Another Oregon baseball player is headed to the SEC, and this one comes with serious production attached.
Freshman right fielder Angel Laya announced Friday on Instagram that he is committed to LSU. In his post, Laya wrote, “Thankful for this opportunity. Geaux Tigers.”
Laya is now the third former Duck to land with an SEC baseball program this offseason. Freshman designated hitter Naulivou Lauaki Jr. committed to Georgia, while sophomore catcher Burke Lee Mabeus is headed to Mississippi State for the 2027 season.
For Oregon, Laya’s lone season was a big one. He hit .296 with 14 home runs and 47 RBIs, and he finished with a .538 slugging percentage. He also played a major role in helping the Ducks reach their third Super Regional in four seasons.
That production earned him Freshman All-American honors from Perfect Game last season, and he’s now being viewed as one of the top names in the transfer portal. For LSU, that makes him a major pickup for coach Jay Johnson as the Tigers try to regain their footing.
LSU is coming off a strange follow-up to a championship run. After winning its eighth national title and second in three seasons in 2025, the Tigers stumbled to a 30-28 record and missed the NCAA Tournament.
Oregon, meanwhile, just finished one of its strongest seasons under Mark Wasikowski. The Ducks went 43-18 overall and 20-10 in Big Ten play, then came within two games of the College World Series before Texas swept them in the Austin Super Regional.
The offseason hasn’t just been about roster losses for Oregon. Hitting coach and recruiting coordinator Jack Marder also left for Texas, where he’ll take the same role after spending the last seven seasons with the Ducks.
The bigger picture is hard to miss. Oregon’s departures, along with Marder’s move, are another sign of how much college baseball power has tilted toward the SEC. With Oklahoma’s recent CWS title win over North Carolina, the SEC has now won the last seven national championships.
That kind of dominance keeps pulling in elite talent, whether it’s transfers, high school recruits or coaches. And for programs like Oregon, it raises the same looming question heading into 2027: can the Ducks stay among the Big Ten’s best and still make a run at Omaha?
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The Ducks are building around high-end playmakers on both sides of the ball, and the latest haul fits the profile of the class they have been assembling. One of the newest pledges has already put together a strong high school rsum and the other has earned national recognition on the camp and all-star circuit, leaving Oregon with even more buzz as it heads into upcoming events and continues chasing top-tier targets. [Read more 🡒]