Tulane back and almost beat ranked 23 FAU 


Kevin Cross- 36.1 min, 17.5pts, 7.3 reb, 4.6 ast, 1.3 stl, 51.3 FG%, 42.3 3PT%. Cross was Tulane's heart a sole last year leading in almost every single major category last year. Kevin could single handle take over a game when trailing and lead Tulane back to striking distance. Cross was the do it all type of player you love to see. He is currently playing overseas right now.


Collin Holloway- Transferred to Samford- 29.2 min, 12.8 pts, 4.3 reb, 1.4 ast, 50.4 FG%, 33.9 3PT% This guy was electric when he had the ball in his hand. He could drive to the rim with ease to make buckets, wasn't the best beyond the arc but had a nice mid-range jumper


Tre Williams- Graduated- 25.7 min, 8.7 pts, 3 reb, 1.5 ast, 1 stl, 43.3 FG%, 32.9 3PT%. A very reliable bench piece that later started over Kolby King but missed a hand full of games due to injury


Kolby King- Transferred to Butler- 27.4 min, 10.4 pts, 3.6 reb, 1.8 ast, 1.4 stl, 47.6 FG%, 37.9 3PT%. I was really excited when I found out Ron Hunter was able to get Kolby King last season, but for some reason as the season went on Ron wasn't starting Kolby. Not sure what happened but Coach Hunter lost a valuable piece.


Mier Panoam- Transferred to North Dakota- Only played in 9 games. Former 3-star Guard 88 composite rating and top 10 Tulane recruit history. His vertical was insane. Coach Hunter doesn't like to play freshmen, and it showed by Mier only getting in 9 games averaging 4 minutes, but when the season started to fall apart, he should've given the kid a shot off the bench more. Another piece wasted.



Key Transfer Additions


Tyler Ringgold-SF/PF- Texas A&M- Former 3-star 84 composite rating. Did not get any playing time last season. In Highschool Tyler shown the ability to score inside and outside the 3-point line. Good driving ability to the rim and has showed he can play defensively by forcing tough shots and getting blocks.


Kaleb Banks-PF- Indiana- 21 games, 10.7 min, 2.6 pts. Former 4-star 92 rating. Should be a threat from beyond the arc if he develops. Banks is a very fast/athletic slashing type of player. Should do well in the rebounding game and descent catch and shoot player but can be turnover prone.


Mari Jordan-G/SF- Georgia- ESPN Rating 4-star. 84 overall in class and 21 Small Forward. Averaged 11.5 pts, 60 FG%, 37.5 3PT% during Georgias tour of Italy. Injured most of last year allowing him to redshirt. Jordan has the prototype combination of size, length and athleticism. He’s finishes strong at the rim, has a variety moves he can use to score off the dribble, and has the ability to make it from three-point range.


Rowan Brumbaugh-PG-Georgetown- 4-star 90 rating. 31 games played 22.3 min, 8.3 pts, 2.6 ast, 0.9 stl, 40.7 FG%, 37 3PT%. Brumbaugh has a really good feel for the game with great ball skills and passing.  Thats someone you'd love to have at the PG position. Has a decent jumper, good 3pt shot, and can play average defense.


Michael Eley-SG-Siena- 3-star 87 rating. 19 games 27 min, 13.3 pts, 1.5 ast, 5.5 reb, 0.7 stl, 38.1 FG%, 26.7 3PT%. Was a key bench player for Siena last year. Eley is an athletic shooting guard who can impact a game on both ends of the court. Solid rebounder and good defender. Great finisher at the rim. Just all-around great play.


Luke Rasmussen-G/F-Lafayette Leopards- Depth piece with potential. 24 games, 14.5 min, 2.5 pts, 1.6 reb, 32.2 FG%, 31.8 3PT%





Key Recruit Additions


Kam Williams-G/SF-3-star 87 rating 2nd on Tulane's highest recruits. Averaged a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds to go with five assists as a junior. He’s a hometown hero with great upside as a talented scorer and can play/guard multiple positions. Ron Hunter has stated that Kam Williams has really surprised him during camp so we may see the young freshmen get some playing time as a backup early on.


