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USA Today
2 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
What LSU pitcher Zac Cowan said about College World Series performance against Arkansas
What LSU pitcher Zac Cowan said about College World Series performance against Arkansas Zac Cowan earned the starting spot for LSU baseball on Wednesday with a trip to the College World Series finals on the line. When LSU needed it the most, the right-handed pitcher turned in a stellar outing, and LSU beat Arkansas 6-5. Through 5.1 innings, Cowan totaled six strikeouts and gave up one run on a solo homer. Of his 84 pitches, 53 went for strikes as he kept a powerful Razorback lineup out of sync. He said he "stuck with the same mindset" from the regular season while "trusting [pitching] coach [Nate] Yeskie." "Defense made some great plays behind me tonight, and that kind of was the same case I the other game against Arkansas earlier in the year," Cowan said. "Nothing really changed for me. It's just attacking, sticking with the same mindset and trying to compete." The appearance was Cowan's first in Omaha after allowing a combined eight runs in his last two outings. He returned to midseason form, a time in which his ERA was the SEC's lowest, and powered his team to the College World Series finals. "It means the world when I have the trust from the coaching staff like I do and the defense behind me," Cowan said. "The second half or last half of the season didn't go as planned but I mean, it's just going out there competing every time I'm out there." Head coach Jay Johnson said, "This guy was the best reliever in college baseball this year." He recruited Cowan after the latter played two seasons at Wofford and turned the righty into a pivotal part of LSU's success. "Going into the portal last year, I had no idea I'd end up here, but I mean, I couldn't be more thankful for this guy to be my head coach and for the guys to be around me that I have around me," Cowan said. "I kind of found out last night that I was going to get the ball today."
USA Today
3 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Complete LSU baseball schedule for College World Series Final vs. Coastal Carolina
Complete LSU baseball schedule for College World Series Final vs. Coastal Carolina LSU baseball is back in the College World Series Final. The Tigers beat Arkansas with a roaring ninth-inning comeback capped off by a Jared Jones walk-off single. The prior at-bat, Luis Hernandez struck a two-run double to left, tying the game. LSU got through bracket play unblemished, going 3-0. LSU started things with a win over Arkansas last Saturday before beating UCLA in a game that spanned two days thanks to a weather delay. It hasn't been long since LSU was last here. LSU's star-studded roster in 2023 -- led by Paul Skenes, Dylan Crews, and Tre Morgan -- led the Tigers to a national championship in head coach Jay Johnson's second year. Now, Johnson is searching for his second ring in two years. LSU will face Coastal Carolina -- there's a little history there. In 2016, Coastal Carolina entered Alex Box Stadium and beat LSU in a super regional. The Chanticleers swept the Tigers and finished the series with a walk-off win. Coastal Carolina went on to win the College World Series, where the Chants beat Jay Johnson's Arizona team. There's no shortage of narrative here. LSU, one of the top programs in the sport, is looking for its eighth national title. Here's a complete schedule for the 2025 College World Series Final. Game 1, Friday, June 21 The series will begin Saturday at 6 p.m. CT. LSU will be the home team and ace Kade Anderson is expected to get the start. Game 2, Saturday, June 22 Game 2 is set for 1:30 p.m. CT. LSU is expected to start Anthony Eyanson and be the visiting team. Game 3, Sunday, June 23 If necessary, the squads will play a decisive Game 3 at 6:30 p.m. CT on Monday. LSU's CWS final vs. Florida went to three games in 2023.
American Press
3 hours ago
- Sport
- American Press
Scooter Hobbs column: Tigers add to list of walk-offs
OMAHA, Neb. — Don't blame yourselves, Razorbacks. It happens to the best of them. It's not you. It's LSU. Arkansas just happened to get caught up in another of those wild and crazy vortexes the Tigers sometimes create in what they've come to call Geauxmaha. Don't dissect it too closely. When LSU gets the College World Series karma going, it makes a habit of dangling the irrational out there, toying with the unexplainable. It happened again Wednesday night, of course, a rally with three nutty runs in the bottom of the ninth for a 6-5 walk-off victory over the Hogs. Two hits that inexplicably found grass — one off a stumbling Razorbacks' shoulder for a tying double, another off the tip top of a leaping second baseman's glove — oh, so close — for the walk-off single. The Hogs probably deserve better. Even LSU head Jay Johnson expressed empathy in the midst of LSU's wild celebration, which seemed to be an embarrassed shrug of the shoulders as if to say, 'Don't ask us how we do it.' The Razorbacks are as cursed in Omaha as LSU is often blessed, and will remain college baseball's absolute best program without a national championship. They'll put this one alongside the dropped pop foul when they were one out from the 2018 national championship. LSU won't apologize for it. The Tigers can't even explain it. They'll just play for their eighth national championship beginning Saturday. 'Character,' Johnson offered. Nice try, coach, although his team does seem classy enough, a likeable bunch to boot. Arkansas seemed to be of similar composition — often answering to the tag 'most complete team in the nation.' So, no, this was something more. Wednesday was the LSU program's sixth all-time walkoff in the CWS. Some of them had similar drama, but none were quite as bizarre as this one. 