It’s LSU vs. Coastal Carolina for the College World Series title with first pitch of the best-of-three championship series beginning Saturday evening at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Neither team has lost at the CWS, highlighted by LSU’s thrilling walk-off win over Arkansas that featured three runs in the bottom of the ninth.
Coastal is gunning for its second national championship in program history after taking the title in 2016 during its only other trip. LSU won its seventh national championship in 2023 and is one of college baseball’s most successful programs.
Five factors will determine who dog piles in the infield and flies home with the hardware next week with bragging rights on the line for the SEC and Sun Belt Conference.
Coastal’s record-setting win streak
LSU is the betting favorite in the finals, according to FanDuel Sportsbook (-166), but will have to beat the Chants twice to bring home the program’s eighth national championship. Coastal hasn’t lost consecutive games since falling to Troy on the road in late March and has since won 26 straight games. The previous high for a team entering the finals at the CWS was 13 in 2009 from LSU.
“The Chanticleers are one of two teams in the entire country still playing. It’s incredible, but it’s not unbelievable,” Coastal coach Kevin Schnall said after reaching the final series. “And it’s not unbelievable because we’ve got really good players, really good players.”
LSU backed by co-aces in rotation
The Tigers have two arms at the top of their pitching group who have combined for nearly 212 innings this season — Anthony Eyanson and Kade Anderson — with pencil-thin ERAs and the ability to shut down the mightiest lineups with an array of pitches. Eyanson has only thrown 44 pitches in Omaha, all of those coming during a win over UCLA that was delayed after three innings due to weather. He’s been in the bullpen warming up at times, but LSU hasn’t needed to use him. Jay Johnson has the luxury of his two best arms being fresh at the top of the rotation.
Colby Thorndyke’s power stroke
The Fairmont, North Carolina, native is coming off a five-RBI performance during Coastal’s win over Louisville, and he ripped a clutch extra-base hit for the second time this tournament with the bases loaded early in the contest with a shot to right center. The hot streak at the plate started in May when Thorndyke belted a grand slam against East Carolina during regional play, one of his three round-trippers prior to Supers. Thorndyke said after the Louisville win that pressure with the sacks full actually falls on the pitcher in those intense situations. The hitter’s job is to get a pitch to hit, barrel it up and live with the results. And for the MVP candidate in Omaha for the Chants, the results have been spectacular.
Extra cuts pay off for Jared Jones
After going hitless with five strikeouts during LSU’s opener at the CWS, first baseman Jared Jones has found his stroke with consecutive stellar games at the plate. Jones homered and drove in four runs against UCLA before hitting a two-out rope to left field that was misplayed and tied the game with the Razorbacks in the bottom of the ninth. The junior slugger shook off first-game jitters with extra reps in the cage prior to the Tigers’ second bout and has been locked in since.
Jacob Morrison leaving lasting legacy
A 19-strikeout no-hitter is going to lead every CWS story and should following Gage Wood’s heroics for Arkansas, but Morrison has similar stuff for the Chants. Coastal’s ace is 3-0 during the postseason, including a 7.2-inning gem against Oregon State in Omaha that improved his record to 12-0 this season with a 2.08 ERA and 0.91 WHIP. The 6-foot-8, 245-pound redshirt sophomore is two years removed from Tommy John surgery and is coming off a career-high 109-pitch outing. Morrison retired 16 straight Oregon State hitters at one point and showed raw emotion on the mound. He exemplifies this Coastal team as the underdog of sorts.
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