LSU Finds New Omaha Foes

By Jim Gazzolo

It would be easy to pick the winner of Arkansas and LSU as the likely national champion, but don’t get caught up in what’s expected.

This college baseball postseason has been anything but predictable.

LSU makes its 20th trip to Omaha, Nebraska, and the College World Series, where the Tigers will play No. 3 Arkansas. LSU took 2-of-3 from the Razorbacks in Baton Rouge earlier this season.

And yes, on paper, the two teams are the best of the eight remaining. However, that has meant nothing this spring.

The best teams have been wiped out, and the mighty SEC has been put in its place. 

Before the tournament began, the SEC had 13 teams participating, and many predicted that at least five or six of them would advance to Omaha. Now, as the World Series gets set to start this weekend, only two SEC teams remain.

Worst yet for the conference, they will open against each other Saturday night.

While this may not be ideal for the SEC and its fans, it is beneficial for college baseball, which tends to be more of a regional sport than a national one. Having more teams from different parts of the country could help increase the CWS's viewership.

It also demonstrates how the game has evolved over the past couple of years. For that, you can thank the transfer portal and NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) money. There is even a true Cinderella story this year, which doesn’t happen in Omaha very often.

Murray State, a fourth seed in its regional, advanced to the CWS when it beat Duke Monday night in a thriller. Murray State is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, which is a highly competitive mid-major league.

Their run to the Series is a direct indication of how things can change.

If you don’t think the world of college baseball is changing, this should do it. For the first time since 1957, none of the eight teams competing in Omaha this year are returning from last season. 

Whether that proves beneficial or not for ratings, it does make things interesting when it comes to picking a winner. While LSU and Arkansas are favorites, that has not worked out well for the big schools so far. 

Murray State is not a baseball powerhouse. Their home field can hold just 800 fans, and the head coach has to mow the lawn. Yet the Racers are three wins from the finals as play begins. 

One interesting thing about this year’s event is that two of LSU’s key players are from Southwest Louisiana. Sulphur’s Jake Brown hit a key two-run home run in the Tigers’ Super Regional-clinching victory over West Virginia last Sunday. 

“He's a really good athlete,” LSU head coach Jay Johnson said. “He's become a more skilled player and hitter every day here for two years and was ready to roll."

Rosepine’s Ethan Frey has become one of the best hitters for LSU in his junior season.

"Success was coming. He's the best. I have high opinions of a lot of our players, and none higher than Ethan," Johnson said.

While the duo hopes to bring a second championship to LSU in three seasons, it will be interesting to see how the Tigers deal with the new kids who are in Omaha.

It’s a different game for most, but for LSU, it’s another chance to show they are college baseball’s best.

Jim Gazzolo is a freelance writer who covers sports in Southwest Louisiana. He is also the host of Poke Nation, which airs weekly on CBS-Lake Charles.