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In an effort to gauge how college baseball’s most informed minds see this year’s College World Series matchup between LSU and Coastal Carolina unfolding, Baseball America conducted an anonymous poll of active Division I head and assistant coaches.
The results were nearly split—though one side edged the other.
Of the 35 coaches who participated, 19 picked LSU to win it all, while 16 backed Coastal Carolina.
Several of the respondents faced one of the teams this season, including a handful of their conference peers. That firsthand insight—alongside respect for each program’s construction—made this one of the most evenly split polls we’ve conducted this year.
LSU, which will look to extend the SEC’s national championship streak to six years, enters the weekend with star power and momentum. The Tigers are led on the mound by potential No. 1 overall pick Kade Anderson, who has carved through the postseason with a high-spin arsenal. Behind him, fellow likely first-rounder Anthony Eyanson gives LSU a formidable one-two punch. Offensively, the Tigers are relentless. Jared Jones leads a lineup full of thump, plate discipline and postseason experience.
“LSU because of star power, real mound talent and just because of Jay,” one head coach said after picking the Tigers to take home the trophy. “If Coastal can pull it off, I would love it. I’m pulling for Coastal but, if I was a betting man, I just think that crowd, the atmosphere the history, the talent, the arm talent, the bullpen talent. That’s no disrespect in any way to Coastal but I think they may get mugged by history and the stage. LSU has done it before and Jay (Johnson) is the best of us.”
Still, Coastal Carolina is not some feel-good outlier.
The Chanticleers have looked every bit the part of a champion. They feature what many coaches believe is the most complete rotation in the country, headlined by Sun Belt pitcher of the year Jacob Morrison, with Cameron Flukey and Riley Eikhoff rounding out a balanced trio. The lineup lacks overwhelming power but more than makes up for it with patient, gap-driven at-bats. Coastal is averaging eight runs per game in the College World Series—three more than last year’s per-team average—thanks to that contact-heavy, grinding approach.
“They play the game so fundamentally,” one head coach said. “They have one of the deepest pitching staffs with high end stuff, they will not beat themselves and there’s something to be said for sheer momentum, which they have. LSU is great but I think this is the year a mid-major gets it done. Coastal plays outstanding ball.”
Game 1 of the best-of-three national championship series is set for Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.
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