LSU Baseball's Steven Milam Receiving Significant Preseason Buzz Ahead of 2025

Milam returns as a key contributor for Jay Johnson's club, ready to showcase versatility in the infield.

May 31, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; LSU infielder Steven Milam (4) celebrates his winning home run against the Wofford Terriers during the NCAA Regional in Chapel Hill. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU sophomore Steven Milam is ranked No. 6 on the D1Baseball.com list of the Top 50 Shortstops in the nation.

Milam, a 2024 First-Team Freshman All-American, was LSU’s starting second baseman last season and batted .326 (72-for-221) with 12 doubles, three triples, eight homers, 40 RBI, 51 runs and seven stolen bases.

The product of Las Cruces, N.M., also earned Freshman All-SEC recognition, and he was LSU’s leading hitting in its 10 postseason games, batting .386 (17-for-44) with three doubles, four homers, 11 RBI and 11 runs. Milam was named to both the SEC All-Tournament team and to the NCAA Regional All-Tournament team.

Milam hit two walk-off home runs within one week, as his decisive dingers lifted the Tigers to wins over South Carolina in the SEC Tournament semifinal and over Wofford in the NCAA Regional opening game.

He was ranked No. 32 last month among the Perfect Game Baseball Top 100 Sophomores for the 2025 season.

LSU, ranked No. 2 by Baseball America and No. 3 by D1 Baseball in preseason polls, opens the season at 2 p.m. CT on Friday, February 14, when the Tigers play host to Purdue Fort Wayne in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.

Milam's Infielder Running Mate: Michael Braswell III

LSU senior Michael Braswell III is ranked No. 36 on the D1Baseball.com list of the Top 50 Third Basemen in the nation.

Braswell III, a native of Mableton, Ga., was LSU’s starting shortstop last season and is capable of playing any of the infield positions.

Braswell III started 64 games for LSU at shortstop last season, batting .311 (66-for-212) with 12 doubles, three triples, four homers, 36 RBI and 46 runs. He batted a combined .381 (16-for-42) in LSU’s SEC and NCAA postseason games with three homers, nine RBI and 13 runs.

He was voted to the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional All-Tournament Team, hitting .381 (8-for-21) with one homer, three RBI and five runs scored, and he was named to 2024 SEC All-Tournament Team after batting .381 (8-for-21) with two homers, six RBI and eight runs.

He provided the game-winning, two-out RBI single in the top of the ninth inning versus South Carolina in the SEC Tournament, propelling LSU into the semifinal round.

Braswell III finished as the Tigers’ third-leading hitter in SEC regular-season games, batting .310 (31-for-100) with nine doubles, one triple, 11 RBI and 19 runs.

He was ranked No. 38 last month on the Perfect Game list of the Top 75 Seniors in the nation for the 2025 season.

LSU, ranked No. 2 by Baseball America and No. 3 by D1 Baseball in preseason polls, opens the season at 2 p.m. CT on Friday, February 14, when the Tigers play host to Purdue Fort Wayne in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.

LSU Baseball in the Baseball America Preseason Poll:

BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU is No. 2 in the 2025 Baseball America Preseason Poll released on Monday.

Texas A&M is No. 1 in the poll, followed by LSU, Tennessee, Arkansas, Virginia, Florida State, Florida, Clemson, Oregon State and Duke to round out the Top 10.

Other SEC teams appearing in the Baseball America Top 25 are No. 11 Georgia, No. 14 Texas, No. 15 Vanderbilt, No. 18 Mississippi State and No. 19 Kentucky.

LSU will play 16 games in the 2025 regular season against teams ranked in the Baseball America Preseason Top 25, including 15 SEC games and a February 26 matchup with No. 21 Dallas Baptist at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

LSU, which has been ranked No. 2 by Perfect Game and No. 3 by D1 Baseball earlier this month, will open the 2025 season at 2 p.m. CT on Friday, February 14, when the Tigers play host to Purdue Fort Wayne in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.

2025 Baseball America Preseason Poll (* – indicates 2025 LSU regular season opponent)

1 Texas A&M *
2 LSU
3 Tennessee *
4 Arkansas *
5 Virginia
6 Florida State
7 Florida
8 Clemson
9 Oregon State
10 Duke
11 Georgia
12 North Carolina
13 Oklahoma State
14 Texas *
15 Vanderbilt
16 North Carolina State
17 Wake Forest
18 Mississippi State *
19 Oregon
20 Kentucky
21 Dallas Baptist *
22 Arizona
23 UC Santa Barbara
24 UC Irvine
25 Indiana

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