EUNICE, La. – Former LSU Eunice standout Tyson LeBlanc heard his name came off the board in the first day of the 2026 MLB Draft, being selected by the Detroit Tigers with the 61st overall pick on Saturday.  An All-American on the Cajun Prairie just one year ago, LeBlanc is the highest draft pick in LSU Eunice history.
 
LeBlanc becomes the 63rd player in LSUE program history to have either been drafted or signed by a Major League Baseball organization, and the sixth straight season a former Bengal has gone pro.  His second-round selection eclipses Stuart Turner's third round selection by the Minnesota Twins in 2013 for the highest selection for an LSUE player.
 
"Tyson is the ultimate example of our DDCS values as he makes everyone else around him better people," LSU Eunice Baseball head coach Jeff Willis said.  "He's a leader in the community, clubhouse, and classroom and I am very excited to see how he takes that mentality to the professional level."
 
The North Vermilion HS product became a household name in college baseball in 2026, leading the Kansas Jayhawks to their first Big XII regular season championship in 77 years (1949).  He started every game at shortstop, finishing tied for eighth nationally with 25 home runs, was ninth in the nation with 180 total bases, tied for 24^th in the county with 69 RBIs and tied for 25th nationally with 87 hits.  He led the team in nine separate offensive categories while breaking the single-season home run record.
 
The awards kept coming for LeBlanc, who was a First-Team All-American.  An All-Big XII First-Team selection, he was also tabbed the NCBWA District 6 Co-Player of the Year, a Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist, and the NCBWA National Hitter of the Month for May.  In the postseason, LeBlanc was named the Most Outstanding Player for both the Big XII Tournament and Lawrence Regional.
 
LeBlanc was a two-year starter at LSU Eunice, helping the Bengals to the 2024 NJCAA National Championship in his freshman season.  He picked up right where he left off in year two, leading LSUE in almost every offensive category while leaving his name etched throughout the LSU Eunice history books.  LeBlanc is the all-time leader in career RBIs and finished in the Top 10 of 12 separate categories.
 
He is the third LSU Eunice Bengal to be drafted by the Tigers organization, and first since Raph Rhymes in the 15th round of the 2013 MLB Draft.