Top 5 greatest LSU baseball players of all time ft. Dylan Crews
Since the hiring of Skip Bertman before the 1984 season, LSU baseball has become one of the top programs in the nation. Since 1991, when the Tigers won their first College World Series, LSU has added six more national titles.
The Tigers have produced plenty of legendary stars and future big league talents. But here are the five best LSU baseball players ever.
Top 5 greatest LSU baseball players of all time
5. Eddy Furniss
Furniss isn't a household name based on his brief and unremarkable professional career. But he was a star at LSU. Twice a first-team All-American, the first baseman won two College World Series.
Furniss batted .371 in his LSU career and set South Eastern Conference marks for most hits (352), home runs (80) and RBIs (309). Furniss won the Dick Howser Trophy in 1998 as the top college player in the country.
A fourth-round draft pick in 1998, Furniss never got above Double-A baseball and retired in 2002 to practice medicine. Furniss went on to marry his high school girlfriend, raise a family and practice medicine in Nacogdoches, Texas.
4. Todd Walker
Walker went from a lightly recruited afterthought to an LSU legend. He ended his three-year career. He ended his LSU career as the SEC's all-time leader in hits, RBIs and runs scored. Walker was the Most Outstanding Player of the 1993 College World Series.
The eighth pick in the 1994 MLB draft, Walker had a good but not great MLB career. He hit .289 with 107 home runs and he played for seven different teams through 2007. Walker has done some broadcasting work since his playing days.
3. Ben McDonald
The 6-foot-7 McDonald became an LSU star as a pitcher. In his junior year, 1989, McDonald was 14-4 with a 3.49 ERA and 202 strikeouts in 152 1/3 innings. He had posted an even better ERA in his sophomore season, after which he played for the U.S. Olympic team and won a gold medal. McDonald helped LSU reach the College World Series twice.
Picked first in the 1989 draft by the Orioles, McDonald was 78-70 all-time in MLB. Injuries forced him to retire in 1997. McDonald was also a basketball player for coach Dale Brown at LSU. McDonald broadcasts for ESPN and the Baltimore Orioles now and remains an interesting and well-informed broadcaster.
2. Paul Skenes
An outstanding transfer from Air Force, Skenes was a Tiger for one season only in 2023. He pitched LSU to the College World Series title. During the season, Skenes was 13-2 with a 1.69 ERA and 209 strikeouts in 122 2/3 innings. Skenes had been a two-way player at Air Force, but he concentrated on pitching for LSU.
Skenes won the John Olerud Award as college baseball's best two-way player in 2022 and he was the Dick Howser Trophy winner, the SEC Pitcher of the Year and the National Pitcher of the Year at LSU.
Skenes was chosen first in the 2023 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was recently promoted to the major leagues by Pittsburgh.
1. Dylan Crews
A three-year starter at LSU, Crews was a hard-hitting outfielder who won the Golden Spikes Award in 2023. In his junior year, Crews hit .426 with 18 home runs and 70 RBIs. He also scored 100 runs on the season.
Crews was chosen second in the 2023 draft, a pick after Paul Skenes, by Washington. He's now in Double-A baseball in the Washington minor league system.
Which famous LSU Tigers do you recall best? We'd love to hear your thoughts below in our comments section!