LSU's confident in Luke Holman being elite in 2024

Roughly ten months ago, Luke Holman’s world was rocked. In his second year at Alabama, the right handed pitcher was unknowingly part of one of the biggest college gambling scandal’s in history as his head coach, Brad Bohannon, was caught betting on his Alabama team to lose to LSU before it was announced Holman wouldn’t be pitching on his scheduled start on April 28.

“I was pitching like normal then I had a back injury and I wasn’t pitching, that’s all I knew.” Holman said.

Holman was not involved in his former coach’s gambling, but responded with poise. He closed the season as the Tide’s most reliable arms in a surprise run to the Super Regionals after his coach was fired.

After ending his sophomore season with a 3.67 ERA and 87 strikeouts to 31 walks in 81 innings pitched, Holman entered the transfer portal and immediately became a top targets, dripping with potential at 6-foot-4.

It didn’t take long for LSU head coach Jay Johnson to get him on the phone and the rest is history. Since committing to LSU, he’s been everything Johnson had hoped he’d be.

“As we were preparing to play them last year, watching the previous outings and looking at what he does: Flooding the strike zone with multiple pitches. He’s a great athlete. He Fields his position well. He’s quick to the plate. Can strike people out or can get weak contact,” Johnson said. “He’s pitched well the last couple of weeks and he’s been what we thought he would be. He’s a great talent and a great person. I’m sad we’re only going to have him for one year.”

After a strong offseason, Holman was named the day two starter for LSU ahead of this opening slate of games over the weekend, showing how much trust Johnson has in him to step in as a key starter for the Tigers this season.

“It’s good to know your mindset and I’m excited to pitch on Saturday, but we have to win game one, so all of our focus is on Friday,” Holman said. “Last year I as a mid-week, then I worked my way to Friday. I think every situation is different, but every win matters, so that’s all we’re worried about.”

Holman’s focus never waivers, knowing he has a key role in this rotation’s potential. As likely one of the three weekend starters this year on a much improved pitching staff, there’s an expectation for Holman to take a step towards polishing his game in his junior season.

He talked about finding comfort with his curveball, a pitch that had previously eluded him while at Alabama. Overall, the resources and opportunities to improve at LSU have been crucial in his development. 

“Here it’s a lot more [invested] in baseball. This place is next level,” Holman said. “Nutrition is a lot better here and the player lounge is always stocked, so there are plenty of resources to get bigger and stronger. Alabama didn’t have a pitching lab, so it’s nice to have the force plate and all that. I’ve been able to learn about myself from that.”

Last year, Holman could only watch as his Alabama team got swept by LSU in Baton Rouge, but a lot has changed since then. With a coach that’s interested in betting on him, rather than against him, Holman’s demeanor entering the season has some extra juice.

It’s another new face for LSU baseball fans to become familiar with and if there’s one thing we know about Holman to this point, he’s embracing the new challenge.

“I didn’t get to pitch here last year, but just watching those three games was probably the best experience I’ve ever had,” Holman said. “I definitely appreciate it more now that I’m here.”