GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
OMAHA, Nebraska – Part Two of the LSU Baseball Dynasty has officially begun.
The Tigers swept Coastal Carolina, formerly known as the 26-0 team, by two games to zero with a 5-3 win on Sunday afternoon in the best-of-three national championship series at the College World Series before 24,734 at Charles Schwab Field for their eighth national championship.
LSU (53-15) won the opener, 1-0, on Saturday night.
The Tigers’ eight national titles trail only USC’s 12. Texas is next with six. No program has more than LSU since 1991 when the Tigers started their run.
It is also LSU’s second national title in three years under fourth-year coach Jay Johnson, marking the first time the Tigers have won multiple crowns so close together since taking back-to-back titles in 1996 and ’97 under coach Skip Bertman, who was at the game Sunday. Johnson became the first LSU baseball coach other than Bertman to win multiple titles.
Johnson also became the quickest coach to win two national championships in just his fourth season. Miami’s Jim Morris previously held that record with his second in his eighth season in 2001.
I feel like LSU has already won this national championship. Column:https://t.co/EOPxkpTTUx
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) June 21, 2025
LSU won only one national championship between Bertman’s fifth one in 10 years in 2000 and Johnson’s first in 2023. That was the lone title by coach Paul Mainieri in the 2009 season.
Clown routine starring quick drawing – and falling – umpires breaks out at College World Series.https://t.co/JSEuvRudw0
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) June 22, 2025
“There were already seven of them here,” LSU center fielder Chris Stanfield said of his recruitment by Johnson out of the Transfer Portal to LSU from Auburn. “So, why not get another one?”
At age 48, Johnson is in position to tie Bertman and former Cal State Fullerton and Texas coach Augie Garrido with five national championships while he will be in his 50s. Bertman won his first national title in 1991 at age 53 and his fifth at 62 in 2000. The late Garrido won his first at age 40 in 1979 for Cal State Fullerton and his fifth at 66 at Texas in 2005.
The only other baseball coach with more national titles than Bertman and Garrido is the late USC coach Rod Dedeaux, a New Orleans native who won 11 from 1948 through 1978 at USC. He won his first at 34 and his last at 64.
Considering his work ethic, recruiting prowess and his ability with LSU to negotiate the NCAA Transfer Portal as well as any other coach or other program, who knows how many Johnson can win? And he certainly doesn’t sound like he’s leaving LSU any time soon.
“I’ve documented it a lot,” Johnson said on Friday. “I would coach this team forever, and obviously the talent on it is exceptional.”
He couldn’t stop thanking that talent on Sunday.
“Unbelievable,” he looked to his left at the podium and said to winning pitcher Anthony Eyanson, reliever Chase Shores and Stanfield. “I’m so proud right now. It’s not to be taken for granted being here two years ago. That was special. Greatest night of my life. This is equal and maybe even tops in some ways.”
Eyanson struck out nine while allowing three runs on seven hits in six and a third innings for the win to go to 12-2. Stanfield’s bases-loaded single put LSU up 3-1 in the fourth before two more runs made it 5-1. Shores struck out four and allowed one hit over the final two and two-thirds innings to earn his second save this week.
“This is appropriate to have these three here,” Johnson said. “They are exactly what this team was, which was our motto – tough and together.”
That’s two titles down, and who knows how many more to go for Johnson? Look out, Coach Dedeaux.
And he made this one look easy after getting by Arkansas, 6-5, on Wednesday night with a three-run rally in the last of the ninth to get to the championship series.
Coastal Carolina, which had won 26 in a row before losing to LSU on Saturday, actually captured a measure of momentum in the bottom of the second inning after its coach, Kevin Schnall, and assistant Matt Schilling were ejected in the bottom of the first for arguing balls and strikes.
Dean Milhos hit a solo home run off Eyanson for a 1-0 lead in the second inning. But the Chanticleers’ only lead of the championship series was short-lived. It was soon over, and Coastal lost a second straight game for the first time since March 22-23 when it fell at Troy, 9-5 and 9-8.
LSU tied it 1-1 in the top of the third with a manufactured run. Daniel Dickinson singled to lead off against Coastal ace Jacob Morrison. Michael Braswell III sacrifice bunted him to second. After Derek Curiel flew out to left, Ethan Frey came through with an RBI double.
And the Tigers put the game away against the light-hitting Chanticleers (56-13) in the fourth with a four-run rally. Morrison, who had said on Thursday that there was “not a whole lot” to like about LSU, looked nothing like the ace he has been labeled this season. He lost his first decision of the season to fall to 12-1 after allowing five runs on six hits in just three and two-thirds innings.
Coastal Carolina pitcher throws some high heat at LSU?https://t.co/vvHKSuCZTu
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) June 20, 2025
Morrison walked Jake Brown to start the fourth, then gave up a single to Jared Jones and hit Luis Hernandez to load the bases. And Stanfield singled in two runs for a commanding, 3-1 lead.
“I knew if I could come through, it would put us on top,” Stanfield said. “Down 1-0 was really nothing for us. We’ve got the best team.”
Derek Curiel later hit a two-run double in the inning for a 5-1 lead to end Morrison’s afternoon.
Coastal threatened to make a game of it when it closed to within 5-3 in the bottom of the seventh on a two-run home run by ninth batter Wells Sykes off Eyanson. But it could get no closer. Shores relieved Eyanson and was lights out. He retired the next two to get out of the inning and finished the eighth and ninth without incident.
Fittingly, LSU’s defense, which was among the nation’s leaders all season, ended the game with a perfect 4-6-3 double play.
Eyanson, who was deciding to transfer from UC-San Diego to LSU at this time last year, said it all over the stadium loudspeaker during the national championship trophy presentation.
“This,” he said, “is the place to be.”
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