LSU baseball adds left-handed UCLA pitcher from the transfer portal
UCLA left-handed pitcher Gage Jump has transferred to LSU baseball, he announced on Instagram Friday.
Jump, a sophomore, missed the second half of his freshman season and the entire 2023 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2022. But when he did pitch as a freshman, he posted a 3.86 ERA and had 22 strikeouts in 16⅓ innings pitched.
"Let's Geaux," Jump wrote.
At 6-foot and 200 pounds, Jump was the No. 7 left-handed pitcher and the No. 45 player in the nation coming out of high school in the Class of 2021, according to Perfect Game. He attended JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, California and was the No. 1 left-handed pitcher and No. 4 recruit in the state.
Jump was also selected by the San Diego Padres in the 18th round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of high school.
Jump is the fourth player LSU has added from the transfer portal this offseason, joining South Carolina shortstop Michael Braswell, Alabama right-handed pitcher Kade Woods and Xavier left-handed pitcher Justin Loer.
With Jump in the fold, LSU should have plenty of left-handed pitching heading into 2024.
The Tigers could potentially bring back Riley Cooper, Nate Ackenhausen, Griffin Herring and Javen Coleman, along with adding Loer and Jump. LSU also has signed three left-handed pitchers in its 2023 recruiting class, including Kade Anderson who also announced on Friday that he was pulling his name from the MLB Draft.
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Koki Riley covers LSU sports for The Daily Advertiser. Email him at kriley@theadvertiser.com and follow him on Twitter at @KokiRiley
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU baseball: Gage Jump, UCLA pitcher, transfers to Tigers
