A Flashback Friday look at LSU's 2023 College World Series run (2024)

LSU began its run against an in-state foe with Tulane. Paul Skenes stole the show, throwing a complete game and emptying the tank with 124 pitches. It was just what LSU needed from its ace. Nine innings from Skenes kept the LSU staff fresh. It’s hard to understate the importance of fresh arms in postseason baseball.

The Green Wave managed to plate two off Skenes, but seven runs from the LSU offense made this a comfortable win for Jay Johnson’s squad.

Dylan Crews, Hayden Travinski, Cade Beloso and Jordan Thompson all had multi-hit days.

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Bad weather on Saturday night pushed the next game to Sunday afternoon. LSU met Oregon State, a familiar postseason foe.

The early innings were full of missed opportunities. LSU loaded the bases in first inning, but came up empty after Gavin Dugas lined out to short. The Tigers loaded them up again in the second, but a Tommy White strikeout followed by a Tre Morgan groundout ended that rally.

Ty Floyd was on the mound for LSU and Oregon State struck first when Beavers’ second basem*n Travis Bazzana homered to start the third. The lead grew with another lead-off homer and RBI single in the top of the fourth.

In the bottom half of the inning, Dylan Crews crushed a two-run homer, bringing LSU back within in one. That kicked off a home run spree for the Tigers with Hayden Travinski, Cade Beloso, and Josh Pearson joining the party to give LSU a 5-3 lead.

But Oregon State wasn’t done yet, either. A two-run homer off Thatcher Hurd tied the game in the seventh. Hurd managed to escape a jam and finished the day with 12 strikeouts in just five innings.

On a day where the ball was jumping out of the stadium, Brayden Jobert played hero for LSU, homering to deep center in the eighth.

Gavin Guidry closed it out for LSU in the ninth on just 12 pitches and the Tigers took a 2-0 regional lead.

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Oregon State worked its way out of the losers’ bracket to set up another meeting with LSU. A win in game six and the Tigers advance. A loss would mean a pivotal game seven.

A big inning in the top of the fourth, capped off by a two-run Josh Pearson triple, gave LSU a 4-0 lead. Oregon State responded with two runs in the bottom half, but Travinski and Beloso homers in the fifth put LSU’s lead back at four.

From that point on, it was all LSU. The Tigers scored again in the sixth before exploding for five runs in the seventh.

Griffin Herring picked up the win after pitching three innings and striking out four and LSU advanced to the super regional.

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LSU hosted SEC foe Kentucky in the super regional. Game 1 didn’t come with much suspense.

Tre Morgan put LSU up 1-0 with a home run in the first. LSU added three more in the third, another in the fourth, and six more in the fifth.

On the mound, Paul Skenes was doing his thing. He pitched 7.2 shutout innings, striking out nine and allowing just four hits.

Morgan finished the day with four hits and three RBI while Tommy White drove in three while scoring three runs, too.

The final score was 14-0 and LSU rolled into Game 2.

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LSU began the year as the preseason No. 1. With Dylan Crews and Paul Skenes, it was Collee World Series or bust. LSU was working to this point all year long. Everything before this game was just taking care of business.

Ty Floyd got the start for LSU and Kentucky took a 1-0 lead in the first. But then the LSU bats got rolling. Beloso hit a three run homer in the third and after three innings, LSU led 5-2.

Riley Cooper and Gavin Guidry combined to pitch 5.2 shutout innings to close it out. Cooper got the win and Guidry got the save. The Tigers were on their way to Omaha for the first time since 2017.

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LSU kicked off the CWS with a 6-3 win over Tennessee. Two RBI days from Tre Morgan and Brayden Jobert led the way for the Tigers. On the mound, Paul Skenes struck out 12 and Riley Cooper got the save.

That set up a meeting with Wake Forest, where LSU lost its first game of the NCAA Tournament. Ty Floyd was on the mound and allowed just two runs over five innings while striking out 10. Hurd followed in relief, allowing one run over three innings.

The game was tied at two entering the eighth with a Wake Forest RBI single proving to be the difference. Dylan Crews was held hitless and struck out twice.

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LSU was in an unfamiliar spot having to fight out of the losers’ bracket. The Tigers had crusied all tournament long, but the pressure was on now.

LSU turned to Nate Ackenhausen on the mound. He delivered a career performance with a line of six shutout innings, seven strikeouts, and no walks.

The offense put up five runs, including a two-run homer off Dylan Crews’ bat in the ninth that gave LSU some insurance.

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After beating Tennessee again, LSU continued to face elimination, needing two wins against Wake Forest to advance to the CWS final.

If LSU could stitch together a pitching staff in the first game, Jay Johnson knew the Tigers had Paul Skenes in the second.

Javen Coleman got the start and gave up two runs in the top of the second. Blake Money got LSU out of the inning and gave way to Griffin Herring.

LSU took the lead in the bottom of the third and held the rest of the way. Herring went 4.2 innings and didn’t allow a run. That set up a duel between Paul Skenes and Rhett Lowder.

In what turned out to be an instant classic, Skenes struck out nine and pitched eight shutout innings. Lowder pitched seven shutout frames of his own.

Wake Forest threatened in the top of the eighth. With LSU’s season on the line, Tre Morgan made one of the greatest defensive plays in CWS history, crashing in from first base to get the out at home.

The drama wasn’t done. The game went to extra innings and in the bottom of the 11th inning, Tommy White put an end to it with a two-run walk-off homer.

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The first game of the final vs. Florida brought more theatrics. Ty Floyd pitched the game of his life, striking out 17 over eight innings.

LSU entered the eighth inning down a run. Tommy White did it again, tying the game with a sole homer. Jay Johnson went back to his most reliable reliever in Riley Cooper, who shutout the Gators in the eighth and ninth to force extra innings.

In the 11th inning, Cade Beloso got a hold of one. He put a no-doubter in the right-field bleachers. Cooper closed it out in the bottom of the inning and LSU took a 1-0 series lead.

We won’t spend much time on game two. Florida’s offense had a record-breaking day, sending 24 runs across the plate while LSU could only muster up four of its own. That set up a winner-take-all all Game 3, where the LSU offense had an explosion of its own.

LSU scored six runs in the second and four more in the fourth. Thatcher Hurd allowed two runs over six innings. Fortunately for LSU, there wasn’t much drama in this one.

The Tigers won 18-4 and brought home the championship.