OMAHA, Neb. — Entering the College World Series, LSU was portrayed as the most consistent, dominating team in the postseason. Texas was seen as the team of destiny, the same title LSU held last season heading into Omaha.Well, there’s one problem with destiny, as the Tigers found out last year: it can be fickle.
After a lackluster performance in their 5-1 loss to Texas on Tuesday night, the Tigers came out firing early and held on late en route to an 11-4 victory, improving their record to 15-1 after a loss.
The win sent the team into a dog pile full of tears of joy and got the thousands of LSU fans in attendance cheering out “L-S-U” and “Geaux Tigers” as the Tigers captured their sixth national championship.
“We’ve been so consistent all year,” said LSU sophomore catcher Micah Gibbs. “We knew that we would be able to come back [from the loss], and that’s exactly what we did today.”
This is the second time LSU has won the Southeastern Conference regular season title, the SEC tournament title and the national title in the same year. The only other LSU team to do so was the 1993 squad. The Tigers are also 6-0 in winner-take-all national championship games.
This national championship is the first for LSU coach Paul Mainieri, but the second for his immediate family. His father, Demie Mainieri, is a legendary junior college coach who won a national championship in 1964.
“I told my dad that all I was thinking about during that ninth inning was him and my mom,” Mainieri said. “The Mainieri family has been without a national championship for 45 years, and it was about time to win one.”
Texas felt the wrath of the baseball gods, as Preston Clark and Travis Tucker were both in tears during the postgame press conference. Even Texas coach Augie Garrido was nearly crying.
“I don’t think we lost this tournament,” Garrido said. “I think they won it.”
The Tigers seemed to have shaken off Tuesday’s loss early in the game, as junior right fielder Jared Mitchell, the tournament MVP, blasted a three-run home run around the right-field foul pole in the first inning. It was set up when junior designated hitter Blake Dean was hit by pitch and junior first baseman Sean Ochinko singled in his first at bat in the cleanup spot in the tournament. Ochinko finished 4-for-5 with a home run, three RBI and two runs scored.
Mainieri said he inserted Ochinko into the cleanup spot to add a powerful right-handed batter between left handers Blake Dean and Jared Mitchell.
“I told him right before lunch he was going to get the start,” Mainieri said. “He told me he wasn’t going to let me down, and he didn’t.”
But after another run in the second to take a 4-0 lead, LSU right-hander Anthony Ranaudo blew up in a 43-pitch third inning, giving up two runs. The Jackson, N.J., native gave up two more runs in the fifth inning on Texas right fielder Kevin Keyes’ two-run home run to left-center field in the middle of the Texas student section.
It was the first multi-run home run for the Longhorns in the championship series and the second in the series for Keyes.
Then LSU blew the barn door open with a five-run sixth to take a 9-4 lead on two hits and two hit-by-pitches, as Texas used three pitchers in the inning. That allowed senior Louis Coleman to close the game and get his 300th career strikeout in the process.
“It couldn’t have felt any better,” Coleman said.
And then the celebration began throughout Rosenblatt Stadium. But Mainieri wanted a little more than just a trophy.
“Hey, Joe, I’m putting you on the spot,” Mainieri said to LSU Athletic Director Joe Alleva during the press conference. “Are we getting a new Intimidator with a new number on it?”
“Oh yeah,” Alleva replied.