Two years ago, LSU Athletic Director Scott Woodward made two hires that he and the rest of LSU knew were special. But little did anyone know how quickly it would be to see how special those hires would be.
In April, LSU women’s basketball won its first national championship in program history in just the second season under profound head coach, Kim Mulkey. About two and a half months later, Jay Johnson led LSU to a national title in his second season.
Not only did these coaches help their respective teams win national championships, but they allowed LSU fans to rally around their teams along the way.
For Mulkey, she accomplished what she said was the primary reason she took the job at LSU, which was to resurrect the women’s basketball program at the school. Many saw a NCAA Tournament appearance in her first season as a major step forward, but her second season called for much more.
Her 2022-23 team had some of the biggest names in women’s college basketball in Angel Reese, Alexis Morris and Flau’jae Johnson. While Mulkey’s first team at LSU had stars like Khayla Pointer and Jailin Cherry, the momentum going into her next season called for a deeper postseason run.
Throughout the regular season, the team set multiple records for fan attendance for a single game at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center and had arguably the largest following the program has ever had. This following continued into the postseason. In the national championship game against Iowa, the game broke a record for the most viewed women’s college basketball game ever with 9 million viewers on ESPN.
For Johnson, however, the path was more visible, but it was just about piecing everything together at the same times and the right times.
The LSU baseball team came into the regular season as the No. 1 team in the country, and held that title for 11 weeks before falling below Wake Forest. While the team never fell out of the Top 10 this season, it hit bumps in the road and parts of the team started to break.
It was most evident during the SEC Tournament, when the Tigers dropped two straight games to Arkansas and Texas A&M after winning their tournament opener against South Carolina. Much of this had to do with consistency in pitching and, besides Paul Skenes, many LSU fans struggled to have faith that the pitching can get them far enough in the NCAA Tournament.
But LSU started playing its best baseball in the NCAA Tournament, especially in Omaha for the College World Series. In Omaha, the Tigers’ pitching was at an all-time high. In 15.2 innings, Skenes struck out 21 and gave up two runs on seven hits.
While this was expected, what wasn’t expected was Ty Floyd pitching a 17-strikeout gem against Florida in Game One of the CWS Finals, Nate Ackenhausen impressing in his first start of the season and the bullpen coming through in crucial situations led by Riley Cooper, Thatcher Hurd and Gavin Guidry.
The parallels between these two teams extend beyond the trophies, the accolades and the recognition; getting to the top required a similar journey and dynamic. One of those dynamics was using the transfer portal to their advantage.
For both the women’s basketball team and the baseball team, some of their best players came from the transfer portal.
Angel Reese was a top-ranked transfer in all of women’s basketball, LaDazhia Williams provided valuable experience after playing at South Carolina and Missouri and Jasmine Carson was one of the team’s best perimeter shooters after transferring from West Virginia.
Paul Skenes transferred to LSU a year ago from Air Force. He did so to be eligible for the MLB Draft, as at Air Force, service is required going into your third year. Thatcher Hurd transferred in from UCLA to provide more pitching depth, and Tommy White made himself into one of LSU’s most powerful hitters after transferring from NC State.
While LSU has received criticism for using the transfer portal in many situations, many teams resort to the portal for additions they couldn’t find otherwise. In these cases, LSU felt it was best to resort to the portal not only for talent, but for experience. And it obviously served them well.
But both teams didn’t rely solely on the portal, as they both had leaders that had been on the team already. And these players served as valuable leaders.
Alexis Morris was the heart and soul of the women’s basketball team. With her past, her story and her vibrant personality, Morris was a big reason why many fans loved watching the team.
For the baseball team, Dylan Crews, Tre’ Morgan, Cade Beloso and Gavin Dugas gave the team the leadership and experience they needed. It’s easy to come into a program wanting to win a national championship, but having been there for the times before gives players that much motivation.
The LSU women’s basketball and baseball teams both had seasons that will definitely go down in history. From the players and the coaches to the records and the passionate fans, they were two teams that many people outside LSU will recognize the school for.
But the winning might not stop there at LSU. Because there’s one other coach entering his second season at LSU: Brian Kelly. And if the trend stays true, the football team could see some accolades coming its way, too.
