Coming out of St. Thomas Aquinas High School two years ago, Ashton Larson was the No. 1 ranked baseball prospect in the state of Kansas. Now he’s part of a college team that staked its claim to No. 1 as the College World Series champion.
“This is awesome,” said Larson, an outfielder for LSU, in comments to the Post before the start of the best-of-three series against Coastal Carolina University. “This is really cool to be a part of, and this is absolutely one of those things that I envisioned for what I wanted to accomplish.”
The LSU Tigers captured their eighth national championship with a 5-3 win over Coastal Carolina University on Sunday afternoon at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb., at the 75th College World Series.
Retired Saints coach Lorne Parks watched the semifinal game last week between LSU and Arkansas knowing that one of his former players would be guaranteed to play for a national title. Larson’s former Saints teammate, Kendall Diggs, was a senior outfielder this year for the Razorbacks.
“I was like, ‘Which one is it going to be?’” Parks said.
Larson batted .392 as a Saints senior when ranked the best baseball prospect in the state by Perfect Game. The Minnesota Twins chose him in the 20th round of the 2023 MLB Draft. But instead of turning professional, Larson opted for LSU and, last year as a freshman with the Tigers, was named to the SEC’s All Freshman team as a .298 hitter.
“The young man has worked for that,” said Parks.
This season, Larson has started only five of 34 games compared to 40 starts in 53 games last year. Between seasons, the Tigers had two key outfield additions: Chris Stanfield, a transfer from Auburn University, and Derek Curiel, ranked No. 1 by Perfect Game as the nation’s top freshman for 2025.
“The competition is what makes everyone really good here,” Larson said. “The coaching and development has been phenomenal here.”
But Larson did not see any action in the College World Series.
“It’s definitely been an interesting year,” said Larson.
Before the best-of-three title series, Tigers coach Jay Johnson talked in glowing terms about the depth of his outfield this season.
“We’ve been very fortunate with our outfield situation,” he said. “To have four, and even I would throw Ashton Larson into that, too, five guys that you can run out there. Not many programs have that.”
From knowing Larson during his Saints days, Parks believes he’ll eventually work his way back toward regular play again.
“He’ll figure it out. He’s a smart kid,” said Parks, wary of the talent that the Tigers haul in every year. “You’ve got to be, so to speak, a stud to hold a position down.”
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