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Jay Johnson, LSU, add talented Big 10 left-handed pitcher

On3 imageby:Matthew Brune•07/01/25•

MatthewBrune_

santiago garcia oregon
Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

LSU has landed its third left-handed pitcher in the past two weeks as Oregon sophomore Santiago Garcia committed to LSU on Tuesday morning.

Garcia appeared in 22 games as a reliever this past season to finish with a 3-0 record and an ERA of 4.18. He also recorded four saves on the year, getting 28 innings of work to throw 38 strikeouts to only 18 walks.

Prior to his arrival in Eugene, Garcia made 16 appearances for Central Arizona Community College in 2024. He pitched 23.2 innings with a 3.04 ERA, striking out 38 batters.

Garcia joins Ryler Smart from Tennessee and Danny Lachenmayer from North Dakota State as lefties joining the Tigers’ staff in 2026.

Johnson and pitching coach Nate Yeskie were able to turn LSU’s staff into the best collection of arms in the country and it lifted the Tigers to the title. The likes of Kade Anderson, Anthony Eyanson, Chase Shores, and others will be remembered forever in Baton Rouge. Now, they’re trying to do it again as Yeksie has solidified himself as the best pitching coach in college baseball according to Johnson.

“He’s amazing,” Johnson said of Yeskie’s time at LSU. “Second year in Arizona, we made it to Omaha. Second year here at LSU, we win the national championship. So I mentioned why pitchers should want to come here. Oregon State, Arizona, Texas A&M, LSU. So all you other college baseball historians, find me another pitching coach that’s gone to Omaha with four different programs. Now double national championship with Oregon State and LSU and Big Leaguers and All-Americans and all of that. Nate is the best pitching coach in college baseball. And we’ve led the country in strikeouts two years in a row. I mean, I think it really speaks for itself. And I’m proud of him. He’s a friend, and he’s loyal, hard-working, and he’s really good at what he does. And if you’re a pitcher out there, high school or portal, you should want to come pitch here, largely because of Nate Yeskie and then Jamie Tutko, who’s our director of pitching development and analytics and has helped take this thing to a new level as well. So we’ve got it all. We’ve got it all. And I’m really proud of that side of the ball. We had to elevate the talent in the LSU Baseball program on the mound when I got here, and we have, and we’ve executed on developing them as good as I ever could have dreamed of or imagined.”

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