Tigers get late bloomer in 2025 dual threat Jonah Aase

Now less than a month from the first National Signing Day in November, picking up commitments this late for the 2025 class are not commonplace. 

The LSU baseball team hopes it found a late sleeper in the 2025 class in Washington native Jonah Aase. The 6-1, 193-pound dual threat (left-handed pitcher/outfielder/first base) from Ferndale was originally a commitment to his home-state Huskies before decommitting. He chose the Tigers over offers from TCU, Oregon and Washington. 

“After making the trip to Baton Rouge (official visit was the weekend of the LSU-South Alabama football game), it (LSU) just felt different then all the other schools. This was my final official visit and I knew as soon as the visit was over that this was the place for me. The mentality and fanbase of LSU is amazing. They aren’t going to only make me a better player, but they are going to make me a better person. What LSU does in everything aligns with everything that I want to do. No other place that I would ever be. This past trip to Baton Rouge was my first-ever. It felt great. The warm weather felt a lot better than this cold Washington weather on my arm right now.

“The coaching staff at LSU sold me on the fact that they believe that they can help me grow in every way. Learn how to not just be a better player, but a better person. I can’t wait to learn how to play the game at its highest level like I have ever known before.”

(self-scouting report) “I’ve never been the fastest guy but I have always been quick.

Everyone has always complimented my bat control; I don’t strike out that much. I’ve gained about 50 pounds since my freshman year and with that has come a lot of pop in the bat. I’m a very versatile player that continues to work on his speed, which is increasing. 

“On the mound I’ve always been a heavy fastball, change-up guy. My fastball has always been really spinny and has a lot of ride on it. I really love throwing that. The change-up I can get over at any time. I’ve also learned a new pitch and I call it my slutter; a half slider/half cutter. I have a curveball that is sort of my get-me-over pitch.”

The world of college athletics is a lot smaller now and with the explosion of coverage of college baseball around the country, Aase has been able to become an LSU admirer from afar. 

“They are a powerhouse,” he said of the Tigers. “It’s one of those schools you dream about going to as a college baseball player. My freshman year I never thought anything like this was going to happen. I was only throwing 71 my freshman year of high school. I just worked insanely hard, got in the weight room every day, threw every day, and now you look up and I’m throwing 94. I’ve worked hard for this and I’m not going to stop working now because this is a dream of mine. It’s such an awesome feeling to realize how far you can go towards a goal when you work that hard at it.”

Making the rare trip east of the Mississippi River, Aase broke down some of the fun things he got to do during his first trip to Baton Rouge. 

“First thing I got to do the first day after breakfast was watch some of the current players’ batting practice,” he said. “The thing that immediately hits you is that this is a completely different level of baseball. Nobody mashes baseballs like these guys do. 

“Then you go to the football stadium and see 100,000 people screaming their heads off. The most people that have ever seen me play is like 4,000 and that was for a state championship. LSU averages like 10,000 people a game. No other place for me to be.”

Aase was adamant that his goal is to both hit and pitch at LSU. 

“Nobody has really seen me as a hitter until about six months ago,” he joked. “All the scouts have only seen me pitch. My dad just continued to push me to improve my hitting ability. I’ve been showing I can do both at the highest level possible.”