On this special episode of Highway to Hoover, Mark Etheridge is joined by LSU head coach Jay Johnson to discuss the Tigers' run to the 2025 national championship, the 2026 team and much more.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:29 Jay Johnson's Journey to LSU

02:13 Reflecting on Last Season's Offense

04:46 Pitching Development and Key Players

10:06 Challenges and Changes in College Baseball

17:34 Upcoming Season and Player Insights

28:49 Scheduling and Future Plans

30:07 Final Thoughts and Farewell

Highway To Hoover is brought to you by Academy Sports + Outdoors—your go-to destination for everything you need this baseball season. Whether you’re gearing up for game day or sharpening your skills in the offseason, Academy has the bats, gloves, cleats, protective gear, training equipment, and apparel to help you bring it home for less. With everyday low prices and a huge selection of top brands like Easton, Rawlings, and Wilson, Academy makes it easy to step up to the plate with confidence. Shop in-store or online at Academy.com and get ready to play ball!

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On this episode of Highway to Hoover, Joe Healy is joined by David Seifert, Director of College Scouting for D1Baseball and PrepBaseball.com, to discuss SEC prospects in the Cape Cod League for Bourne, Wareham, Cotuit and Falmouth. That group includes Arkansas slugger Kuhio Aloy, Auburn incoming transfer infielder Ryne Farber and CCBL MVP and incoming Arkansas transfer Maika Niu, among others.

00:00 Welcome and Introduction

00:37 Sponsorship Message

01:11 Cape Cod Baseball League Experience

03:36 Bourne Braves Championship and Key Players

06:43 Vanderbilt Prospects Spotlight

13:18 Wareham Gatemen Highlights

15:30 Tennessee's Levi Clark: A Special Talent

15:55 Hayden Yost: Florida's Outfield Gem

17:05 Ryne Farber: Auburn's Solid Acquisition

18:39 Camden Johnson: Oklahoma's New Third Baseman

20:31 Maika Niu: Arkansas' Rising Star

23:51 Deven Sheerin: LSU's Bullpen Hopeful

25:47 Bear Harrison: Texas A&M's Powerhouse Catcher

27:18 Justin Osterhouse: Alabama's Versatile Infielder

29:34 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Highway To Hoover is brought to you by Academy Sports + Outdoors—your go-to destination for everything you need this baseball season. Whether you’re gearing up for game day or sharpening your skills in the offseason, Academy has the bats, gloves, cleats, protective gear, training equipment, and apparel to help you bring it home for less. With everyday low prices and a huge selection of top brands like Easton, Rawlings, and Wilson, Academy makes it easy to step up to the plate with confidence. Shop in-store or online at Academy.com and get ready to play ball!

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On this episode of Highway to Hoover, Joe Healy is joined by Aaron Fitt to discuss SEC prospects who played on the Cape for Chatham, Yarmouth-Dennis and Orleans this summer. That group includes standout catchers like Georgia's Daniel Jackson and Auburn's Chase Fralick, CCBL pitcher of the year Tyler Pitzer and Jacksonville-to-Florida outfielder Jaden Bastian.

00:00 Introduction and Host Banter

00:25 Cape Cod League Prospects Overview

01:09 Summer Baseball Coverage Highlights

02:04 Focus on Chatham Team and Key Players

03:25 Daniel Jackson's Summer Performance

06:51 Henry Ford's Transition to Tennessee

12:59 Ethan Mendoza's Impact at Texas

14:56 Chase Fralick's Development at Auburn

18:52 Ashton Larson's Move to Texas

21:44 Mississippi State Pitchers to Watch

27:40 Cam Johnson's Potential at Oklahoma

32:51 Gavyn Jones' Summer Progress

34:22 Nate Taylor's Transfer to Vanderbilt

37:55 Chris Hacopian: Maryland Transfer to Texas A&M

41:58 Jack Arcamone: Richmond Catcher to Georgia

43:18 Tyler Pitzer: South Carolina to Mississippi State

45:53 Incoming Transfers on Orleans

48:13 Bonus Players and Observations

58:44 Cape Cod League 50/50 Raffles and Fun Anecdotes

01:03:22 Conclusion and Farewell

Highway To Hoover is brought to you by Academy Sports + Outdoors—your go-to destination for everything you need this baseball season. Whether you’re gearing up for game day or sharpening your skills in the offseason, Academy has the bats, gloves, cleats, protective gear, training equipment, and apparel to help you bring it home for less. With everyday low prices and a huge selection of top brands like Easton, Rawlings, and Wilson, Academy makes it easy to step up to the plate with confidence. Shop in-store or online at Academy.com and get ready to play ball!