KJ Greene-PG-4-star Greene ranked as the No. 105 overall prospect in the 2024 class. KJ collected 1,000 points and 500 assists in his prep career. KJ Greene is a true point guard. Greene plays with a great pace and is a good shooter with a very nice release. Greene is also a well-rounded passer with a nice pull-up, and an assortment of floaters.


Stefan Cicic-Center- 3-star 85 rating. Cicic is a true big man coming in at 7 foot and 245 pounds, it's nice to see Tulane get some help in the low post. Averaged 19 points on 66.7 percent shooting, 13 rebounds, and two blocks per game as a senior and 1,313 points in 2 years of playing high school ball. With his strong build, Cicic is a true force in the paint. He has a great ability to overpower any opponent with his size and strength. Stefan is a legitimate back to the basket scorer who not only has good touch inside but can also spot up from the perimeter to knock down shots. For a player his size, he is a very agile post.


Joseph Teich- Guard-His senior year in high school played in 29 games averaging 7.3 pts.






Returning Players


Greg Glenn III-PF/SF- Key bench piece last season looking for an increased role. Transferred from Michigan. Played in 30 games 9.7 min, 3.6 pts, 2.6 reb, 0.6 blk. Greg Glenn has the ability to catch in the high post and attacks the rim with a few decisive dribbles. He's descent finisher on the interior and a well-rounded passer. In addition to his passing, Glenn is a good positional rebounder, Tulane will need that this year from the big man. He does have the strength to hold his own defensively and is a solid athlete with a very good frame. Let's hope he can make a big leap this year from the former 4-star recruit.


Spencer Elliot-Center- Didn't see any action last year but sounds like he's making good strides into his redshirt freshman year. In high school he was a skilled low block scorer. Can make 3's and defend the perimeter. Very good passer that controls the paint with shot-blocking and rebounding.


Logan Stephens-PG- Originally a walk-on at Rutgers that eventually transferred to Tulane. Played in limited action last year 6 games and averaged 1.8 min and 1.3 pts. A streaky shooter who looks to climb into the bench and carve out a role for Tulane.


Asher Woods- Another key bench player for the Green Wave by seeing action in 20 games averaging 6.5 min and 2.4 pts. Asher transferred from VMI where he played a lot and was a key player for them his freshman year before deciding to transfer to Tulane. For VMI he played in 32 games averaging 35.2 min, 14.2 pts, 2.3 ast, 4.4 reb, 38.7 FG%, 31.6 3PT%. Look for Asher to play a key role on this team and be the first one of the bench.


Percy Daniels-PF/C- Former 3-star 84 rating. Originally committed to Seton Hall and also had an offer from LSU before landing at Tulane Percy got to play in 27 games last year but was used very sparingly by averaging 6.5 minutes. In my opinion he should've played a lot more, at times being a spark off the bench and being the only big man on the team that could play right away. He averaged 1.9 pts, 0.8 reb, 0.6 blk. Look for Percy to find a major increased role and minutes this season possibly even starting in certain matchups or in general. Percy has the ability to score down low while also being a perimeter threat from the three-point line and be a key defensive player in the post. Daniels also has descent ball handling skills.


Jake Shapiro-PG- Jake didn't see any action last year which allowed him to redshirt but in the 2022-2023 campaign he played in 8 games totaling 8 minutes and made a bucket.




Key Players This Season


  1. Mari Jordan- The offensive fire power should flow through Mari Jordan with his ability to attack the rim and shoot the ball from beyond the arc. He has been making tremendous strides this offseason and is poised to have a big year with the Green Wave.

    2. Rowan Brumbaugh- How well the offense produces this year is all going to come down to Rowan. He did a great job at               Georgetown last year being the Quarterback of the team. His ability to lead the offense should come easy to him with his             ball handling skills, great passing and command of the court.

    3. Michael Eley- Micheal will be pivotal in how much the green wave will be successful this year, truly their best defensive              player. He was the first one off the bench last year for Siena and a major spark, so Eley making a leap will be vital for                    Tulane. He's super athletic and a great finisher I can't wait to watch him work.

    4. The development of the Young Freshman-Kam Williams has been surprising Coach Hunter all offseason and that's all              you can ask for from a true freshman. Coach Hunter doesn't need to start him, but he defiantly needs to play the young                man. Tulane may have something special in the local product so hopefully he doesn't get wasted on the bench. His                        development will be pivotal for the team and years to come. Same thing for KJ Greene, he is the highest rated recruit ever            in Tulane basketball history. Greene has so much potential, and Tulane needs to play their freshman and start getting                    them developed now. Sure, there will be some growing pains, but you will live and learn and move on.



