B2 AMERICAN PRESS SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2020

LSU BASEBALL

Best of the six packScooter

HobbsExecutive

Sports Editor

1 2 3 4 5 6 2009 2000 1991 1997 1996 1993Record 56-17 52-17 55-18 57-13 52-15 53-17-1Win Pct. .767 .754 .753 .814 .776 .754 Won SEC Y Y Y Y Y Y Won SEC Tournament Y Y N N N Y NCAA Record (CWS) 10-1 (5-1) 9-0 (4-0) 8-0 (4-0) 9-1 (4-0) 8-0 (4-0) 8-2 (4-1) Championship LSU 11, Texas 4 LSU 6 LSU 6 LSU 13 LSU 9 LSU 8Final (Won series 2-1) Stanford 5 Wichita State 3 Alabama 6 Miami 8 Wichita State 0 Batting Avg. .315 .340 .297 .315 .318 .309NCAA Avg. .302 .297 .294 .304 .294 .288 Home Runs 107 96 85 188 131 85NCAA Avg. 70 55 53 67 52 51 ERA 4.01 4.43 3.67 4.62 3.38 3.73NCAA Avg. 5.85 5.56 5.11 5.93 5.46 5.11 Fielding Pct. .974 .964 .959 .966 .963 .956NCAA Avg. .962 .954 .952 .951 .952 .953 Future Major Leaguers 6 7 7 2 3 6 Louis Coleman Brian Tallet Chad Ogea Patrick Coogan Eddie Yarnell Mike Sirotka Anthony Ranaudo Hunter Gomez Paul Byrd Doug Thompson Brett Laxton Brett Laxton Austin Ross Trey Hodges Mike Sirotka Kevin Shipp Kevin Shipp Scott Schutlz

Top Hitters D.J. LeMahieu Brad Cresse Lyle Mouton Brandon Larson Eddy Furniss Todd Walker Blake Dean Brad Hawpe Armando Rios Eddy Furniss Nathan Dunn Russ Johnson Jared Mitchell Mike Fontenot Gary Hymel Mike Koerner Chad Cooley Armando Rios

CWS MVP Mitchell Hodges Hymel Larson Pat Burrell (Miami) Walker

Championship Mitchell had 3-run HR Tied game with 3 in LSU coasted in Danny Higgins led off Bottom of the 9th … two Freshman Brett Laxton in 1st inning and LSU bottom of 8th, then won title game after winning game with homer, LSU out … tying run on third set CWS record with 16 broke game open with in bottom of 9th on first three games by an scored 6 runs in 1st and … Warren Morris steps to strikeouts while throwing 5 runs in the 7th Cresse’s walk-off single average of 10 runs never looked back the plate and …. a 3-hitter in final.

LSU Comment “The right team won. “The adrenalin changed “Whatever peaking is, I “We’re just a dynasty “Warren Morris to hit Nothing about this Paul (Mainieri) did a so from the 8th inning. guess we did it. It wasn’t in college baseball. that home run was extra team indicated we’d win marvelous job. He had When we got the first out easy. We had a lot of ups I found that out special. It couldn’t have a national championship. strongest team but in the 9th it was like they and downs. But we in just one year come from anyone You’ve got to have great that doesn’t always win were ready to dog pile. came together when it here. It’s two words better. He’s the kind defense and a great closer. it. And he beat a really After the third out, we came mattered most. National plain simple: Skip Bertman.” of guy you’d want We had neither. But these good team — twice.” running in like we’d won.” Champion has a nice ring.” — LSU shortstop your daughter to marry.” guys had great heart.” — Ex-coach Skip Bertman — Bertman — Skip Bertman Brandon Larson — Bertman — Bertman

“They were the best “We didn’t give it to them. “We looked a little flat. “I guess they’ve “Robbie Morrison is a “It’s been a long time team we played this They took it. Sometimes But I think it was more got bragging great pitcher, he just since anyone beat us with year by far. They you give a game away, what (Chad) Ogea was rights now. LSU got tagged on that one. just one pitch. We were deserved to win. Once but they beat us. They doing than what we does seem to The guy you want in there looking fast ball the they smelled blood in earned it.” weren’t doing. He win the games when the game is on whole game and it the water, they did — Stanford coach pitched a fine game.” they need to win.” the line. There’s nothing didn’t matter even though what they should.” Mike Marquess — Wichita State coach — Alabama catcher tougher than losing in we got a truck load — Texas coach Gene Stephenson Matt Frick the bottom of the ninth.” of them to swing at.” Augie Garrido — Miami coach Jim Morris — Stephenson

