Kade Anderson Hurls Gem For LSU’s 1st 1-0 Win In Its NCAA History And 1-0 Lead In Title Series

GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor

OMAHA, Nebraska – It was a night for 1-0s and one 0-1.

LSU took a critical 1-0 lead with an historical 1-0 win that reversed Coastal Carolina’s 26-0 to 0-1 … all in a night’s work by ace pitcher Kade Anderson.

Anderson threw a magnificent, complete-game three-hit shutout to beat Coastal Carolina, 1-0, in the College World Series Saturday night and take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three national championship series in his last start as a Tiger front of 25,761 at Charles Schwab Field.

It was LSU’s first 1-0 win in its illustrious NCAA postseason history that began in 1975 and includes 20 trips here to the CWS. But the more important 1-0 is the Tigers’ one-game lead in the title series.

LSU (52-15) is now one win away from its second national championship in three years and eighth overall. The Tigers can finish off Coastal Carolina (56-12) at 1:30 p.m. Sunday on ABC as the Chanticleers saw their 26-game winning streak end. They had not lost since April 22 at College of Charleston.

LSU HAD THIS WORLD SERIES WON GOING IN – OPINION

“I mean his next pitch should be for some place in the Washington Nationals’ organization. It’s not close,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said of Anderson, who is projected to be a No. 1, 2 or 3 overall pick in the Major League Baseball Draft on July 13 with Washington scheduled to pick first.

“He’s the best player in the country,” Johnson said. “There’s nobody closer to the Major Leagues than that right now – Paul Skenes, Joe Burrow, that type of deal.”

Skenes was the first overall pick of the 2023 MLB Draft out of LSU after winning the MVP of the CWS a few weeks prior as the Tigers’ ace that season. Burrow led the LSU football team to its last national championship in the 2019 season as its quarterback.

“Special performance,” Johnson said of Anderson, who struck out 10 on 130 pitches and held the Chanticleers to 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. “That’s what we’ve seen all year. He’s the best pitcher in the country. And did it again tonight.”

Anderson (12-1) this time had to battle more amid traffic as he walked a season-high five batters and hit two others. But the only hits he allowed were harmless – a single in the third to Sebastian Alexander, a double to Blagen Pado in the fourth and a single to Dean Mihos in the seventh. Anderson struck out the last batter he faced in the first, second, third and fourth with runners on. He ended eight of his nine innings with runners on base.

0 runs. 3 hits. 10 strikeouts. 130 pitches. 🚨

A complete-game master class on the bump from Kade Anderson puts the Tigers ONE. GAME. AWAY. @LSUbaseball x #MCWS pic.twitter.com/cNf4f7cLjQ

— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) June 22, 2025

“It wasn’t pretty, but got the job done,” Anderson said. “Sometimes the staff we have, all you need is one run sometimes. And coach Johnson prepares us to be one-run ready.”

LSU took its 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning off Coastal starter Cameron Flukey, courtesy of a lead-off walk to Derek Curiel. He reached second on Ethan Frey’s ground out to second base and scored on Steven Milam’s RBI single straight up the middle. And that was all Anderson needed.

Milam doubled after two outs in the third and reached third on a passed ball, but Jake Brown struck out looking to end the inning.

The Tigers threatened again in the sixth when Milam walked to lead off. After two outs, a pick-off throw got away from first baseman Colby Thorndyke that would have allowed Milam to get to second. But the ball bounced off first base umpire Jeff Head, and Milam stayed at first. Then Luis Hernandez laced a single to left-center field that likely would have scored Milam had he been on second. Instead, LSU was left with runners on the corners for Chris Stanfield, who grounded out to shortstop to end the inning.

Flukey took the loss to fall to 8-2. He allowed just four hits and two walks in six innings and struck out nine.

“When you don’t score runs, it’s very difficult to win,” Coastal Carolina coach Kevin Schnall said. “At the end of the day, we’ve got to regroup. We’ve won 26 in a row. Let’s just call it what it is. The odds were not in our favor to go 28-0 and win this national championship.”

Not with Kade Anderson – aka LSU’s next Joe Burrow – pitching.