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LSU baseball catcher Omar Serna is in the midst of a breakout. The true freshman homered in all three games vs. Mississippi State and added another hit and run in the midweek game vs. Southeastern Louisiana. Serna showed flashes early in the season, forcing himself into the lineup, but now he's putting it all together.
Serna's OPS in conference play is .986, ranking No. 22 among qualified hitters, but the only SEC freshman with a better mark is Mississippi State's Jacob Parker.
Not much of this is a surprise. When Serna arrived at LSU, expectations were high. He was ranked as the No. 1 catcher in Texas and the No. 4 catcher in the nation. Ahead of the season, Perfect Game placed Serna No. 28 on its top 100 college freshmen list.
It started to click for Serna at Ole Miss on April 10. Since that date, Serna's OPS is 1.078 with a .378 batting average. Prior to April 10, Serna's batting average was just .272. Serna is becoming the complete hitter LSU has missed this year.
The Tigers' lineup has been inconsistent as LSU has faltered throughout conference play. LSU has struggled to string together quality at-bats, something that's uncharacteristic of the Jay Johnson era. And while it might be too little, too late in 2026, Serna will be a cornerstone of LSU's lineup in 2027. If this is just the start for the young catcher, expectations will be sky high next year.
Next up for LSU is a home series vs. South Carolina this weekend.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: LSU baseball freshman catcher emerging as star slugger
Continue reading...
Serna's OPS in conference play is .986, ranking No. 22 among qualified hitters, but the only SEC freshman with a better mark is Mississippi State's Jacob Parker.
Not much of this is a surprise. When Serna arrived at LSU, expectations were high. He was ranked as the No. 1 catcher in Texas and the No. 4 catcher in the nation. Ahead of the season, Perfect Game placed Serna No. 28 on its top 100 college freshmen list.
It started to click for Serna at Ole Miss on April 10. Since that date, Serna's OPS is 1.078 with a .378 batting average. Prior to April 10, Serna's batting average was just .272. Serna is becoming the complete hitter LSU has missed this year.
The Tigers' lineup has been inconsistent as LSU has faltered throughout conference play. LSU has struggled to string together quality at-bats, something that's uncharacteristic of the Jay Johnson era. And while it might be too little, too late in 2026, Serna will be a cornerstone of LSU's lineup in 2027. If this is just the start for the young catcher, expectations will be sky high next year.
Next up for LSU is a home series vs. South Carolina this weekend.
LSU Baseball Schedule
LSU Baseball - 2026 Schedule
Date | Opponent | Location | Time (CT) | TV/Stream |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Feb 13 | vs. Milwaukee | Baton Rouge, La. | 2:00 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Sat, Feb 14 | vs. Milwaukee | Baton Rouge, La. | 1:00 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Sun, Feb 15 | vs. Milwaukee | Baton Rouge, La. | 1:00 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Mon, Feb 16 | vs. Kent State | Baton Rouge, La. | 6:00 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Wed, Feb 18 | vs. Nicholls | Baton Rouge, La. | 1:00 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Fri, Feb 20 | vs. Indiana | Jacksonville, Fla. | 1:00 PM | D1Baseball |
| Sat, Feb 21 | vs. Notre Dame | Jacksonville, Fla. | 11:00 AM | D1Baseball |
| Sun, Feb 22 | vs. Central Florida | Jacksonville, Fla. | 2:00 PM | D1Baseball |
| Tue, Feb 24 | vs. McNeese | Baton Rouge, La. | 6:30 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Fri, Feb 27 | vs. Dartmouth | Baton Rouge, La. | 6:30 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Sat, Feb 28 | vs. Northeastern | Baton Rouge, La. | 2:00 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Sun, Mar 1 | vs. Dartmouth | Baton Rouge, La. | 1:00 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Mon, Mar 2 | vs. Northeastern | Baton Rouge, La. | 6:30 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Wed, Mar 4 | at UL-Lafayette | Lafayette, La. | 6:00 PM | ESPN+ |