                                                Break Out Player

  1. Percy Daniels- You could see a spark last year whenever he was on the court providing an energy when the team was down. Look for a massive jump in productivity for the big man this year.  Percy could end up being one of Tulane's key players this season.

                                                                   


 Projected Lineups


Ron Hunter loves to implement the small ball fast paced shoot at will style of game


Small Ball Lineup

  1. Rowen Brumbaugh
  2. Micheal Eley
  3. Mari Jordan
  4. Kaleb Banks/Gregg Glenn
  5. Gregg Glenn/Percy Daniels


Backups

  1. KJ Greene
  2. Asher Woods
  3. Kam Williams
  4. Tyler Ringgold
  5. Percy Daniels/Spencer Elliot


Big ball/Defensive Lineup

  1. Rowen Brumbaugh or Micheal Eley
  2. Micheal Eley or Mari Jordan
  3. Mari Jordan or Gregg Glenn
  4. Percy Daniels
  5. Spencer Elliot


Backups

  1. KJ Greene
  2. Asher Woods
  3. Kam Williams
  4. Tyler Ringgold
  5. Spencer Elliot/Stefan Cicic


Perimeter Shooting Lineup

  1. Rowen Brumbaugh
  2. Kam Williams/Mari Jordan
  3. Mari Jordan/Kam Williams
  4. Tyler Ringgold
  5. Percy Daniels


Backups

  1. Micheal Eley/KJ Greene
  2. Asher Woods/Micheal Eley
  3. Kam Williams
  4. Gregg Glenn
  5. Spencer Elliot



Recruiting


Class of 2025

  1. Offered-Byrson Tiller- 4-star 97 rating Power Foward 6-9 230lbs
  2. Offered-Tylis Jordan- 4-star 94 rating Power Forward 6-9 210lbs committed to Ole Miss
  3. Offered-Braylon Mullins-4-star 94 rating Shooting Guard 6-5 180lbs
  4. Offered-Demarris Winters- 3-star 84 rating Shooting Guard 6-3 165lbs
  5. Offered-Eric Chatfield-No rating Point Guard 5-11 160lbs
  6. Offered-Zac Foster- 4-star 92 rating 6-3 165lbs Combo Guard Committed to Clemson
  7. Offered-Arness Lawson-Point Guard
  8. Offered-Zach Bleshoy-6-4 Point Guard
  9. Offered-Deke Cooper-6-6 Wing
  10. Offered-Kruz McClure- 4-star 90 rating 6-5 Shooting Guard Committed to DePaul
  11. Offered-Calvin Russel- 6-5 2 sport Athlete
  12. Interested-Dylan Rowe-No rating Point Guard 6-3 160lbs


Class of 2026

  1. Offered-Joseph Hartman-3-star 88 rating 6-5 175lbs Point Guard
  2. Offered- Collin Ross- 6-10 Forward
  3. Interested-Julian Washington- No rating 6-4 Combo Guard from Margaretta High School (My former High School) Castalia, Ohio


Key Matchups

  1. UNO-Home- Nov 22-The Battle of NOLA!
  2. George Mason-Away- Dec 7- Big first test
  3. Southern Miss-Home- Dec 10- Rivals
  4. Florida State-Neutral- Dec 14- Can they hang
  5. Charlotte-Away- Dec 23- Finished 3rd AAC
  6. UAB-Away- Jan 7 -Won conference Tourney last year
  7. USF-Home- Jan 11 -Went 25-8 last year
  8. FAU-Home- Jan 15- Revenge Game from last year's 1 point loss
  9. Temple-Away- Jan 19- Surprised everyone and finished runner up in conference tourney
  10. Memphis-Home- Jan 30- Alot of transition this year
  11. Charlotte-Home- Feb 26- 2nd matchup of the season but at home
  12. UAB-Home -Mar 9- Finish Strong leading into tourney time
  13. AAC Tourney- Fort Worth, Texas (Dickies Areana) Mar 12- March Madness Begins!



Schedule


Oct 25 (Fri)   6:30 p.m.   Home      Spring Hill College (Ala.)                           


