GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
OMAHA, Nebraska – The last time LSU’s Jared Jones played Arkansas, he went 0-for-5 with five strikeouts last Saturday.
On Wednesday night, Jones performed an Arkansas Flyover to land the Tigers into the College World Series national championship series this weekend with a three-time-come-from-behind, 6-5 win over the Razorbacks in front of 25,740 at Charles Schwab Field.
Another LSU Omaha Classic, Inc. …https://t.co/HJQLPJDkXG
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) June 19, 2025
LSU (51-15) advances to play Coastal Carolina (56-11 and 26-0) in a best-of-three series, beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday on ESPN. Coastal eliminated Louisville, 11-3, on Wednesday afternoon. Game two will be at 1:30 Sunday on ABC. The if-necessary game will be at 6:30 p.m. Monday on ESPN.
All that means more time for LSU fans at the Rocco’s shot bar for more competition.
At Rocco’s Ultimate Shot Bar, one of LSU fans’ headquarters in Omaha, they love the Tigers. But they also pray for rain:https://t.co/ENVMAL9rmF
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) June 18, 2025
Jones got the LSU Nation there by first hitting an opposite field, 410-foot home run to right-center field to tie the game 3-3 in the eighth, then won it on a walk-off, two-out RBI single to right-center in the bottom of the ninth for one of the most dramatic victories in an LSU Baseball history full of them.
“Just kind of been here before,” Jones said matter-of-factly. And he did hit a three-run, walk-off home run with two outs to beat Tennessee, 6-3, on April 26. He hit a three-run home run Monday night to cut a 4-0 deficit to 4-3 in the bottom of the first against UCLA before a 9-5 win the next afternoon after a rain delay.
“We’ve had a lot of these games throughout the season,” he said. “We’ve had to fight back from being down. We stick with it no matter what. There’s no clock in baseball.”
And LSU seems to have the body clock of a cyborg that NASA should be looking at – if they can get tickets for the weekend.
“I would coach this team forever,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson, who is wrapping up just his fourth year with the Tigers and will be going for his second national title in three seasons.
“I’ve been telling them that probably since March or April,” he said. “And it’s because of their character. I’m literally at a loss for words. There’s so many thoughts. This is a model team. It’s been a consistent effort. I think about the walk-off win we had at home against Tennessee. They just stay with it.”
Arkansas led 1-0 in the fourth on a home run by Ryder Helfrick off LSU starter Zac Cowan, who pitched heroically for five and a third innings, allowing just three other hits and no other runs with six strikeouts and zero walks.
LSU erased that for a 2-1 lead in the sixth on a two-out, pinch-hit, two-run single by Jake Brown. But Arkansas went back up 3-2 in the eighth before Jones hit his 22nd home run of the season, 50th in two seasons and second in two games to tie it 3-3.
And Jones hit it off Arkansas reliever Gabe Gaeckle, who struck him out four times Saturday in LSU’s 4-1 win in a CWS opener.
“I hadn’t been seeing Gaeckle very well this week,” Jones deadpanned. “He struck me out five times I think in five at-bats.”
Actually, four of the five, but it probably felt like five.
“It was all on sliders,” Jones said. “I was lucky enough to get a fastball in the zone and put a good swing on it to tie the game.”
But Arkansas then took a 5-3 lead in the top of the ninth off reliever Chase Shores.
Left-hander Cole Gibler replaced Gaeckle to open the LSU ninth and struck out pinch-hitter John Pearson for one out. But Derek Curiel singled, and he has struggled against lefties. Then Ethan Frey walked, and the Tigers were in business.
THE DOUBLE PLAY THAT WASN’T
Curiel was forced out at third on a grounder by Steven Milam to shortstop Wehiwa Aloy, who threw to third for the second out. But the game could have ended right there had Aloy instead started a potential 6-4-3 double play, and replays showed it likely would have been routine.
But instead, Luis Hernandez stepped up with Frey on second and Milam on first. And Hernandez, the senior transfer catcher from Indiana State whom Johnson signed for his defense – but came in hitting .273 with nine homers and 31 RBIs Wednesday – delivered from the clean-up spot.
He laced a sinking line drive to left field, though it looked like Charles Davalan was going to stab it for a spectacular play. Until he slipped, and the ball bounced off his shoulder and far into the corner.
“I think it was a changeup,” Hernandez said. “I was looking for off-speed that I could handle. He left it in the middle, and I drove it to left field. And whenever he (Davalan) didn’t grab it, I started running.”
Both runners scored, and it was 5-5. Right-hander Aiden Jimenez relieved Gibler and up stepped Jones.
“He’s a great pitcher,” Jones said. “Got to respect his slider, and was able to stay on it and do just enough to get it over the second baseman’s head. That’s about it. Happy Luis got the job done. And I’m happy I was able to drive him in.”
LSU reliever Jacob Mayers had struck out the last two to end the top of the ninth after allowing a two-run single for Arkansas’ 5-3 lead with the runs charged to Shores. Mayers (2-0) got the win after facing three batters.
And LSU is two wins away from its eighth national championship. The Tigers also have two days off with some light practicing on the agenda and the cool nights of Omaha summer.
“Man, they’ve got a great team,” Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said. “They just kept fighting. We kept fighting. They took the lead. We came back, took the lead. Then they got us. It would have been nice to win the game. get to tomorrow, see what happens.”
Arkansas would have had to beat LSU on Wednesday and Thursday to reach the title series.
“It’s a huge deal not to have to play Thursday night,” Johnson said. “There is nobody happier in the city of Omaha that there will not be a game here tomorrow than Jay Johnson right now.”
And for the LSU Nation, more time for Rocco’s.
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