The Team of the 90s has returned to the top of the 21st century college baseball.
LSU brought home a sixth national championship to decorate its new Alex Box Stadium by beating Texas 11-4 in he third and deciding game of the College World Series on Wednesday night at Omaha's Rosenblatt Stadium.
Third-yer coach Paul Mainieri -- who wasn't hired to bring the Tigers back to Omaha, but to win championships -- fulfilled his destiny. When he hired Mainieri in 2006, then Tigers athletics director Skip Bertman said, "It will take someone special to lead this program, someone who will thrive in the high expectations of a championship program. I believe LSU has found that man."
One more time, Bertman's move paid off in Omaha.
"I've dreamt my whole life of having this moment," said Mainieri. "It's almost surreal.
"We've had a wonderful group of kids. They've done everything you've asked them to do. They did everything they needed to do to be called champions.
"My first thoughts are with this wonderful university and with the state and its tenacious people. This championship is for them>
"LSU was the best team," said Longhorns coach Augie Carrido. They deserved to win. Once they smelled the blood in the water, they did what they really needed to do.. Second place is just another disaster in a long line of disasters."
Starter Anthony Ranaudo (12-3) earned his second CWS victory after throwing 119 pitches. He lasted 5.1 innings without his best stuff, but twice stranded nine Longhorns twice with the bases loaded, allowing four runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and four strikeouts.
Taking his rightful place in Tigers history, senior Louis Coleman pitched the final two innings and earned the dogpile richly deserved. Disappointed with the CWS ending last season, Coleman returned for his senior season to win a championship.
The Tigers, who started four freshmen most of the season, took the led for good in the top of the sixth when Mikie Mahtook doubled to right field to chase Longhorns starter Brandon Workman and ignite a five-run sixth inning.
The Tigers earned a 4-0 lead through two innings as Jared Mitchell, voted the CWS' most valuable player, hit a two-out, three-run homer in the first inning. Seven pf LSU's runs came with two outs.
Mitchell, on if there's a better way to finish his Tigers career: "If there's a better way, write the story for me. It's been so much fun...to accomplish something like this with these players."
Ranaudo on Mitchell's home run: "As the starting pitcher, the three-run homer in the first gives you a lot room to go and throw strikes. I didn't have my best stuff tonight. That has been the story of the season for us. When the pitchers didn't have their best stuff, the hitters picked them up and when the hitting wasn't going, the pitchers picked them up."
How good were the Tigers? Sean Ochinko homered and singled three other times on Wednesday to drive in three runs. He wasn't even in the starting lineup on Tuesday.
In the end, LSU was the best college team in the nation. The Tigers' offense, combined with the Longhorns' inability to avoid the big inning and create some of heir own, doomed Texas.
When Coleman struck out the final Texas batter, the Tigers dog-piled on the pitcher's mound under purple and gold glitter
CWS NOTES: DJ LeMahieu, Mitchell, Ryan Schimpf and Ranaudo were named to the CWS all-tournament team...The Tigers finished the season with a national best 58 wins, the most by a Tigers team since winning a school-record 57 games in 1997...The Tigers closed out the season by winning 15 of their 16 games dating back to the SEC tournament...LSU's .991 fielding percentage is the second best total by a national champion, trailing the Tigers .993 fielding percentage in in 1991, while the Tigers' 4.18 ERA during the CWS is the highest by a champion since 2002...The Tigers hit .313 during the CWS, averaging 8.5 runs per game...Ranaudo fanned four on Wednesday, raising his season total to 158, which leads he SEC. The 158 strikeouts is second on LSU's single-season list, matching Dough Thompson in 1997. Only Ben McDonald, who fanned a school record 202 in 1989, has fanned more hitters in a season...Mitchell and Chad Jones are the first two LSU players to win a BCS national title and a CWS national championship...Jones went a career-long 1.2 innings against Texas and did not allowe a run in three appearnances..
SOME HITHER, OTHERS YON: Former Carver player Marshall Faulk will be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday night in Natchitoches. As a youngster, Faulk sold popcorn during Saints games at the Superdome before leaving the Desire Street Project for San DiegoState and then the Indianapolis Colts and the St. Louis Rams. He was a three-time All-Pro selection and appeared in seven Pro Bowls. A future induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame is sure to follow. Most of the schools that recruited Faulk as a defensive back, but San DiegoState told him he could play running back and he went to that school. in stead of LSU, Miami, Nebraska and many others. "Marshall has come back and done things for the people in the Desire Street Project, St, Roch Playground and for Carver," said his high school coach, Wayne Reese. "He went around on the doors of people in the neighborhood who had helped him. He gave them washing machines."
The New Orleans Hornets didn't sell their draft choice to Portland this year and players they're interested in include: North Carolina forward Tyler Hansbrough, St. Mary's guard Patrick Mills, Virginia Commonwealth guard Eric Maynor, Pittsburgh forward Sam Young, Arizona forward Chase Badinger and LSU's scoring guard Marcus Thornton, All-SEC player of the year...Highlights from "Late Night with David Letterman's Top 10 things Lucas Glover would like to say after winning the U.S. Open: "I'd like to thank Tiger Woods for letting someone else win; Honestly, I'm just glad to be ot of the rain; Ladies, my last name isn't Glover, it's G. Lover; and Even I have never herd of me."...The CityPark North Course is having a promotion called "The Greatest Day of Golf" on Sunday. Twilight prices are available all day and you can play for $30 with cart. You can participate in "Hit the Ball in the Water" contest and could win a set of Nike irons. I'm a 3-1 favorite in this competition. For info click on to cityparkgolf.com...
