Former LSU Catcher Michael Papierski Earns Degree Through Project Graduation Program

BATON ROUGE, La. – Former LSU catcher Michael Papierski received his college degree this weekend after participating in the Academic Center for Student-Athletes Project Graduation program.

The mission of Project Graduation is to assist former LSU student-athletes with completing graduation requirements by providing counseling and information. The commitment to assist former student-athletes in obtaining a degree is always honored, no matter the length of time since they last attended LSU.

Academic achievement continues to be a cornerstone of the LSU baseball program, as 128 student-athletes have earned degrees over the past 18 years. In addition, LSU baseball players have received SEC Academic Honor Roll recognition on 183 occasions since 2007.

Papierski, who earned his LSU degree in sport administration, played for the Tigers from 2015-17, and he was the ninth-round selection of the Houston Astros in the 2017 MLB Draft. He was traded to the San Francisco Giants in 2022, and he made his Major League debut with the Giants in May of that season.

The Giants traded Papierski to the Cincinnati Reds later in 2022, and he most recently played in 2024 for the Seattle Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate, the Tacoma Rainiers.

Papierski played an integral role in the LSU’s drive to the 2017 College World Series Finals. A product of Lemont, Ill., he played in 147 career games (114 starts) for LSU, batting .246 (84-for-342) with 17 doubles, 15 homers, 69 RBI, 61 runs, 76 walks and a .389 on-base percentage.

He played in 65 games (62 starts) in 2017, batting .256 (45-for-176) with six doubles, 11 homers, 39 RBI, 37 runs, 40 walks and a .401 on-base percentage, and he threw out 23 runners attempting to steal over the course of the season. He helped lead LSU to wins in 25 of its last 30 games, batting .302 (26-for-86) with three doubles, eight homers and 26 RBI.

He batted .281 (9-for-32) in LSU’s 2017 NCAA Tournament games with two doubles, four homers, 13 RBI and 10 runs. He launched three homers and drove in five runs in the 2017 College World Series.

Papierski had the game-winning RBI in both of LSU’s 2017 NCAA Super Regional wins over Mississippi State. He lifted a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning of Game 1 to break a 3-3 tie, and his two-run double in the fifth inning of Game 2 erased a 4-3 MSU lead.

(Release via LSU Athletics)