Nov 4 (Mon)    6:30 p.m.   Home      Louisiana Christian University                       


Nov 8 (Fri)    6:30 p.m.   Home      ULM                                             


Nov 11 (Mon)   6:30 p.m.   Home      Alcorn State                                         


Nov 15 (Fri)   6 p.m.      Away      Furman                       


Nov 19 (Tue)   6:30 p.m.   Home      Bethune-Cookman                                   


Nov 22 (Fri)   6:30 p.m.   Home      UNO                                         


Nov 26 (Tue)   5 p.m.      Neutral   Wyoming                          Cancun, Mexico                                                                     


Nov 27 (Wed)   TBD         Neutral   Belmont or LMU                   Cancun, Mexico                                                                     


Dec 2 (Mon)    6:30 p.m.   Home      Southeastern Louisiana                               


Dec 7 (Sat)    1 p.m.      Away      George Mason                                                                           


Dec 10 (Tue)   TBD         Home      Southern Miss                                       


Dec 14 (Sat)   TBD         Neutral   Florida State                Sunrise, FL (Amerant Bank Arena)                                                   


Dec 20 (Fri)   TBD         Home      Dillard University (La.)       


Dec 31 (Tue)   TBD         Away      Charlotte                                                                               


Jan 4 (Sat)    TBD         Home      UTSA                                           


Jan 7 (Tue)    TBD         Away      UAB                                                                                   


Jan 11 (Sat)   TBD         Home      South Florida                   


Jan 15 (Wed)   TBD         Home      Florida Atlantic               


Jan 19 (Sun)   TBD         Away      Temple                           


Jan 25 (Sat)   TBD         Away      Rice                                                                               


Jan 30 (Thu)   TBD         Home      Memphis                         


Feb 2 (Sun)    TBD         Home      Tulsa                             


Feb 5 (Wed)    TBD         Away      UTSA                           


Feb 8 (Sat)    TBD         Away      North Texas                                                                             


Feb 15 (Sat)   TBD         Home      Rice University               


Feb 19 (Wed)   TBD         Home      East Carolina                   


Feb 23 (Sun)   TBD         Away      Wichita State                 


Feb 26 (Wed)   TBD         Home      Charlotte                       


Mar 1 (Sat)    TBD         Away      Tulsa                           


Mar 6 (Thu)    TBD         Away      East Carolina                 


Mar 9 (Sun)    TBD         Home      UAB                               


Mar 12 (Wed)   TBD         Neutral   American Athletic Conference     Fort Worth, TX (Dickies Arena)




Roll Wave!!


This is Patrick Harkness and you can follow me on X @RollDatWave, Facebook, Instagram, and @BeInTheKneaux everywhere.




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LSU Slogs Through Grambling for First Consecutive Midweek Wins