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On this episode of Highway to Hoover, Joe Healy and Mark Etheridge discuss post-MLB Draft signing deadline storylines throughout the SEC. We discuss which teams had pleasant surprises, which teams had things work against and which teams weren't sweating the deadline at all.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome Back

05:07 MLB Draft Deadline Overview

05:41 Arkansas Draft Recap

14:09 Alabama Draft Recap

18:10 LSU Draft Recap

23:27 Mississippi State Draft Recap

26:53 Ole Miss Draft Recap

31:55 Texas Draft Recap

35:47 Texas A&M Draft Recap

38:23 Reflecting on Texas A&M's Rollercoaster Season

40:47 South Carolina's Transfer Portal Success

43:15 Tennessee's Roster Changes and Key Players

46:30 Missouri's Missed Opportunities

51:25 Florida's Key Retentions and Additions

54:19 Oklahoma's Mixed Draft Outcomes

01:00:10 Vanderbilt's Draft and Transfer Insights

01:03:21 Auburn's Draft and Transfer Highlights

01:05:35 Kentucky's Strategic Retentions

01:09:01 Georgia's Roster Overhaul

01:13:04 Concluding Thoughts and Future Outlook

Highway To Hoover is brought to you by Academy Sports + Outdoors—your go-to destination for everything you need this baseball season. Whether you’re gearing up for game day or sharpening your skills in the offseason, Academy has the bats, gloves, cleats, protective gear, training equipment, and apparel to help you bring it home for less. With everyday low prices and a huge selection of top brands like Easton, Rawlings, and Wilson, Academy makes it easy to step up to the plate with confidence. Shop in-store or online at Academy.com and get ready to play ball!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this episode of Highway to Hoover, Joe Healy is joined by Shooter Hunt of Prep Baseball to discuss the SEC commits who took part in USA Baseball's 18U national team trials. They talk about the nine Texas players who took part, who the standouts were in the trials, under-the-radar players to watch and much more.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction

01:51 Overview of the 2026 Prep Class

03:38 Texas Longhorns Recruiting Highlights

08:58 LSU and Tennessee Recruiting Standouts

15:32 Analyzing Landon Thome

16:25 Gary Morse and Tyler Putnam: Rising Stars

17:45 Spotlight on Kevin Roberts

19:23 Aiden Ruiz: Everyone's Favorite Player

21:21 Jorvorskie Lane: Raw Athleticism

23:33 Underrated Talents: Shawn Sullivan and Trey Ebel

26:21 Vanderbilt's Interesting Class

28:28 TCU's Promising Future

30:57 Concluding Thoughts and Future Prospects

Highway To Hoover is brought to you by Academy Sports + Outdoors—your go-to destination for everything you need this baseball season. Whether you’re gearing up for game day or sharpening your skills in the offseason, Academy has the bats, gloves, cleats, protective gear, training equipment, and apparel to help you bring it home for less. With everyday low prices and a huge selection of top brands like Easton, Rawlings, and Wilson, Academy makes it easy to step up to the plate with confidence. Shop in-store or online at Academy.com and get ready to play ball!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this episode of Highway to Hoover, Joe Healy is joined by David Seifert, director of college scouting for D1Baseball and Prep Baseball, to discuss their impressions of the SEC players who took part in Collegiate National Team camp earlier this month.

00:00 Welcome David Seifert!

01:05 Collegiate National Team Overview

03:21 Right-Handed Pitchers Analysis

10:36 Left-Handed Pitchers Analysis

13:59 Catcher Evaluations

16:42 A Promising Power Hitter

18:05 Infield Prospects

23:40 Spotlight on Ace Reese

26:44 Other Notable SEC Players

32:49 Wrapping Up: Final Thoughts and Farewell

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this episode of Highway to Hoover, Joe Healy and Mark Etheridge recap the 2025 MLB Draft from an SEC perspective by discussing which teams are bringing freshman superstars to campus, which teams got hit hard and other storylines from the week's event.

