Louisiana State University has one of the most storied college baseball programs in the country. The LSU Tigers have claimed six College World Series titles since 1991 and consistently qualify for the NCAA Tournament year after year. With such a rich tradition of success on the diamond, it’s no surprise that collectible LSU baseball trading cards have become popular souvenirs and collectibles for diehard Tiger fans worldwide.
Some of the earliest LSU baseball trading cards began appearing in the late 1980s and early 1990s as the program started experiencing a resurgence under legendary coach Skip Bertman. Companies like ProCards and Donruss were among the first to produce sets that featured individual cards of Tigers players, coaches, and teams from that era. Naturally, stars from LSU’s 1991 and 1993 College World Series championship squads like Ben McDonald, Todd Walker, and Eddie Furniss were some of the most sought-after cards from those early releases.
In the late 90s and early 2000s, when LSU continued their dominance by winning national titles in 1996, 1997, 2000 and 2009, more extensive trading card sets started being produced each year. Products from Fleer, Upper Deck, and Sportflix captured the Tigers success on the field by highlighting the top individual performers as well as championship-level shots of the whole team celebrating. Superstar LSU players who appeared on cards in high numbers during this golden era included Warren Morris, Brad Cresse, Jered Weaver, and Louis Coleman.
As college baseball trading cards increased in popularity throughout the 2000s decade, collections centered around LSU began to rise to a new level as well. In particular, 2007 Donruss Elite Extra Edition featured the “Fabulous Freshmen” of 2008 by debuting cards of future All-Americans like Louis Coleman and Blake Dean as rising stars. Then in 2009-10, exclusive sets like Rittenhouse’s “NCAA Baseball” delivered autograph cards and memorabilia pieces of Baton Rouge legends like Anthony Ranaudo and Mikie Mahtook right as they were capping off their collegiate careers.
Into the modern collector era, when variations like parallels, jersey cards, and 1/1 hits became commonplace, producers continued churning out premium LSU products. Panini produced “Classes” sets on the program from 2011-14 that highlighted individual annual recruiting batches. It was Donruss’ “Momentous Material” insert sets in 2014-15 that first delivered hugely popular game-used memorabilia relic cards of stars Alex Bregman, Jake Slaughter, and Jared Poche that absolutely exploded the secondary market.
Other notable high-end releases of the past decade included The National’s autographs and materials of Aaron Nola, Kramer Robertson, and Zack Hess upon their graduations in 2013, 2015 and 2018 respectively. Additionally, Topps appeared committed to the program through consistent base sets as well as “Traditions” inserts showcasing tradition-heavy photos from LSU’s litany of title clinchers. However, Upper Deck stole headlines with box-loading hits like dual-relic cards of pitcher Caleb Gilbert and first baseman Tre’ Morgan from the 2019 season.
Beyond the big national brands, regional producers also catered to Bayou Bengals collectors. SouthAtlantic proved their dedication by delivering affordable retail sets each year throughout the 2010s. Grey Flannel issued high-quality autographed memorabilia cards of stars like Jared Poche and Alex Bregman in extremely limited production runs too. In terms of chasing serial numbered parallels, Panini’s Contenders and Leaf Metal Draft yielded several coveted prospect cards of Jaime Kuchenbrod and Daniel Cabrera in recent years as well.
As LSU’s pipeline of talent rolled on unabated this past decade, their stars continued receiving heavy cardboard treatment accordingly. Names like Jake Slaughter, Alex Lange, Zach Watson and Cole Freeman all had their collegiate accomplishments memorialized in respectable trading card productions upon their MLB draft selections and signings. Topps, Panini and Leaf Premium each ensured these modern greats received fitting retro-style tribute cards upon completion of their amateur careers in Baton Rouge as well.
Looking ahead, collectors can count on LSU’s baseball success sustaining interest in associated trading cards for years to come. With Coach Jensen’s squad ranked in the top ten again this spring and stocked with future pros like Dylan Crews, Tre’ Morgan and AJ Labas, their elite individual seasons will undoubtedly be captured in 2021 & beyond issues. Not to mention, burgeoning stars on the horizon like incoming slugger Jacob Berry are already generating buzz and will drive interest in their early cardboard as rising prospects. As long as the Tigers keep taking the field as perennial national title contenders, the collectibles industry will maintain strong production supporting one of America’s most historic college baseball powers.
The popularity of LSU baseball and the program’s historic achievements have translated directly to decades of exciting trading card releases catering to collectors of the Fighting Tigers. From regional hobby shops to national retailers, stores remain well-stocked with the latest cardboard capturing this ultra-successful program’s immense talent at both the amateur and professional level. As long as the winning tradition continues in Baton Rouge, passionate fans will surely remain devoted to collecting and commemorating each new generation of stars through the magnetic medium of trading cards.
