LSU Baseball: Can the Tigers break a recent SEC trend in 2024?

For the seventh time in program history, as well as the first since 2009, LSU baseball were named national champions Monday night by defeating the Florida Gators by a final score of 18-4.

Winning the SEC’s fourth consecutive national championship in the process, the Tigers are now set however to face a recent trend next season that has applied to a few teams across the conference the last two years.

So, the only questions left to answer are – just what is that recent trend, and can the Tigers break it next season?

Can LSU baseball break a recent SEC trend in 2024?

As mentioned previously, LSU’s national championship Monday night was the SEC’s fourth in-a-row, with the Tigers joining Vanderbilt (2019), Mississippi State (2021), and Ole Miss (2022).

Looking at two of those teams in particular in Mississippi State and Ole Miss however, both would miss the SEC and NCAA Tournaments entirely the year after they won the national championship the year prior, along with finishing last in the SEC standings.

In fact, not only did both the Bulldogs and Rebels miss the postseason entirely the year after winning a national title, but they also finished those years with a record below .500:

Mississippi State

• 2021 (Won National Title): 50-18
• 2022: 26-30

Ole Miss

• 2022 (Won National Title): 42-23
• 2023: 25-29 

So, set to lose the likes of Dylan Crews, Paul Skenes, and more off their title-winning team going into next season, can LSU baseball break that trend in 2024?

Well, when looking at the returning production for the Tigers that includes the likes of Tommy White, Jared Jones, Gavin Guidry, and more, it’s easy to see why LSU could not only break that trend next season, but also have a chance to be college baseball’s first team to go back-to-back since South Carolina in 2010-11.

So, could the Tigers not only break this trend in 2024, but also have a chance to repeat as national champions? Well, based on their returning production, combined with new additions still to come through the transfer portal and high school ranks, I certainly would not bet against them at all.