LSU unanimous favorite in College Baseball Foundation Preseason Power Poll

LUBBOCK, Texas – Coming off a strong first season under Jay Johnson and with a heavy influx of talent and experience, the LSU Tigers take the top spot in the 2023 College Baseball Hall of Fame Preseason Power Poll.

The poll, which will be released weekly, is part of the CBF’s effort to promote the game of college baseball. This poll will consist of voters who are leaders of the College Baseball Foundation as well as members of the Hall of Fame and media members who have decades of experience in covering the game of college baseball.

In addition to the poll, the CBF annually presents some of the top awards in the country to honor the best players in college baseball. Among those awards are the Pitcher of the Year Award, the Brooks Wallace Award, which honors the nation’s top shortstop, the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award, which recognizes players who excel both on the mound/in the field and at the plate, and the Skip Bertman Coach of the Year Award.

LSU took all four first-place votes in the preseason power poll thanks to some key additions mixing with veteran returners. The Tigers will be led by All-American outfielder Dylan Crews, one of four returning position players, as well as key transfers Tommy White from North Carolina State, Paul Skenes, the 2022 John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year from the Air Force Academy, and UCLA transfer Thatcher Hurd.

But the Tigers will have close company nipping at their heels, mainly in the form of No. 2 Stanford and preseason All-American and John Olerud Award finalist Braden Montgomery as well as No. 3 Tennessee and its terrific pitching rotation of Chase Dollander, Chase Burns and Drew Beam. No. 4 Arkansas and No. 5 Texas A&M round out the top five while defending national champion Ole Miss checks in at No. 6.

Also receiving votes: Louisiana Tech (5), Georgia Tech (4), Notre Dame (2), South Carolina (2), Mississippi State (1), Georgia (1).