LSU freshman right-handed pitcher MJ Seo has entered the NCAA transfer portal and plans to leave Baton Rouge after one season with the Tigers, LSU Country has learned.
D1Baseball first reported Seo's departure from LSU.
A highly coveted recruit coming out of high school, Seo was the No. 2 shortstop in the state of Texas and the No. 16 player overall in the Lone Star State.
Seo shifted his focus to being a full-time pitcher after enrolling at Louisiana State University, but was injured during fall baseball in 2023. The youngster, whose fastball can reach 96 mph, will now be looking for a new club to continue his playing career.
The promising youngster was sidelined after not getting much playing time during his lone season in Baton Rouge.
Now, as Jay Johnson and the Tigers navigate the offseason, LSU has had seven pitchers enter the transfer portal this month.
LSU Departures (12)
Brady Neal: Catcher
Neal, a sophomore from Florida, comes out of Louisiana as one of the offseason's more surprising portal entrants.
Neal had a chance to be LSU's starting catcher in 2025, but he will be searching for a new team after an up-and-down 2024 season.
During his high school career, Neal was the No. 2 catcher in the nation and the No. 29 overall prospect by Perfect Game. During his senior season at IMG Academy, he batted .359/.485/.577 with five home runs, 15 walks and only 14 strikeouts.
Neal was rated the No. 1 catcher in the state of Florida in the 2022 class and was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 17th round of the 2022 MLB Draft.
Fast forward to his time in Baton Rouge, Neal battled a shoulder injury while wearing the purple and gold with veterans Alex Milazzo and Hayden Trabinski both serving as catchers in 2023 and 2024.
Neal played in 44 games in the 2024 season, batting .276 with 35 strikeouts and 25 hits. He hit nine home runs and continued his strong performance as a pinch hitter in postseason games.
Javen Coleman: Left-handed pitcher
Coleman is leaving Baton Rouge after four seasons with the Tigers and will now hit the free agent market looking for a new team to spend his final season with.
He'll also have the opportunity to test himself outside of the 2024 MLB Draft pool.
Coleman arrived in Baton Rouge as the second-rated pitcher in the state of Texas, according to Perfect Game. As a freshman, Coleman appeared in 14 games, striking out 43 batters and walking 18 in 32.2 innings.
In his second year with the Tigers, Coleman suffered a season-ending arm injury that forced him to undergo Tommy John surgery.
Fast forward to his redshirt sophomore season, and the coveted left-handed pitcher made several appearances out of the bullpen and was a key player in LSU's national championship run.
Coleman finished the year with a 1-2 record and a 7.07 ERA in 14 innings pitched, striking out 21 batters and walking 16.
After his third season at LSU, Coleman was selected in the 16th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers but decided to return to Baton Rouge for his redshirt junior campaign.
In his final season with the Tigers, Coleman made a career-high seven starts and appeared in 12 games in total. He went 3-1 on the mound. In 26 innings pitched, Coleman struck out 28 batters, walked 21 and posted a 5.19 ERA.
Now he leaves Baton Rouge to find a new home for his final season of eligibility.
Paxton Kling: Outfielder
Kling signed with the Tigers as the No. 6 prospect in the nation, according to Perfect Game magazine, making him one of the highest-rated prospects in Louisiana State baseball history.
The 2022 signee was a dominant player in high school, but his approach at the plate didn't translate in the SEC game.
Kling finished his first season in Baton Rouge with a .289 batting average as a freshman and a .222 batting average in the 2024 season.
The popular outfielder has two seasons of eligibility remaining at his next transfer destination, where he saw significant playing time as a key defensive piece in 2023 as a freshman but saw his minutes decrease in 2024.
He began the season in the leadoff position before the outfield rotation of Josh Pearson, Jake Brown (freshman) and Ashton Larson (freshman) took shape.
Kling served as a late defensive replacement for much of the 2024 season.
Sam Dutton: Right-handed pitcher
Dutton's departure is a big blow to the Tigers, as Johnson's team will lose several pitchers this offseason.
Dutton, a former starting pitcher at Louisiana State University while in Baton Rouge, compiled a 6.02 ERA in three seasons with the Tigers.