| Fri, Mar 6 | vs. Sacramento State | Baton Rouge, La. | 6:30 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Sat, Mar 7 | vs. Sacramento State | Baton Rouge, La. | 6:00 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Sun, Mar 8 | vs. Sacramento State | Baton Rouge, La. | 1:00 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Tue, Mar 10 | vs. Creighton | Baton Rouge, La. | 6:30 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Fri, Mar 13 | at Vanderbilt | Nashville, Tenn. | 6:00 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Sat, Mar 14 | at Vanderbilt | Nashville, Tenn. | 7:00 PM | SEC Network |
| Sun, Mar 15 | at Vanderbilt | Nashville, Tenn. | 3:00 PM | ESPN2 |
| Tue, Mar 17 | vs. Grambling State | Baton Rouge, La. | 6:30 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Thu, Mar 19 | vs. Oklahoma | Baton Rouge, La. | 7:00 PM | ESPNU |
| Fri, Mar 20 | vs. Oklahoma | Baton Rouge, La. | 6:30 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Sat, Mar 21 | vs. Oklahoma | Baton Rouge, La. | 2:00 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Tue, Mar 24 | vs. Louisiana Tech | Baton Rouge, La. | 6:30 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Fri, Mar 27 | vs. Kentucky | Baton Rouge, La. | 6:30 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Sat, Mar 28 | vs. Kentucky | Baton Rouge, La. | 2:00 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Sun, Mar 29 | vs. Kentucky | Baton Rouge, La. | 12:00 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Tue, Mar 31 | vs. Southern | Baton Rouge, La. | 6:30 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Fri, Apr 3 | at Tennessee | Knoxville, Tenn. | 4:30 PM | SEC Network |
| Sat, Apr 4 | at Tennessee | Knoxville, Tenn. | 5:00 PM | ESPN2 |
| Sun, Apr 5 | at Tennessee | Knoxville, Tenn. | 12:00 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Tue, Apr 7 | vs. Bethune-Cookman | Baton Rouge, La. | 6:30 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Fri, Apr 10 | at Ole Miss | Oxford, Miss. | 6:30 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Sat, Apr 11 | at Ole Miss | Oxford, Miss. | 4:00 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Sun, Apr 12 | at Ole Miss | Oxford, Miss. | 1:30 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Tue, Apr 14 | vs. Northwestern State | Baton Rouge, La. | 6:30 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Fri, Apr 17 | vs. Texas A&M | Baton Rouge, La. | 6:00 PM | ESPN |
| Sat, Apr 18 | vs. Texas A&M | Baton Rouge, La. | 7:00 PM | SEC Network |
| Sun, Apr 19 | vs. Texas A&M | Baton Rouge, La. | 1:00 PM | ESPN |
| Tue, Apr 21 | vs. New Orleans | Baton Rouge, La. | 6:30 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Fri, Apr 24 | at Mississippi State | Starkville, Miss. | 3:00 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Sat, Apr 25 | at Mississippi State | Starkville, Miss. | 6:30 PM | ESPN2 |
| Sun, Apr 26 | at Mississippi State | Starkville, Miss. | 1:00 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Tue, Apr 28 | vs. SE Louisiana | Baton Rouge, La. | 6:30 PM | SEC Network+ |
| Fri, May 1 | vs. South Carolina | Baton Rouge, La. | 6:30 PM | TBD |
| Sat, May 2 | vs. South Carolina | Baton Rouge, La. | 6:00 PM | TBD |
| Sun, May 3 | vs. South Carolina | Baton Rouge, La. | 2:00 PM | TBD |
| Tue, May 5 | vs. Tulane | Baton Rouge, La. | 6:30 PM | TBD |
| Fri, May 8 | at Georgia | Athens, Ga. | 5:00 PM | TBD |
| Sat, May 9 | at Georgia | Athens, Ga. | 6:00 PM | SEC Network |
| Sun, May 10 | at Georgia | Athens, Ga. | 2:00 PM | SEC Network |
| Thu, May 14 | vs. Florida | Baton Rouge, La. | 6:30 PM | TBD |
| Fri, May 15 | vs. Florida | Baton Rouge, La. | 6:30 PM | TBD |
| Sat, May 16 | vs. Florida | Baton Rouge, La. | 2:00 PM | TBD |
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: LSU baseball freshman catcher emerging as star slugger
Continue reading...