'I'm at a loss for words,' Johnson said. I'll give it a shot. When LSU gets in this mode, some divine, horsehide intervention seems to be at work. The Razorbacks just happened to be in the way. There were unconfirmed reports of Rod Serling standing serious off in the shadows of Charles Schwab Field. As the bottom of the ninth unfolded, you could almost hear that creepy 'Twilight Zone' music wafting about. Whether they knew it or not, the Razorbacks, unsuspecting or not, were in trouble. Sure, LSU put the bat on the ball for the clutch hits, but it needed help from the Hogs. No problem. Arkansas may even accuse the Tigers of bringing up some of that alleged Louisiana voodoo north for their latest. Was that Marie Laveau in the LSU dugout? Something turned a tight, well-played game into two final innings of total chaos, which, of course was right in LSU's wheelhouse. Something maybe we will never fully understand and maybe shouldn't try. It's Omaha, after all. If blessing the Tigers isn't enough, maybe voodoo casts a spell on the victims. For all the LSU clutch hits and pitching, this one is likely to be remembered more for Arkansas left fielder Charles Davalan tripping or slipping — something ill-timed, at any rate — to turn what could have been a game-ending out into a game-tying double. And could second baseman Cam Kozeal have been any closer to snagging Jared Jones' winning single that bounced off the top of his glove? He could probably feel the ball's seams through his glove — and then it was bouncing into center field. Neither was an error. Just unfortunate. Bad luck. Whatever forces were at work, it all lined up for LSU, which would have had to play the Razorbacks again Thursday with a loss. 'It's a huge deal not to have to play (Thursday),' Johnson said after the game. 'There is nobody happier in the city of Omaha that there will not be a game here (Thursday) than Jay Johnson right now.' It does set up perfectly for the Tigers, as if they need such niceties. An extra game would have meant bringing back one of their co-aces, Kade Anderson or Anthony Eyanson, burning whichever one for the championship series. Now the Tigers can go into the championship round against upstart Coastal Carolina with their regular weekend rotation intact, starting with the best 1-2 punch in college baseball. You can't ask for much more. But just a warning to the Chanticleers. If things go awry for the Tigers this weekend, beware. They apparently have Rod Serling on speed dial. — Scooter Hobbs covers LSU athletics. Email him at
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
College World Series 2025: How to watch the best-of-3 tournament final
Over the next ten days, you can catch all the College World Series action live on ESPN+. ESPN+ grants you access to tons of events that are simulcast across the suite of ESPN Networks and ABC, as well as exclusive ESPN+ content including live events, fantasy sports tools and premium ESPN+ articles. You can stream ESPN+ through an app on your smart TV, phone, tablet, computer and on
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
College World Series: Analyzing LSU, Coastal Carolina finals
And now, the end is near, and so we face the final series. Sorry, Frank, couldn't resist. The college baseball season will soon reach its conclusion at the Men's College World Series, with the last two teams standing set to square off in the best-of-three finale at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha. Advertisement One program has already claimed seven championship banners, the last coming just two years ago. But the other is no underdog, having also won this championship before despite not representing one of the so-called power conferences. Here's all you need to know about the finalists and how to watch the last showdown on the collegiate sports calendar. No. 6 LSU (51-15) vs. No. 13 Coastal Carolina (56-11) Game 1, June 21, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN Game 2, June 22, 2:30 p.m. ET, ABC Game 3 (if necessary), June 23, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN Both teams negotiated their respective four-team brackets in Omaha unscathed, although LSU did so with a bit more drama. The Tigers' ninth-inning rally, admittedly aided by Arkansas' miscues in the field, nonetheless demonstrated that an opponent can't afford to leave the door open against this batting order. The Chanticleers, however, might just be the team best-constructed to keep LSU at bay, with pitching depth and sound defensive fundamentals. Advertisement Coastal coach Kevin Schnall has options regarding his rotation, but it's fairly certain that Jacob Morrison and Cameron Flukey will start Games 1 and 2 in some order. The Chanticleers can also be confident that Riley Eikhoff can be called upon if a Game 3 is needed, and Ryan Lynch and Dominick Carbone anchor a deep bullpen that is well-rested. The primary threats they'll face from LSU's formidable lineup include Jared Jones (.330, 22 HR, 76 RBI) and Derek Curiel (.348, 53 RBI, 66 runs scored). Of course, there's the other side of the matchup, where the Tigers also have some accomplished arms. LSU generates 11.7 strikeouts per nine innings, and that's usually the M.O. to get out of jams. Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson are the K leaders, with closer Casan Evans also able to miss bats. Coastal might not have LSU's power, but the Chanticleers' ability to make contact and get timely hits has served them well. Coastal catcher Caden Bodine and first baseman Colby Thorndyke are just a couple of the clutch producers from a lineup whose top six hitters have an average above .275. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LSU, Coastal Carolina CWS finale: How teams match up
