Tigers grab massive JUCO right-hander Hayden Morris

You can’t say Jay Johnson doesn’t like his big boys on the mound. 

That trend continued last weekend as the defending National Champions secured a commitment from one of the biggest Junior College arms in the country. 

Right-handed pitcher Hayden Morris out of Blinn Junior College in Texas committed to the LSU staff during his visit to Baton Rouge last weekend during the LSU-Louisiana Tech football game. 

The 6-8, 275-pound Morris chose LSU over offers from Oklahoma, Florida and Oregon. 

“Last weekend was my first-ever experience in Tiger Stadium and it was awesome,” Morris said. “Goosebumps the entire time.”

Starting 14 games last season for Blinn JC, Morris was a perfect 10-0 on the mound with a 4.17 ERA. In 86.3 innings of work he struck out 106 batters with a WHIP of 1.45.

For Morris, the combination of LSU’s prestige of a program and the closeness to home was the driving force to him verbally committing to play in Baton Rouge. “LSU is only six hours away from my house and my hometown,” he said. “Compared to other schools that aren’t that close. When you combine that with the fact that (LSU) is the best baseball program in the country right now and Nate Yeskie is the best pitching coach in the country with Jay Johnson being the best head coach, it was kind of a no-brainer.”

When it comes to Morris on the mound, the hard-throwing right-hander lives up to the intimidating figure he strikes with his size without question. 

“(self scouting report) An overpowering right-handed pitcher that is able to go seven-plus innings every game. I hate to lose and am the ultimate competitor. I throw six pitches: four-seam fastball topping out at 99 but I have it on camera going 98, two-seam fastball, cutter, slider, 12-6 curveball and a change-up. 

“The four-seam heater is for sure my favorite pitch. I love blowing it by people. My favorite thing is on the first pitch of the game, everyone knows that the fastball is coming. It’s my way to tell the opposing hitters without telling them that I’m better than them. If I am able to blow that fastball by an opposing hitter even when they know it’s coming, it just sets the game off with a different vibe.”

Morris went into a little more detail about how someone his size ends up loving baseball. 

“From a very young age I have learned how to move my body in mass,” he said. “After that, you just kind of let it happen. You work so hard for a bunch of years that it just becomes second nature. I get the question all the time about why I didn’t play football. I really don’t know. I just know I loved throwing a baseball. I love being in control of the game. 

“The play doesn’t start until the ball comes out of my hand. I love being in control and I embrace the pressure of the game being on me. I live for that. I try to pattern my game after Nolan Ryan. My two pitchers I pattern myself after are Nolan Ryan and Bob Gibson. Those were the two most intimidating pitchers of all time. Throw Randy Johnson in there too.”

Where does that intimidating persona for Morris come from? 

His 5-9 mother. 

“My mom has a very bold personality,” he said. “I get that bold personality from her. My entire family is full of the ultimate competitors. My mom got scholarship offers to play collegiate volleyball. She played the front line and she was 5-9. Put that into perspective. She’s a firecracker. 

“She’s loud, she’s vocal, she’s bold and the biggest LSU baseball fan now.”

Of course, the other biggest discussion when it comes to baseball recruits is the Major League Baseball Draft.  With Morris’ side and repertoire of pitches hitting the high 90’s, the assumption by many could be that he never ends up on campus. 

Morris gave a very honest assessment when it comes to that.

“If you want my complete and honest answer I’m not even thinking about that right now,” he said. “It’s so early in the year that my main focus is going out and getting a National Championship with the team that I am on right now. I don’t like to think too far ahead because stuff changes. I need to focus on the first step of the race before I think about the last step. 

“I will say this. I am signable, but they are going to have to buy me out of my commitment (to LSU).