Former LSU Baseball Left-Handed Pitcher Reveals Transfer Portal Destination

The 6-foot-4 southpaw will have two seasons of eligibility remaining with the Trojans after redshirting during his 2023 season in Baton Rouge.

For the Tigers, LSU has signed three left-handed pitchers in the free agent market alongside new Kansas transfer Cooper Moore.

The Pitching Staff Additions: Tigers Cruising in the Portal

No. 1: Danny Lachenmayer - Pitcher [NDSU]

Lachenmayer, a coveted freshman in the NCAA Transfer Portal, selected the National Champion LSU Tigers over the Arkansas Razorbacks after visiting Fayetteville last week.

The talented southpaw was used as a relief option in 2025 for the Bison where he made 24 appearances and recorded nine saves for North Dakota State.

Lachenmayer pitched 38 innings with a 2.37 ERA, 56 strikeouts, 18 walks and a .192 batting average against him during his freshman campaign.

No. 2: Ryler Smart - Pitcher [Tennessee]

Smart, a Top-25 rated left-hander in the 2024 Recruiting Cycle, signed with the Volunteers after prepping at Pearland (Tex.).

The 6-foot-4, 236-pounder redshirted during his lone season in Knoxville after recovering from injury.

Smart was rated as the No. 183 overall prospect in the 2024 Recruiting Cycle and the No. 25 left-handed pitcher prior to signing with the Volunteers.

Now, he heads to Baton Rouge after committing to Johnson and Co. following a visit with the program this week.

No. 3: Santiago Garcia - Pitcher [Oregon]

Garcia, a relief pitcher for the Big Ten program in 2025, handled business with the Ducks during his lone season in Eugene (Ore.).

The talented southpaw appeared in 22 games in 2025 for the Ducks where he finished with a 3-0 record and an ERA of 4.18.

Garcia also recorded four saves where he served as one of the team’s relief pitchers; getting 28.0 innings of work to throw 38 strikeouts to only 18 walks.

Prior to making his way to join the Oregon Ducks, Garcia spent one season at Central Arizona Community College where he pitched 23.2 innings with a 3.04 ERA, striking out 38 batters.

LSU has now added three left-handed pitchers via the NCAA Transfer Portal with Johnson and Co. attacking the free agent market.

No. 4: Cooper Moore - Pitcher [Kansas]

The Tigers added Kansas right-handed pitcher Cooper Moore to the portal haul after he went public with a decision to join the defending National Champions on Wednesday.

The Big 12 transfer is coming off of a standout sophomore campaign where he logged a 3.96 ERA, 85 strikeouts and 19 walks over 88.2 innings.

The LSU Tigers Portal Haul [9]:

- INF Brayden Simpson: High Point
- INF Seth Dardar: Kansas State
- LHP Danny Lachenmayer: North Dakota State
- LHP Ryler Smart: Tennessee
- LHP Santiago Garcia: Oregon
- RHP Dax Dathe: Angelo State
- INF Trent Caraway: Oregon State
- 1B Zach Yorke: Grand Canyon
- RHP Cooper Moore: Kansas

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