LSU Tigers Added USC Transfer RHP Diego Velazquez On Tuesday Night

As LSU Tigers fans went to bed, Jay Johnson and his staff were celebrating another transfer portal win as the baseball team added USC Trojan pitcher Diego Velazquez on Tuesday night, per The Advocate's Koki Riley.

Velazquez comes to the Tigers after a great freshman campaign in Los Angeles. He posted a 4.26 ERA over 31.2 innings of work with 34 strikeouts to nine walks. He got punished with a high power rate against him. He tried his hand at hitting, but it didn't go well. It would be shocking to see him continue that in Baton Rouge.

Jay Johnson had said that the team had signed a pitcher while appearing on Tiger Rag Radio on Tuesday, but was not able to announce it at the time. The pitcher he was talking about was Velazquez.

"The [pitcher] we got today has pitched in a number of different roles, and could kind of possibly fill that Casan Evans, Zac Cowan deal in [27] and then emerge into a starter the following year. So we're very excited about that," said Johnson.

That clearly shows how highly Johnson thinks of Velazquez. Evans and Cowan both have been absolutely crucial arms out of the bullpen early in their careers in Baton Rouge. That is not a light role to think could now be filled.

This news also comes on the heels of JUCO pitcher Hayden Morris announcing he would no longer be a part of the 2027 roster. This might not be a one-for-one replacement, but it at least shows how seriously LSU is taking its roster construction this season.

The Tigers struck out on their pitching staff this past season. They had a team ERA of 5.72, which finished just above the last-place Missouri Tigers (5.75 ERA). They were able to generate a ton of strikeouts, but handed out too many free bases. LSU finished worst in the SEC with 15 more walks than second place and hitting the third-most at 79.

Velazquez was a young arm and named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team. His numbers might not have been outstanding, but he performed above expectations. Still, he had a better individual season than all but two returning pitchers for the Tigers. He will be a big piece of what they do next season, even if it isn't as a starter.

There is a chance that he is there by the end of the year, though, if the expected starters continue to perform like they did this season.