LSU's Jay Johnson Reveals Friday Night Starter

The reigning National Champions are 48 hours away from Opening Day, Tigers set to prepare for title defense.

LSU head coach Jay Johnson addressed the media on Wednesday afternoon where the man in charge revealed who the Tigers' Friday and Saturday night starters will be. 

The reigning National Champions will suit up on Thursday for Opening Day where both Thatcher Hurd and Luke Holman will take the mound.

From there, it's a to be determined situation while LSU navigates eight games in 10 days.

A few notes from Wednesday and who will lace up their cleats for the Tigers:

The Friday Night Starter: Thatcher Hurd

Johnson revealed on Wednesday that Hurd will handle Friday night duties to begin the season for the Tigers. After propelling LSU to a National Championship last season, while improving significantly during the offseason, Hurd earns the nod. 

The LSU pitching staff has been impressed with Hurd's growth as he continues taking that next step on the mound.

Now, he'll take over the the Bayou Bengals in Game 1 of the season this Friday. 

On Saturday, it'll be Alabama transfer Luke Holman who will take the mound.

Luke Holman to Handle Saturday: How LSU Landed the Alabama Ace

Holman transferred to LSU during the offseason after handling Friday night duties for the Crimson Tide. After an impressive season, he decided to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal to find a new home.

After a few visits, he made up his mind: LSU was home. 

Here's how LSU landed their Saturday night starter:

The Visit To Baton Rouge

Holman took his fair share of visits during the recruitment process with Tennessee and Mississippi State emerging as serious threats to LSU when things ramped up.

But for Johnson and the Tigers, they knew once Holman made his way to campus for a visit, they'd make an everlasting impression, and they sure did.

“It was definitely different. They had their National Championship on the board and all that stuff. I felt comfortable. It felt really comfortable,” Holman said. “The resources are amazing as well, as they are at all the schools, but it was awesome. Baton Rouge is a great place.”

The visit, the coaching staff and the culture all made Holman feel comfortable as he enters what many expect to be his final year in college.

A player high on 2024 MLB Draft mocks, he wanted to make sure he entered a winning culture.

The Jay Johnson Effect: Prioritizing Holman

Holman felt the love from a handful of programs during the process, but after taking time to evaluate, he took three official visits before coming to a decision.

The prized right-handed pitcher traveled to Tennessee, Mississippi State and LSU in July.

There were special pieces about each stop, but being in constant communication with a coach of Johnson's caliber set the tone.

“It’s cool seeing I’m valued and it’s cool seeing the champions are talking to me,"Holman told LSU Country in July. "Jay Johnson is a great guy and it’s something… It’s pretty cool.

“He’s up front. He tells you what he tells you. You can tell he cares a lot about his players. He wants to do the best for the program and do the best for you as well.”

Surrounded By Talent: Gavin Guidry Stood Out

When Holman visited Baton Rouge for his official visit, he stayed an extra day to bond with LSU two-way talent Gavin Guidry. The two hit the golf course to get in a round where Guidry "dominated" the day.

The duo had the chance to bond in another area other than just talking about baseball where Holman felt a sense of relief. He felt comfortable, which was a piece to the process that meant so much to him.

“[Gavin] is awesome. His golf game is amazing. I played pretty good and then I played with him and I didn’t play so well but he can tell you all about that,” Holman said.

Now, Holman joins the reigning National Champions with a chance to make an immediate impact in Baton Rouge. The goal all along was to join a talented team with the chance to win and the ace pitcher certainly feels he can do that down South.

“I wanted to be on a good team as well and I want to make the guys around me better," Holman said. "I want to play with guys who are going to make me better. The development is going to be there, but to be on a team with a bunch of good guys and push me was a big thing for me as well.”

A Few Jay Johnson Quotes From Thursday:

“We treat every game like a playoff game. We aren’t close to [where we need to be] right now, to be frank and I don’t mean that in a bad way. We have a lot of work to do to sort out our options on this team.”

“We have an opportunity in front of us that hasn’t been easy to do recently. Says teams have won it and then missed the tournament the following year. “We need to attack this opportunity. High marks for players for how they’re approaching this year.”