Latest news with #SkipBertman
USA Today
23-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
How many times has LSU won the College World Series?
There is perhaps not a more storied and decorated college baseball program in the country than LSU. The sixth-ranked Tigers have an opportunity to add to that history over the next few days at Charles Schwab Field as LSU opens up the best-of-three College World Series championship series on June 21 against No. 13 Coastal Carolina. LSU enters championship week in Omaha coming off a thrilling come-from-behind victory against No. 3 Arkansas in the CWS semifinals on June 18. Trailing by two runs heading into the bottom of the ninth, LSU plated three runs in the inning, all of which came on Arkansas fielding mistakes. Jared Jones was the hero for the Tigers with the walk-off single into center. REQUIRED READING: LSU baseball vs Everybody? America rooting for Coastal Carolina at College World Series A series win for LSU would bring a second national championship in the last three years to its trophy case in Baton Rouge. Here's what to know about LSU's history in the CWS championship series, and more: How many times has LSU won the College World Series? LSU has won the College World Series seven times in its rich history. The Tigers first dogpiled in Omaha in 1991 when they defeated Wichita State 6-3. LSU would then win three national titles in a span of five years from 1993 through 1997, a time period that helped build LSU into an SEC and national powerhouse. Then-LSU manager Skip Bertman led the Tigers to their fifth championship in 2000, making him one of just three head coaches to win five NCAA baseball titles. The Tigers' sixth national title came under Paul Mainieri in 2009, when LSU defeated Texas two games to one. When did LSU last win the College World Series? LSU last won the College World Series in 2023, when it took two of three games against No. 2 Florida. The Tigers, a No. 5 seed that season, took Game 1 against the Gators by a score of 4-3. Florida bounced back in Game 2 and crushed LSU, 24-4. Wyatt Langford and Jac Caglianone were unstoppable for the Gators, a combined 7-for-11 at the plate with 11 RBIs, seven runs scored and three home runs. But LSU won the winner-take-all Game 3 against Florida by another lopsided score of 18-4. After falling into a 2-0 deficit after the first inning, LSU plated 10 runs across the second and fourth innings to take a 10-2 lead and never looked back. Brayden Jobert led LSU with three runs — including a home run — and three RBIs. Dylan Crews and Tre' Morgan each scored three runs. LSU recorded 24 total hits compared to Florida's five. "We got punched in the mouth yesterday," Crews said after winning the national championship. "That's the beauty of baseball. You wake up in the morning and do it all over again. We woke up today and you could see on everybody's faces that we were ready to go. Nobody in the country was going to beat us today." To make the CWS finals in 2023, LSU went 3-1 in winners' bracket play, with that lone loss coming in the first CWS semifinal vs. Wake Forest. The Tigers, who needed just a win to advance to the finals, bounced back in the "if necessary" CWS semifinal game vs. the top seeded Demon Deacons, 2-0, behind a masterful eight-inning outing from Paul Skenes and a two-run, walk-off home run from Tommy White. LSU baseball College World Series championship history, record Here's a full breakdown of how LSU has fared in the College World Series championship series: Most College World Series titles Among all Division I baseball programs, LSU ranks second for most College World Series titles, with seven. LSU moved into sole possession of second place with its 2023 CWS title. It had been in a tie with Texas. The only team that sits ahead of LSU on the list is USC with 12 titles, though the Tigers have won three CWS titles since the Trojans won their last championship in 1998. Here's a breakdown of where LSU ranks among all Division I programs when it comes to most CWS titles:
USA Today
13-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
What is LSU baseball's record in the College World Series?
What is LSU baseball's record in the College World Series? On Saturday in Omaha, LSU baseball opens its 20th appearance in the College World Series. The Tigers start play against a familiar foe in Arkansas at 5 p.m. CT on ESPN inside Charles Schwab Stadium. Among its peers in the SEC, LSU holds the best record in the College World Series with a 46-29 overall record. Since they won their first game in the tournament in 1991, the Tigers have won seven national championships. During LSU's 1991 run to its first national championship under Skip Bertman, it defeated Florida 8-1 inside Omaha's Rosenblatt Stadium. Since then, the Tigers brought their total of national championships to seven. They hope to replicate their success from 2023 for the second title under head coach Jay Johnson. He led an LSU team with Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews to the program's most recent national championship. For Johnson, this is his fourth trip to Omaha as a head coach. Prior to leading LSU to two appearances, Johnson made two College World Series trips as Arizona's head coach. In 2016, Arizona made it to the CWS final before losing to Coastal Carolina. In 2021, Arizona went 0-2 and was eliminated in two games.