He started 15 games for Baton Rouge and posted a 5.86 ERA in the 2024 season, and also served as LSU's starter in the season finale against North Carolina in the Chapel Hill Regional tournament.
Dutton will leave after three seasons at LSU to find a new home for his final season of eligibility.
Dutton is the ninth LSU player to enter the transfer portal in the past eight days and the fifth pitcher to do so, joining right-handed pitcher Micah Bucknum, left-handed pitcher Cam Johnson, left-handed pitcher Nick Bronzini and right-handed pitcher Aiden Moffett.
Cam Johnson: Left-handed pitcher
Johnson's departure is the biggest loss so far, but not because of his current performance. He's a player with great potential, but given his ceiling on what he can reach, it was a brutal departure.
Ranked as a top 50 overall prospect coming out of high school, Johnson was one of the highest ranked freshmen to arrive on campus in LSU history.
After being selected late in the 2023 MLB Draft, Johnson opted to eschew the then-current professional path and join Jay Johnson and the Tigers in Baton Rouge.
Johnson struggled with control issues to start the season and struggled to find his rhythm in his first year with the team, walking 16 batters, allowing four wild pitches and giving up 12 earned runs on just five hits in just nine innings of play.
He appeared in just six Southeastern Conference games in his lone season on the reigning national champion team.
Currently, LSU has had three relief pitchers enter the NCAA transfer portal since the season ended last week.
Aiden Moffett: Right-handed pitcher
LSU right-handed pitcher Aiden Moffett has entered the NCAA transfer portal following his two seasons in Baton Rouge, he announced on social media on Wednesday.
Moffett posted on Twitter that he was leaving the program, closing the post with the words, “LSU Forever.”
The highly-anticipated sophomore saw a significant improvement in his second year with the LSU program. Moffett only played one game during his freshman season in 2023 before taking the next step in 2024.
Moffett was given more time by LSU's relief corps in his sophomore season, going 0-1 with a 5.60 ERA in 16 appearances with 21 strikeouts and 12 walks in 17 2/3 innings.
It's rare for a second-year pitcher to reach 98 mph, but Moffett has done so routinely, and his power fastball has played a pivotal role in his success with the Tigers.
Moffett qualified for a postseason berth and then played in the Chapel Hill Regional for the Tigers.
At 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, he will be a highly sought-after transfer with two years of eligibility at his next destination.
Micah Bucknum: Right-handed pitcher
LSU right-handed pitcher Micah Bucknum has announced his intention to enter the NCAA transfer portal after just two seasons with the Tigers.
The decision came just one day after LSU lost to the North Carolina Tar Heels in the regional final and was eliminated from the Chapel Hill Regional.
Bucknum made eight appearances out of the bullpen in 2024, posting a 7.00 ERA with 10 strikeouts and three walks in nine innings. This year, his second year in Baton Rouge, he allowed seven earned runs on 12 hits.
The sophomore pitcher announced his decision on social media last Tuesday.
“For the last two-plus years, I've called LSU home,” he said. “Thank you to my teammates, coaches and fans for welcoming me and allowing me to be a part of something special. I got to experience something I only ever dreamed of, which is winning a national championship.”
“With that being said, after much consideration, I have decided to enter the transfer portal. I look forward to competing and continuing to play the sport I love.”
During his true freshman season in 2023, Bucknum appeared in eight games as a relief pitcher for Louisiana State University's national championship team, which included Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews.
He entered the transfer portal looking for a new team after spending the past two seasons under Jay Johnson and the Tigers.
Zev Ruddell: Outfield
A top-five player in the state of Louisiana less than two years ago, LaDell announced his departure after a brief stint in Baton Rouge. The redshirt freshman saw limited opportunities at-bats and will now be searching for a team where he can make an immediate impact.
Other departures:
– Derrick Mitchell: Freshman outfielder
– Nick Bronzini: Left-handed pitcher (redshirt freshman)
– Austin Roerig: Shortstop (Freshman)
More LSU news:
Recruiting roundup: Latest from LSU official visit weekend
LSU Football: The nation's No. 1 quarterback visits LSU
LSU baseball: Two notable transfer pitchers reveal their commitment to LSU
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