Yeah, but … Not much to Was swept in its two games Swept at Kentucky in Lost to Bama 28-2 in Was 22-0 with Morris Won national title nitpick. Did lose a games vs. McNeese, March while giving next to last game of in lineup, but only while setting school home series to Illinois, losing 9-8 at home up 35 runs in the regular season (but 30-15 while he record for errors which was 4th in Big Ten and 4-3 in Lake Charles three-game series won SEC title next day) out with wrist injury in a season with 125

Fun Fact Les Miles was in stands Home plate ump was The weekend Still the only team Bertman’s jersey had long The drama came the day cheering on Mitchell and Scott Graham — as he starting rotation went in NCAA history to been retired at Miami before when LSU rallied Jones, who were also was for Warren Morris’ on to combine for hit a home run in where he played and in bottom of 9th for a on his ‘07 BCS title team walk off HR in 1996 461 major league starts every game of a season. coached before LSU job 9-8 win over Long Beach St.

“A Tiger player broke from the “Maybe they were afraid “Bertman had to know that fate “It just can’t be as easy as “Morris is also a teetotaler, “It wasn’t supposed to be mosh pit and emphatically if they celebrated too much, was finally with him. Check LSU keeps making it look which is just as well. Else this easy. Not for this team. planted an oversized LSU Stanford would order an the odds on this: a key home Back to back national titles one day he’d be telling his Bertman sat back and flag into the turf near the investigation into how LSU run from a 160-pound, wise- aren’t unheard of. But this grandkids about how the ‘91 team, long on mound at Rosenblatt. was raising a National cracking speedster and was no ordinary repeat. he never once, his entire talent and blasé on emotion. It wasn’t quite Iwo Jima, but Championship trophy that two defensive gems from LSU and Bertman did life, had ever had to This one needed constant love the symbolism was clear. was already engraved an outfielder who often it with two almost pay for a beer in the and care, gentle prodding LSU owns Omaha again.” with S-T-A-N-F…” makes his job an adventure.” totally different teams.” state of Louisiana.” here and there.”

What my columnsaid the next day

OpposingViewpoint

Usual WeekendPitching Rotation

Ogea of Lake Charles, Paul Byrd and Mike Sirotka — along with an All-American closer in Rick Greene.

At the time, its 85 home runs was considered astound-ing. Lyle Mouton hit the longest bomb I ever saw at old Rosenblatt Stadium. Assuming it ever came down, it may have landed in Canada somewhere.

The only knock was that 2001 was only average defen-sively in an age when Gorilla Ball hadn’t really taken over the game yet.

4 — 1997: Hello, Gorilla Ball. These guys were the poster team and their never-to-be-broken-NCAA-record 188 home runs was probably the final straw in getting the nuclear bats toned down two years later.

But swinging for the fences was fun while it lasted.

They didn’t worry much about defense, but that’s not what they were recruited to LSU for, and they rarely disap-pointed.

Brandon Larson hit 40 ding-ers and somebody hit at least one in every game of the sea-son, another record not likely ever to be sniffed at.

The championship game assault on Alabama, 13-6, was kind of the opposite of what happened when the Tigers met the Tide for the football title

many years later — LSU domi-nation from start to finish.

So there’s that for the anti-Bama crowd.

But oddly, this team only sent two players to the majors, Larson and Kurt Ainsworth.

5 — 1996: Remember, this ranking is the best teams in LSU history, not the greatest championship game or the most memorable moment in NCAA college baseball history.

The Warren Morris home run is all most remember.

But that would have been a great game even if Morris had struck out, two really good teams punching and counter-punching all afternoon.

Miami of 1996 was probably the best team LSU had to face in the championship, too.

6 — 1993: No offense and not fair, but some team had to be No. 6.

And there were six future major leaguers on the team.

It just seemed 1993 was more resourceful than domi-

nant, like when it had to score three runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat Long Beach State the day before the easy national championship game victory over Wichita State.

There were two other comeback wins en route to Brett Laxton pitching maybe the single best game in LSU history in the championship game.

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Scooter Hobbs covers LSUathletics. Email him atshobbs@americanpress.com

Continued from B1HOBBS

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