00:00 Welcome and Introduction

03:37 Big Picture Takeaways from the Draft

05:14 Impact of NIL and Scholarships on Draft Decisions

11:19 Conference Draft Recap

14:43 Tennessee's Draft Impact

21:36 Mississippi State's Draft Impact

26:17 LSU's Recruitment Challenges and Successes

31:10 Kentucky's Steady Progress

33:26 Alabama's Draft Outcomes

34:37 Auburn's Draft Surprises

36:50 Missouri's Recruitment Hopes

39:57 Texas and the Impact of Returning Players

43:22 Concluding Thoughts and Future Plans

Highway To Hoover is brought to you by Academy Sports + Outdoors—your go-to destination for everything you need this baseball season. Whether you’re gearing up for game day or sharpening your skills in the offseason, Academy has the bats, gloves, cleats, protective gear, training equipment, and apparel to help you bring it home for less. With everyday low prices and a huge selection of top brands like Easton, Rawlings, and Wilson, Academy makes it easy to step up to the plate with confidence. Shop in-store or online at Academy.com and get ready to play ball!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this episode of Highway to Hoover, Joe Healy and Mark Etheridge discuss overlooked storylines in the SEC. They go team-by-team and talk about one storyline for each team that didn't get enough of their attention over the course of the season.

00:00 Introduction and Overlooked Storylines Overview

02:49 Listener Engagement and Umpire Insider

05:02 Overlooked Storylines: Texas and Vanderbilt

09:41 Overlooked Storylines: Texas A&M and Georgia

15:54 Overlooked Storylines: Arkansas and Tennessee

22:26 Overlooked Storylines: Ole Miss and Florida

26:09 Bobby Boser's Versatility and Impact

28:11 Auburn's Freshman Surge and Sam Dutton's Redemption

31:41 Oklahoma's Bullpen Strength

34:32 Alabama's Midweek Dominance

38:25 Kentucky's Consistent Success

44:48 Mississippi State's Two-Way Star

48:39 South Carolina's Bright Spot

55:14 Missouri's Struggles and Jackson Lovich's Standout Season

01:00:46 Conclusion and Future Plans

Highway To Hoover is brought to you by Academy Sports + Outdoors—your go-to destination for everything you need this baseball season. Whether you’re gearing up for game day or sharpening your skills in the offseason, Academy has the bats, gloves, cleats, protective gear, training equipment, and apparel to help you bring it home for less. With everyday low prices and a huge selection of top brands like Easton, Rawlings, and Wilson, Academy makes it easy to step up to the plate with confidence. Shop in-store or online at Academy.com and get ready to play ball!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this episode of Highway to Hoover, Joe Healy and Mark Etheridge put a bow on the 2025 College World Series and LSU's eighth national championship. They put LSU's success into a historical context, discuss the idea that this is a new golden age for the Tigers and talk about what made this particular team special.

00:00 Introduction and Season Recap

00:34 LSU's Championship Journey

02:18 Key Players and Performances

08:44 Coaching Strategies and Decisions

13:27 Umpiring Controversies

21:07 Heckling and Umpire Reactions

22:16 The Role of Technology in Umpiring

23:12 Comparing Baseball to Other Sports

25:25 LSU's Baseball Legacy

32:53 Challenges of Recruiting During Championships

38:17 Jay Johnson's Coaching Impact

44:42 Conclusion and Future Outlook

Highway To Hoover is brought to you by Academy Sports + Outdoors—your go-to destination for everything you need this baseball season. Whether you’re gearing up for game day or sharpening your skills in the offseason, Academy has the bats, gloves, cleats, protective gear, training equipment, and apparel to help you bring it home for less. With everyday low prices and a huge selection of top brands like Easton, Rawlings, and Wilson, Academy makes it easy to step up to the plate with confidence. Shop in-store or online at Academy.com and get ready to play ball!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this episode of Highway to Hoover, Joe Healy and Mark Etheridge recap LSU's run to the CWS finals, including two victories over Arkansas, and look ahead to the Tigers' matchup for the national title against Coastal Carolina.

00:00 Introduction and Sponsor Message

00:09 Recap of the LSU vs. Arkansas Game

05:56 Breakdown of Critical Plays

14:55 Arkansas' Struggles and Reflections

19:59 LSU's Path and Performance

21:58 LSU's Impressive Season Recap

22:33 Pitching Strategies and Key Players

26:02 Coastal's Consistency and Strengths

28:48 Championship Matchup Analysis

36:50 Final Thoughts and Predictions

40:38 Series Schedule and Conclusion

Highway To Hoover is brought to you by Academy Sports + Outdoors—your go-to destination for everything you need this baseball season. Whether you’re gearing up for game day or sharpening your skills in the offseason, Academy has the bats, gloves, cleats, protective gear, training equipment, and apparel to help you bring it home for less. With everyday low prices and a huge selection of top brands like Easton, Rawlings, and Wilson, Academy makes it easy to step up to the plate with confidence. Shop in-store or online at Academy.com and get ready to play ball!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.