By David Billiot Jr • March 18, 2026
Tuesday Night Recap After finally exploding for 16 runs in Sunday’s series salvaging win at Vanderbilt, LSU’s offense rode the struggle bus back home from Nashville. Facing a Grambling team that had allowed 10+ runs in 11 of their 18 games, the Tigers weren’t able to put a crooked number on the scoreboard until their final at bat in the 8th inning. Better late than never, they say, but watching this team struggle against an opponent of this caliber is perplexing. The lineup only struck out 6 times, while drawing 8 walks, so it was a simple issue of not finding grass with the balls they put in play. Jay Johnson told us after the game that Grambling used their entire weekend rotation, plus some of their top relievers, but that won’t stop the persisting question. What is going on? As for the pitching, the staff bounced back from some abysmal control issues at Vanderbilt where they issued 26 walks and hit three more. On Tuesday, Tiger pitchers only walked three. The staff, as a whole, was outstanding. Having fallen out of the top 25 of every major poll in the country this week, the 7-1 victory is the first step to finding their way back next Monday. Pitching Reagan Ricken made his second midweek start of the season and things seemed like they may go sideways pretty quickly. He struck the leadoff batter out, but Omar Serna’s throw on the dropped 3rd strike hit the runner and resulted in an error. Ricken got a flyout to Stanfield, but followed with a wild pitch and a hit by pitch and Grambling had two runners on with one out. He locked in from there, recording a groundout and struck the final batter out looking. Returning for the 2nd, Ricken walked the leadoff hitter after starting him with an 0-2 count and then gave up a hard hit single up the middle to put two runners on with 0 outs and that would be the end of his night. Ricken was in the zone with 24 of his 36 pitches for strikes, but struggled to finish hitters off. Final line: 1.0 IP / 1 hit / 0 runs / 2 Ks / 1 BB Grant Fontenot was tasked with taking over Ricken’s 2nd inning mess and made quick work of the next three Grambling hitters. He recorded a ground out to Steven Milam, a shallow flyout that Chris Stanfield got back in quick enough to hold the runners, and then froze Chris Marcellus for a called 3rd strike to end the inning. In the 3rd, Fontenot got himself in to a little bit of trouble. He gave up a leadoff single, then a 1 out walk, but was able to lock in and strike the final two hitters out to, once again, keep Grambling off of the scoreboard. Final line: 2.0 IP / 1 hit / 0 runs / 3 Ks / 1 BB Dax Dathe entered for the 4th inning and after striking out the first hitter of the inning, he gave up singles to 2 of the next 3 hitters to allow Grambling to tie the game at 1-1 and that was it for him as Jay Johnson came out to make another pitching change. He was in the zone with 10 of his 14 pitches for strikes, but credit Grambling for finding the barrel against the 5th year senior. Final line: .2 IP / 2 hits / 1 run / 1 K / 0 BB With two outs in the 4th, Jay called upon Cooper Williams to shut down the Tigers rally. He was coming off of a fantastic last outing on Sunday, as he threw a perfect 9th inning to finish the LSU win, while striking out two. He did exactly what he was called upon to do with a 4 pitch strikeout to end any further threat. Williams continued his hot streak by coming back in the 5th and striking out two more. That would be the end of his outing, throwing 14 pitches, 11 of which were strikes. Final line: 1.1 IP / 0 hits / 0 runs / 3 Ks / 0 BBs Mavrick Rizy took over to start the 6th and his time on the mound was brief, throwing only 7 pitches. He recorded a flyout, gave up a bloop single, and then drew a ground ball right to Milam who stepped on 2nd base and gunned to 1st to record LSU’s 6th double play of the year. Returning for the 7th, Rizy started the leadoff hitter 2-0 with two bad misses, drawing a visit from pitching coach Nate Yeskie. He promptly threw three straight strikes and then struck out the side to finish his outing. Final line: 2.0 IP / 1 hit / 0 runs / 3 Ks / 0 BB Ethan Plog came in for the 8th inning and didn’t last very long. With the compounded schedule this week, it appeared as if some of the Tiger pitchers had very limited pitch counts and Plog was one of them. He only threw 10 pitches, recording a strikeout and allowing a single. Final line: .1 IP / 1 hit / 0 runs / 1 K / 0 BB Following his heartbreaking last appearance in Friday’s walk-off loss Friday night, Gavin Guidry took over, looking to bounce back with a man on first and 1 out. With just 7 pitches, he delivered a strikeout and a groundout. Final line: .2 IP / 0 hits / 0 runs / 1 K / 0 BB After his offense finally extended the LSU lead to 7-1, Marcos Paz entered to record the final 3 outs in the 9th inning. He found a quick first out on a nice slow-roller play by Trent Caraway, then recorded a strikeout on a nasty slider, before issuing a 2 out walk. Four pitches later, a fly ball dropped in to Stanfield’s glove and that would do it. Final line: 1.0 IP / 0 hits / 0 runs / 1 K / 1 BB Hitting Omar Serna delivered his second straight big midweek game, blasting his second homerun in as many weeks. Last Tuesday, the freshman hit the go ahead grand slam against Creighton. Tonight, he led off the 8th inning with a solo shot that kick-started the 4 run inning for LSU. He was the only Tiger with multiple hits, finishing 2-5 and scoring 3 runs. Chris Stanfield continued producing since returning to the lineup last week. Although he was only 1-5, his one hit was a 2 RBI single that created more separation in the 8th inning and showed slight signs of life for the LSU offense. Zach Yorke finished with an official line of 1-1, but drew 3 more walks, extending his team lead and bringing his season total up to 21, six more than the next closest Tiger. Yorke also scored a run. Speaking of walks, Derek Curiel drew two of his own, while finishing 1-3. His biggest impact came on the bases, though, as he stole three bases on Tuesday night. Up Next LSU will welcome Oklahoma for their SEC home opener for a Thursday-Saturday series. This will be the only series that starts on Thursday for the Tigers until the final weekend of the season when every series starts a day early. Game 1 will be a 7 pm central first pitch Thursday night. Oklahoma will come to Baton Rouge off of a 2-1 series win at home against Texas A&M on the opening weekend of conference play. Their overall record is 17-4, following a 3-0 loss to Southeastern Louisiana in Hammond on Tuesday night.

