OMAHA, Neb. — LSU hasn’t experience Omaha in four years, but now its back.
But the Omaha the Tigers remember is no longer. Gone are the confines of Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium, replaced with the massive TD Ameritrade Park.
TD Ameritrade expands all the way to 375 feet in the power alleys and 408 feet in center, the last time the Tigers played in a ball park like this it was in the Southeastern Conference Tournament when they only averaged three runs a game.
The Tigers seemed undaunted by the new stadium, though.
“This is where you need to be,” said Bregman. “The playing surface is beautiful and it was great to see a lot of LSU fans here. It does play like Hoover – it’s big. This is the kind of grass I play on back home, a little slower, so I have to come get the ball at shortstop.”
LSU will have to contend with not only be forced to contend with the massive park, but a UCLA pitching staff which rivals LSU for best remaining in the College World Series.
UCLA’s starter — junior righty Adam Plutko — sports a 2.35 ERA and opponents are batting only .212 against him. Plutko is more of a groundball pitcher than a strikeout machine, as he only managed 77 strikeouts in 111 innings pitched.
The real ace of the Bruin pitching staff resides in the bullpen though. A former walk-on turned star closer — a career path that many LSU fans should be familiar with — sophomore David Berg has turned into a cult hero around UCLA.
Berg sports a quick-action sidearmed delivery which batters have struggled with all season. Berg has struck out 73 batters in 71 innings and totalled 21 saves on the season. Berg isn’t a typical closer as he has averaged a little less than two innings per appearence, but has been effective in his role. Berg’s fielding independent pitching is 1.84, which would put him second in Major League Baseball for the lowest FIP.
“We have good scouting reports on all their pitching,” said senior first baseman Mason Katz. “We plan to go up there and battle. It’s a similar feeling and mindset that we went in to Oklahoma with. We’re going to work pitch counts and really work to get on base and manufacture runs as often as we can.”
However, if LSU can get out to an early lead sophomore ace Aaron Nola should be able to shutdown a soft-hitting Bruin lineup.
The Bruins don’t have a hitter hitting over .300 on the season, while the Tigers have five guys hitting .300 or higher. The Bruins best hitter — Kevin Kramer, who hit .279 on the season — has been marred by a deep slump in the postseason only batting .158 with three hits and three singles.
To give an example of the lack of power UCLA brings into the contest, the Bruins hottest hitter — sophomore Eric Filia — has hit will in the post season with a .524 average, but of his 11 hits 10 of them are singles.
What UCLA lacks in power, they make up for it in speed and baserunning. Junior outfielder Brian Carroll stole 30 bases on 37 attempts this season. The Bruins will look to bunt runners over and steal their way to offense, according to LSU coach Paul Mainieri.
“They invented California-style baseball,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “They emphasize pitching and defense. They emphasize getting on base. They bunt a lot. They’re going to hit and run and try and steal bases, and we’re going to have to be ready for that.”
LSU will try to soak in the experience of the CWS without getting overwhelmed by the scope of the tournament. Despite having senior leadership and many veterans, no Tiger on the roster has ever been to Omaha.
“The great thing about our team this year is it’s just one of those teams that the chemistry is so outstanding,” he said. “It’s been a great group of kids to work with. I’m so thrilled for our seniors that they had the opportunity to get here before their careers ended.”
