LSU lands six on Perfect Game's Top 100 College Freshmen list

Six LSU baseball players are listed among the Top 100 Collegiate Freshmen for the 2026 season by Perfect Game.

The list includes LSU infielder Jack Ruckert (No. 14), outfielder/first baseman Mason Braun (No. 20), catcher Omar Serna Jr. (No. 28), right-handed pitcher Marcos Paz (No. 33), right-handed pitcher Reagan Ricken (No. 46) and outfielder William Patrick (No. 77).

Ruckert, a Baton Rouge native and product of Catholic High School, was rated the No. 1 overall high school player in the state of Louisiana by Perfect Game. He was also rated by Perfect Game as the nation’s No. 32 shortstop and the No. 83 overall player.

He led Catholic High to the 2025 state title, hitting .372 with a .503 on-base percentage, seven home runs, six doubles, 35 RBI and 50 runs scored.

Braun, a native of South Bend, Ind., was rated No. 1 on the 2025 Perfect Game list of the nation’s best first basemen. The product of Penn High School also ranked as the nation’s No. 64 best overall player and the No. 1 overall player in the state of Indiana.

He participated in the 2025 MLB Draft Combine and launched the longest home run – a 430-foot shot – and he tied for the most 400-foot blasts in the combine with three.

Serna Jr., a product of Lutheran South Academy in Houston, Texas, was rated as the nation’s No. 4 catcher and the No. 1 catcher in the state of Texas by Perfect Game.

Serna Jr., who was No. 132 on the MLB.com list of overall Top Prospects for the 2025 MLB Draft, hit .465 as a high school junior in 2024 with eight homers, 35 RBI and an .851 slugging percentage.

Paz, a product of Hebron High School in Carrollton, Texas, was rated No. 22 among the nation’s best right-handed pitchers and No. 3 among the best right-handers in the state of Texas by Perfect Game.

He was ranked No. 90 on the MLB.com list of the overall Top 100 Prospects for the 2025 MLB Draft.

Ricken, a product of Great Oak High School in Temecula, Calif., was rated by ESPN as the No. 121 overall prospect in the nation for the 2025 MLB Draft.

An excellent athlete who also played quarterback for the Great Oak High football team, Ricken has a fastball that has reached 97 mph.

He was ranked by Perfect Game as the No. 4 right-handed pitcher in the state of California and the No. 13 right-hander in the nation.

Patrick, a native of Monroe, La., who played at St. Frederick High School, was rated No. 26 among the nation’s best outfielders by Perfect Game. He was also ranked by Perfect Game as the No. 1 outfielder and the No. 2 overall player in the state of Louisiana.

Patrick, rated No. 90 on the MLB.com list of the overall Top 100 Prospects for the 2025 MLB Draft, batted .472 as a high school senior with a .607 on-base percentage and a 1.460 on-base plus slugging percentage. He collected five homers, 13 doubles, three triples, 23 RBI, 44 runs and 27 stolen bases.

The 2026 season begins on Friday, February 13, when LSU plays host to Milwaukee in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.

LSU’s 2026 Schedule

FEBRUARY

13 (Fri.) – MILWAUKEE, 2 p.m.                  

14 (Sat.) – MILWAUKEE, 1 p.m.                              

15 (Sun.) – MILWAUKEE, 12 p.m.                                                        

16 (Mon.) – KENT STATE, TBD     

18 (Wed.) – NICHOLLS, 1 p.m.                  

20 (Fri.) – Indiana #, 1 p.m.                        

21 (Sat.) – Notre Dame #, 11 a.m.                         

22 (Sun.) – UCF #, 2 p.m.             

24 (Tue.) – McNEESE, 6:30 p.m.

27 (Fri.) – DARTMOUTH, 6:30 p.m.           

28 (Sat.) – NORTHEASTERN, 6 p.m.                       

MARCH                                                                       

 1 (Sun.) – DARTMOUTH, 1 p.m.              

2 (Mon.) – NORTHEASTERN, 6:30 p.m.  

4 (Wed.) – at UL Lafayette, TBD               

6 (Fri.) – SACRAMENTO STATE, 6:30 p.m.             

 7 (Sat.) – SACRAMENTO STATE, 6 p.m.                  

 8 (Sun.) – SACRAMENTO STATE, 1 p.m.                                                           

10 (Tue.) – CREIGHTON, 6:30 p.m.          

13 (Fri.) – at Vanderbilt, TBD                    

14 (Sat.) – at Vanderbilt, TBD                    

15 (Sun.) – at Vanderbilt, TBD                   

17 (Tue.) – GRAMBLING STATE, 6:30 p.m.                           

20 (Fri.) – OKLAHOMA, TBD                       

21 (Sat.) – OKLAHOMA, TBD                     

22 (Sun.) – OKLAHOMA, TBD                    

24 (Tue.) – LOUISIANA TECH, 6:30 p.m.  

27 (Fri.) – KENTUCKY, TBD                                       

28 (Sat.) – KENTUCKY, TBD                       

29 (Sun.) – KENTUCKY, TBD                      

31 (Tue.) – SOUTHERN, 6:30 p.m.           

APRIL                                

 3 (Fri.) – at Tennessee, TBD                                                   

4 (Sat.) – at Tennessee, TBD                     

5 (Sun.) – at Tennessee, TBD                    

7 (Tue.) – BETHUNE COOKMAN, 6:30 p.m.                                                     

10 (Fri.) – at Ole Miss, TBD                        

11 (Sat.) – at Ole Miss, TBD                       

12 (Sun.) – at Ole Miss, TBD                      

14 (Tue.) – NORTHWESTERN STATE, 6:30 p.m.    

17 (Fri.) – TEXAS A&M, TBD                       

18 (Sat.) – TEXAS A&M, TBD                      

19 (Sun.) – TEXAS A&M, TBD                     

21 (Tue.) – NEW ORLEANS, 6:30 p.m.                    

24 (Fri.) – at Mississippi State, TBD                        

25 (Sat.) – at Mississippi State, TBD                       

26 (Sun.) – at Mississippi State, TBD                      

28 (Tue.) – SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA, 6:30 p.m.                                        

MAY

 1 (Fri.) – SOUTH CAROLINA,TBD              

2 (Sat.) – SOUTH CAROLINA, TBD                           

3 (Sun.) – SOUTH CAROLINA, TBD                                        

5 (Tue.) – TULANE, 6:30 p.m.                                 

8 (Fri.) – at Georgia, TBD                           

9 (Sat.) – at Georgia, TBD                          

10 (Sun.) – at Georgia, TBD                        

14 (Thu.) – FLORIDA, TBD                          

15 (Fri.) – FLORIDA, TBD              

16 (Sat.) – FLORIDA, TBD                           

19-24 (Tue.-Sun.) – SEC Tournament @ Hoover, Ala.                                                                                              

MAY/JUNE

29-31/1 (Fri.-Mon.) – NCAA Regional @ Campus Sites                                                                             

5-7/6-8 (Fri.-Mon.) – NCAA Super Regional @ Campus Sites                                                                   

12-21/22 (Fri.-Mon.) – College World Series @Omaha, Neb.