American Press
28-05-2025
- Sport
- American Press
Scooter Hobbs column: Do game times matter in the NCAA tourney
Before you wonder aloud why little old me would ever get in an verbal tussle with Skip Bertman, be advised that I once won an argument with the LSU legend himself, the coach who basically invented college baseball. No, I don't mind re-telling the story. It was in Omaha, of course, and at the time Bertman had won zero national championships. He was a big believer in what he called the 'marble' game, the key contest you needed to win to get the upper hand in the College World Series. The Tigers were 1-0 and would play their second game the next day as we media gathered around Bertman during practice at an Omaha high school. I mentioned to him that this would be marble game. No, no, he corrected me, the third game is the marble game. A year earlier that was correct, when the bracket was still an eight-team free-for-all that meandered about like Chutes and Ladders. But this particular year, the CWS bracket had changed to a pair of four-team brackets, with the double-elimination survivors from each meeting in a winner-take-all championship. With the new bracket, I pointed out, the winner of the second game would be the last unbeaten in its half of the bracket and would have two chances to win the one game it needed to get to the championship. Bertman raised up that index finger (as only he could) and started to say something before going silent. You could see the wheels turning, then he took a deeper breath and paused before pronouncing. 'We are changing the marble game,' he announced. 'Good work.' It was probably my proudest moment in this screwy profession is all it was. Especially with a handful of colleagues as eye witnesses. Bertman eventually won five national championships over the next 10 years, and while I'm not taking any of the credit, I'm not discounting it either. I should have quit while I was ahead. I never did win him over on another sticking point, mainly the time a regional host should play its first game. The hosts have first dibs on first-day starting times. It's not a dead-lock guarantee — the networks now have veto power — but it's rare when hosts don't get their wish. Bertman experimented both ways, but mostly liked to play the afternoon game, giving his team more time to recuperate before the next day's second round began. I argued that the few hours extra rest was offset by three hours in a sticky, broiling late-May Louisiana sun. A minor sticking point, perhaps. It's not like you'd need long johns and ear muffs for the night game, where likely as not at least four or five innings would be in broad daylight. When he came to LSU current coach Jay Johnson agreed with me, apparently, but consulted with Bertman about the matter. I wasn't in on the discussions. And what do you know? Bertman — mea culpa alert — was right all along. When he was at Arizona as a host No. 1 seed, Johnson wanted to play the late game. 'It was because it's a billion degrees (in Tucson), and you just hope the first two teams melt out there in the sun,' Johnson said. I'd counter that it's not the heat, it's the humidity that evens our blister meter from the high desert. 'Here, I did a lot of research, talked to Skip about what he preferred,' Johnson said. And that's why the Tigers will open the Baton Rouge regional at 2 p.m. against Arkansas-Little Rock. Humidity is a factor — not the sticky kind, but what Les Miles used to call a 'good, stiff dew.' You may know it as 'rain,' often accompanied by lightning this time of year. The combination — persistent lightning strikes in the area more than precipitation — has been a huge factor in many past Baton Rouge regionals. 'You have to play the games in order,' Johnson said. 'If you were to get disrupted (by weather), having the first (game) done is probably an advantage for your team.' Hard to argue with that. Maybe I'd suggest that a Friday night opener is a better guarantee for a full house, and the longer those fans tailgate, the happier they generally are. But if Johnson really wanted an advantage, he'd have requested a 9:55 p.m. start time. LSU is 4-0 this season in weather-delayed games that finished after midnight. * Scooter Hobbs covers LSU athletics for the American Press.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Reports: Former LSU baseball head coach emerging as a candidate at ULM
Former LSU baseball head coach Raymond "Smoke" Laval is reportedly showing interest in the same role at Louisiana-Monroe, which he held in the early 2000s. The veteran coach currently works for the East Coast Sox youth baseball program. Following his departure from LSU in 2006, Laval led North Florida for six seasons and was let go in 2017, his last head coaching role. Advertisement Laval entered his first stint with the Tigers as an assistant in 1984, working under Skip Bertman and helping the team win national championships in 1991 and 1993. He left for his first head coaching job at Louisiana-Monroe for the 1994 season and led the program to three Southland Conference titles. Following Bertman's retirement, Laval returned to Baton Rouge as the legendary head coach's replacement. He guided the Tigers to a 210-109-1 record, an SEC title, and two College World Series appearances. Following a 35-24 season, he resigned. While none of the reports are confirmed, hearing Laval's name tossed around in the Louisiana baseball scene is nothing new. Laval had a tough exit from LSU after his disappointing final season, but following up Bertman was always going to be tough. Laval's successes with LSU shouldn't be overlooked. Given his history with two of the best college programs in the state, Laval's return would bring a new sense of nostalgia to both schools. This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Ex-LSU baseball coach Smoke Laval looking to get back in the game
