Three LSU players selected on 1st day of MLB, Schmidt apparently heading to LSU

After hitting 48 home runs in two seasons at LSU, Tommy “Tanks” White was selected by the Oakland A’s with the 40th overall pick in Sunday night’s Major League Baseball draft.

White was key a member of the 2023 national championship team as he led the nation with 105 RBIs. His two-run, walk-off homer in the bottom of the 11th inning against Wake Forest to send the Tigers to the College World Series Championship Series will be remembered forever. White finished the season with 24 home runs.

In his final season at LSU, White hit 24 home runs again and drove in 70 runs after a slow start to the season. He played outstanding defense at the hot corner, committing only three errors after committing 13 in 2023.

While the A’s were scouting White, they also scouted left-handed pitcher Gage Jump. Oakland took Jump with the 73rd overall pick. Jump was a transfer from UCLA and emerged as the Tigers Friday night starter, going 6-3 with a 3.47 ERA.

Two picks before Jump went, LSU right-handed starting pitcher Luke Holman was selected by the Cincinnati Reds. Holman turned in an outstanding year at LSU after transferring in from Alabama as he went 9-4 with a 2.75 ERA and finished second in the SEC with 127 strikeouts.

All three still have college eligibility left, but they are expected to sign with the teams that drafted them and begin their professional career.

The biggest news of the day involving the LSU Tigers is that highly talented right-handed pitcher William Schmidt announced a couple of hours before the draft he plans on attending LSU.

Schmidt was considered the top right-handed high school pitcher in the country in 2024 and just helped the Catholic High Bears claim a national title. Schmidt had a 0.44 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 63.2 innings and was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Louisiana.

Schmidt was expected to be a first-round pick, but it appears he wants to live out his dream of playing for the LSU Tigers. He’s an avid LSU fan and went to North Carolina in June to cheer on the Tigers when they played in the Chapel Hill Regional.