1. WHAT WE LEARNED
The LSU pitching staff has more than just Paul Skenes. The Tigers’ ace nearly threw a second straight complete game in Game 1 Saturday against Kentucky, but with him done, LSU had to piece together something Sunday to get past Kentucky. Ty Floyd, Riley Cooper and Gavin Guidry did just that, as the Tigers advanced to the College World Series with a tense 8-3 victory. It’s the kind of win that bolsters LSU’s hope in Omaha.
2. TRENDING NOW
Dylan Crews. He walked four times in his first five at-bats Sunday, making what is surely his last game at Alex Box Stadium look anticlimactic. Then he came up with the bases loaded in the ninth with LSU clinging to a 5-3 lead. After a wild pitch scored a run, Crews laced a two-run double to left as LSU fans roared. What an ending for the man who may be LSU’s best player ever.
3. FINAL THOUGHTS
LSU is heading back to the College World Series for the 19th time, ending the program’s longest drought since the Tigers first went way back in 1986. For much of the season it seemed like LSU’s destiny, then it didn’t as the Tigers scuffled through a 7-7 stretch leading up to NCAA tournament. But LSU shifted to a different gear in the regional and super regional, and deserves to rank as one of the favorites in Omaha.
