BATON ROUGE, La. — Six LSU baseball players appear in the 2022 Perfect Game list of Top 100 College Sophomores, as the Tigers lead the nation with the most prospects in the Top 100 ranking.
Outfielder Dylan Crews is No. 1 on the list; infielder Jacob Berry is No. 4; first baseman Tre’ Morgan is No. 8, shortstop Jordan Thompson is No. 61; left-hander pitcher Javen Coleman is No. 77; and right-handed pitcher Ty Floyd is No. 87.
Crews, the 2021 Perfect Game National Freshman of the Year, hit .362 (89-for-246) in 2021 with 16 doubles, two triples, 18 homers, 42 RBI, 64 runs scored and 12 stolen bases. The product of Longwood, Fla., also received All-America, Freshman All-America, Second-Team All-SEC and Freshman All-SEC recognition, and he was voted the Louisiana Freshman of the Year.
Crews’ total of 18 home runs represented the most by a freshman in LSU single-season history, surpassing the mark of second baseman Mike Fontenot, who launched 17 dingers as a freshman in 2000.
He finished No. 1 in the SEC last season in total bases (163), No. 3 in batting average, No. 3 in on-base percentage (.453), No. 4 in base hits, No. 4 in runs scored, No. 5 in doubles and No. 5 in home runs.
Crews helped lead LSU to the NCAA Eugene Regional title, earning all-tournament honors as he batted .476 (10-for-21) with two doubles, one triple, three home runs, four RBI and six runs scored.
Berry, who transferred this summer to LSU from Arizona, led the Wildcats to the 2021 College World Series and the Pac-12 championship.
A product of Queen Creek, Ariz., Berry batted .352 in 2021 with team highs of 17 homers and 70 RBI, and Collegiate Baseball newspaper named him the National Co-Freshman of the Year.
Berry earned first-team All-America recognition from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, and he received second-team All-America honors from D1Baseball and Perfect Game.
Morgan, a product of New Orleans, La., batted .357 (89-for-249) in 2021 with 16 doubles, four triples, six homers, 42 RBI, 64 runs scored and 15 stolen bases.
He received Freshman All-America, Second-Team All-SEC and Freshman All-SEC honors, and he was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team. Morgan was twice recognized as the SEC Freshman of the Week during a three-week period in late April-early May.
Morgan collected six hits, including a double, in the NCAA Eugene Regional to go along with three RBI and three runs scored. He finished No. 4 in the SEC in batting average, No. 4 in base hits, No. 4 in runs scored, No. 4 in triples, No. 5 in doubles, No. 5 in stolen bases and No. 7 in on-base percentage (.441).
Thompson, a product of Chula Vista, Calif. was named 2021 Freshman All-SEC, as he hit .250 with four doubles, one triple, eight homers, 26 RBI, 32 runs and five stolen bases. He was voted to the NCAA Eugene Regional All-Tournament Team after batting .333 (6-for-18) in the regional with two doubles and two RBI.
Thompson was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week on April 12 after he batted .600 (9-for-15) with one triple, three RBI and six runs scored in four games during the week of April 6-11. In the Tigers’ series win at Kentucky (April 9-11), Thompson hit .667 (8-for-12) with one triple, two RBI and three runs scored.
He was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week for the first time on March 15, as he batted .381 (8-for-21) in five games and played a huge role in LSU’s extra-innings wins over UT San Antonio on March 13 and 14. Thompson launched a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 13th inning on March 13 to lift the Tigers to a 10-9 victory over UTSA.
Coleman, a product of Richmond, Texas, was voted to the 2021 NCAA Eugene Regional All-Tournament Team after he posted a brilliant relief win over Oregon in the first game of the championship round. Coleman limited the Ducks to one run on three hits in six innings with three walks and six strikeouts.
Coleman appeared in 14 games (two starts) last season, posting a 3-2 record and a 5.79 ERA in 32.2 innings with 18 walks and 43 strikeouts, and he pitched effectively late in the year as the Tigers surged toward a postseason berth.
He recorded four relief innings at Texas A&M (May 20), limiting the Aggies to one run on three hits in four innings with one walk and five strikeouts. Coleman also turned in a superb relief outing on May 15 versus Alabama, allowing one run on four hits in four innings with no walks and five strikeouts.
Floyd, a member of the 2021 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll, made 20 relief appearances last season, recording 14 walks and 39 strikeouts in 24.1 innings while limiting opponents to a .195 batting average.
The product of Rockmart, Ga., posted an outstanding relief outing at Texas A&M (May 21), allowing no runs on one hit in in 3.2 innings with no walks and four strikeouts.
He enjoyed an excellent SEC debut vs. Mississippi State (March 21), striking out the first four batters he faced – all three hitters in the 7th inning and the first hitter of the 8th inning.
{Courtesy: release from LSU athletics}