LSU Salvages Game 3 Over Vanderbilt

By David Billiot Jr • March 16, 2026
Sunday Afternoon Recap There aren’t any must-win games this early in the season, but Sunday felt like a must-bounce-back game for LSU. Following the emotional roller coaster that was game 1 on Friday night, the Tigers got steamrolled in game 2 on Saturday. Jay Johnson did not get the response he was hoping for from his team after their heart was ripped out by Logan Johnstone when he hit a 2 out, 2 run walk off homerun two nights ago. Today, the response was great, especially early. The first four LSU hitters reached base to start the game, leading to a 4 run 1st inning. After adding two more in the 2nd, the Tigers were rolling with a 6-0 lead. That lead evaporated, though, and those bad feelings that this team may be in trouble started creeping back in. To their credit, LSU refused to lay down this time. They went blow for blow with Vanderbilt, but back to back 5 run innings in the 7th and 8th innings helped salvage the final game of SEC opening weekend and the Tigers improved to 14-7 with a 1-2 start in the SEC. Pitching For the second straight week, William Schmidt’s line doesn’t do his performance justice. Vanderbilt made him work inning after inning and it eventually led to his early exit. The start got off to a great start, though, pitching around a double to record three groundouts with only 7 pitches. In the 2nd, he allowed a leadoff homerun, but recorded a couple of outs before stranding a 2 out walk. The 3rd was where Schmidt had to battle the most. He hit the first batter and then allowed a 3-2 walk after Johnstone fouled off pitch after pitch to stay alive. That approach by Commodore hitters is what stretched Schmidt’s pitch count. With runners then on 1st and 2nd and no one out, he struck out the next three to slam the door on the threat. Vanderbilt went down in order for the first time in the 4th, but finally found a way to get Schmidt out of the game the very next inning. Another leadoff homerun brought the game slightly closer at 6-2 and that was the beginning of the end. After starting his final hitter 2-0 with a couple of high fastballs, Cade Arrambide called time to go to the mound and check with his pitcher. Jay Johnson and Head Athletic Trainer Isaac Trujillo also came out to talk to Schmidt, then left him in to finish the at bat. Once back in the dugout, the broadcast showed him a few times and he seemed to doing just fine without a trainer in sight. After the game, Koki Riley reported that Jay confirmed everything is ok. He said Schmidt had some slight back tightness that he was trying to fight though and could have continued to, if needed, but it wasn’t worth it. Final line: 4.0 IP / 3 hits / 3 runs / 6 Ks / 3 BBs / 1 HBP / 84 pitches (51 strikes, 61%) Mavrick Rizy was first out of the bullpen and it turned in to his worst outing of the year. Upon entering with a runner on 2nd and no outs, Rizy gave up back to back RBI doubles. Both doubles came off of decently executed pitches, but were just more examples of the good hitting Vanderbilt displays. Back to back strikeouts would get Rizy close to escaping the inning, but a 2 out double off of the left field wall would chase him from the game and LSU’s lead was down to 6-5. Final line: .2 IP / 3 hits / 2 runs / 2 Ks / 0 BB Santiago Garcia was tasked with shutting down the Commodores 4 run 5th inning. He walked the first guy he faced, but froze Korbin Reynolds to end the frame. Tommy Goodin led off the 6th with his second homerun, Vanderbilt’s third lead off blast of the game and the LSU lead had vanished. Garcia then went strikeout, double, strikeout, and that would be the end of his SEC debut. Final line: 1.0 IP / 2 hits / 1 run / 3 Ks / 1 BB Deven Sheerin entered with the go-ahead run on 2nd, but was able to induce a pop out to John Pearson in foul territory to let his offense get back to work. They did just that, exploding for 5 runs and giving Sheerin a comfortable lead to back out with in the 7th. He struck out the first hitter, then a slow chopper got past Steven Milam for an infield hit. A tailor-made double play ball was then hit right to defensive replacement Jack Ruckert at second base, but he booted it and failed to record a single out. As they did all weekend, Vanderbilt made LSU pay. A 3 run Mack Whitcomb homerun got the