Casan Evans leads the charge as the LSU Tigers unveil the opening weekend pitching order, featuring portal pickup Cooper Moore and potential ace William Schmidt.
The LSU Tigers are starting their 2026 season on Friday at 2 pm CT with a home series against the Milwaukee Panthers. With the start just around the corner, head coach Jay Johnson finally announced their starting rotation on Thursday.
Friday: RHP Casan Evans
This has been the expectation since the end of last year. He was dominant in his first year, stepped up in big moments and now looks poised to become the next star of this pitching staff.
As a freshman, Evans posted a 2.05 ERA, 71 strikeouts and a 1.196 WHIP in 52.2 innings pitched. His biggest moment came in the NCAA Regional against Little Rock, when he shut down a red-hot offense and helped save LSU's eventual championship-winning season.
Tigers fans already know and love Evans, so it should be fun to watch the electric atmosphere when he steps out on the mound on Friday afternoon.
Saturday: RHP Cooper Moore
One of the more highly regarded players that LSU added from the portal, Moore is going to get an immediate starting opportunity.
The 21-year-old spent his first two collegiate campaigns with the Kansas Jayhawks in the Big 12. He has a career 3.98 ERA over 44 appearances and 14 starts, all of which came last season. He averaged just over six innings per start last year and went eight innings four times.
He was consistent last year. He needs to carry that over and be a steady arm in the rotation. The Tigers' pitching staff is replacing two star pitchers, so the shoes will be hard to fill. If Moore tries to do too much, it could backfire.
Sunday: RHP William Schmidt
This last spot in the rotation feels most likely to change from week to week, but giving Schmidt the first chance to shine seems right. He has sky-high potential and can bring dominant stuff, but he is still young and raw as a talent. His command and control are going to need to be proven over a large sample size.
He was expected to be a top draft pick before coming to LSU and his rocky freshman campaign might have shown why that was a smart move. He finished with a 4.73 ERA over 17 appearances and six starts. He struck out an impressive 41 batters in 32.1 innings, but also walked 22.
The sophomore posted an impressive five-inning, no-hit start with 11 strikeouts in a scrimmage last weekend. From that moment, it felt like this opportunity would be his.