The front-page headline in today’s
Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald proclaims the “Tigers on top” of college baseball. LSU won its sixth College World Series championship on Wednesday night with an 11-4 victory over Texas in the deciding game of the best-of-three finals. Jared Mitchell’s three-run homer in the first inning launched the Tigers to their first CWS title since 2000—tying them with Texas for second-most all-time behind Southern Cal’s 12.
A championship celebration is scheduled for 4 p.m. today in Alex Box Stadium. The stadium gates open at 2 p.m.; the victory party is free and open to the public. Fans will hear from players and officials, and a video recap of the team’s accomplishments.
Here’s what national media outlets are saying about the Tigers:
—CBSSports.com Senior Writer Dennis Dodd says the deciding game of the CWS needed was a bit more humidity, some Spanish Moss in the trees and an RV armada, and we would have ourselves a fall Saturday night in Baton Rouge—thanks to several LSU football players who also play baseball. To read Dodd’s column, click
here.
—ESPN.com Writer Mark Schlabach says LSU needed a proven winner to rebuild the program, which had fallen on hard times after winning its last national championship in 2000. Then-Athletic Director Skip Bertman, who had led the Tigers to their first five baseball titles—turned to Notre Dame’s Paul Mainieri. "Paul was one of the best coaches in the country," Bertman said. "If he had been coaching at a warm-weather school like Texas, Florida or LSU, he would have won national championships." To read Schlabach’s column, click
here.
—Yahoo! Sports Writer Kendall Rogers says the Tigers’ national championship is something Mainieri will never forget. When his team was ranked No. 2 to start the season, Mainieri repeatedly said that he dreamt of being the coach at Rosenblatt Stadium to hoist the national championship trophy. To read Rogers’ column, click
here.
—SI.com Writer Joe Lemire says the offensive catalyst for LSU was junior right-fielder Mitchell. After taking a changeup on the inner half of the plate for a strike early in his first-inning at bat, Mitchell hoped he'd see the pitch again. It came on a 2-2 count, and after a ferocious cut, the ball landed well beyond the right-field fence, seemingly halfway to the zoo across the street, giving the Tigers a 3-0 lead. To read Lemire’s column, click
here.
—To read the
Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald’s game coverage, click
here. To read the
Austin (Texas) American-Statesman’s game coverage, click
here.