Commodores right back in to it. A strikeout and a walk would bring the tying run to the plate, when Jake Brown made a diving catch on a blooper in shallow right field. It was originally called a no-catch, but was challenged and correctly ruled the third out. Sheerin would cruise from that point, returning in the 8th to retired 4-5-6 in the Vanderbilt lineup after a Pearson error to leadoff the inning. Final line: 2.1 IP / 2 hits / 3 runs / 4 Ks / 1 BB Cooper Williams entered to record the final 3 outs with LSU up 16-9 and it went just about as well as it could’ve for the lefty. He’s had a very disappointing start to his sophomore season, but hopefully this outing could be the spark that he needs going forward. He retired Vanderbilt 3 up, 3 down and struck out the final two. Final line: 1.0 IP / 0 hits / 0 runs / 2 Ks / 0 BB Hitting With the offense back in a big way, there should be no surprise that Jake Brown was in the middle of all of it. He is a legitimate Golden Spikes candidate right now. Brown hit his 11th homerun of the year, which was his 2nd of the weekend. Both of them were 3-run bombs. This one came after Milam had just driven in the go-ahead run to steal back the momentum after the Tigers choked a 6-0 lead. The big swing from Brown went off of the batter’s eye, re-extending the lead to 4 runs. He finished 2-4 with 6 RBI and scored twice. Cade Arrambide quietly had a good weekend, hitting .384. On Sunday, he went 2-5 with a double, 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored. Despite a few mishaps, his defense behind the plate slightly improved over the weekend. The much-welcomed return of Chris Stanfield kept rolling on Sunday as the senior leftfielder provided another multi-hit game. He finished 2-4, while also drawing a walk. One of his hits was a single off of the big wall in left field, that very well may have been a homerun in other parks. Stanfield also drove in a run and scored twice. Steven Milam’s 1-4 line may not seem massive, but it was his one hit that retook the lead for LSU after their collapse halfway through the game. He also walked, while scoring 3 runs, despite only recording the one hit. Derek Curiel also only went 1-4, but his one hit was a triple where he got to show off his speed. The ball went to left-center and Vanderbilt still didn’t come close to keeping him from getting to third base. Curiel also drew a walk and scored 3 runs of his own. John Pearson got the start at third base and made the most of it. Despite one throwing error in the 8th inning, he played a great all-around game. Even the error wasn’t a big deal, as it came with him shifted way out of position. He finished 0-1, but Pearson drew 3 walks and was also hit by a pitch. Those four times on base led to 3 runs scored. I would be surprised if Pearson is not back in the starting lineup once again on Tuesday. Although Seth Dardar finished hitless with an 0-3 stat line, he deserves to be pointed out for a few good at bats. After LSU had taken a 2-0 lead in the 1st, Dardar drove home another run with a ground ball for an RBI. Later in the 7th after Curiel tripled, Arrambide was unable to get him in with 0 outs because the Commodores brought their infield in and he hit the ball hard right to the second baseman. They remained in for Dardar and after falling behind with an 0-2 count, he found a way to drive the ball deep enough to left field for the sacrifice fly and his second RBI of the game. Those little things matter, especially for a struggling team. Omar Serna had a good day in his first SEC start on Saturday when catching Cooper Moore, so Jay rewarded him with a start in the DH spot. In the 1st, he hit a laser in to left field where Mancini made a crazy leaping catch. That brought in the 4th run of the inning with a sacrifice fly, but the ball was drilled. Serna finished 1-4 with an RBI single that drove in the final run of the game, as well. Up Next LSU will return home where they will remain for an eight game homestand. That will start on Tuesday as they welcome Grambling for a 6:30 pm central first pitch. The Tigers come in with a 5-13 record, following a 2-1 series win at Alabama St. Pitchers to watch for potential work for LSU include Dax Dathe, Grant Fontenot, Danny Lachenmayer, Connor Benge, and DJ Primeaux.
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