Road To Glory: LSU's Path To Win The College World Series
LSU hopped on their flight to Omaha early Wednesday morning in search of bringing home a National Championship to Baton Rouge. For the first time since 2017, the Tigers claimed a Super Regional and punched their ticket to Omaha.
A program that is clicking on all cylinders, LSU won their first five games of the NCAA Tournament with their pitching rotation coming alive as of late. A piece of the puzzle that was destined to doom them, it’s become one of reliability and consistency as of late.
But now the real fun begins. A College World Series bracket that is loaded with talent, the Tigers have a difficult task in front of them, but LSU knows what to expect. It’s now or never.
On LSU's side of the bracket is No. 1 Wake Forest, No. 9 Stanford, and SEC foe Tennessee. A Volunteers squad that came into the season with lofty expectations, they’re right where they expected to be with the Tigers in their way.
LSU will take on Tennessee in their College World Series opener at 6pm on Saturday following the Wake Forest vs. Stanford matchup.
A dive into the road to a title:
Tennessee Volunteers: 43-20, 16-14 (SEC)
The Volunteers entered the 2023 season with a championship or bust mentality and now they’re within arms reach of the ultimate goal. A program who has all the makings of handling business, they face an LSU squad who’s clicking at the right time.
At the plate, Tennessee boasts a .284 batting average. A top heavy lineup, inconsistency has plagued them throughout the season. Led by Griffin Merritt (.315 BA, 18 HR and 11 2B) and Christian Moore (.313 BA, 17 HR and 12 2B), they have their fair share of sluggers, but facing what will likely be Paul Skenes on the mound, it’ll be a challenge.
During Skenes’ first outing against the Volunteers, it was another masterclass showing from the National Player of the Year. It’s what LSU faithful expects at this point. Skenes went 7.0 innings, allowing five hits, one walk, and one earned run. He struck out 12 of his 25 batters faced on 107 pitches on the day.
On the mound, Tennessee has options. Against LSU during the regular season, the Volunteers went with Chase Dollander, Chase Burns and Drew Beam. Dollander was their ace for much of the season, but fast forward to Regionals and Super Regionals, the Volunteers gave the keys to Andrew Lindsey as their Game 1 starter.
The Volunteers boast the second best ERA in the country (3.57) and are second in the country in strikeouts per nine innings. With a reliable bullpen and starters to go deep into the game, Tennessee is as successful of a club as they come.
In what could be a rematch between Skenes and Dollander, Saturday night’s showdown will be must-see TV in Omaha. An SEC showdown with a chance to get into the winners bracket, both programs will be dialed in for a rowdy atmosphere in the opener.
The full 2023 College World Series bracket provided by the NCAA.
Wake Forest: 52-10, 22-7 (ACC)
The Demon Deacons are special. They’ve been destined to reach Omaha all season long with their sheer dominance at the plate. The No. 1 national seed for good reason, Wake Forest enters the College World Series with high odds to bring a title back home with them.
How good are they at the plate? It’s uncanny. Wake Forest has five players with a batting average over .340. Between those five guys? 84 home runs. This program rakes, and heading into the tournament, they’re scorching hot.
Led by Brock Wilken (.357 BA, 30 HR’s and 15 2B’s) and Nick Kurtz (.370 BA, 24 HR’s and 10 2B), the dynamic duo is a nightmare for opponents and will certainly look to have their way against Stanford in the opening round.
On the mound, once again, is more dominance. Wake Forest leads the nation in ERA, hits allowed per nine innings, tied for No. 1 in shutouts (tied with LSU) and No. 1 in strikeouts per nine innings. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Their ace all season long has been Rhett Lowder, and as he prepares for his final run with Wake Forest, it’s all or nothing. Lowder is a first round lock in the 2023 MLB Draft where he headlines a star-studded pitching rotation.
The Demon Deacons are the favorite heading into the College World Series and it’s for good reason. As special as they come, Wake Forest has everything one is looking for in a title caliber program.
Stanford: 44-18, 23-7 (PAC-12)
Speaking of star-studded rosters, Stanford is in the same category. Led by PAC-12 Player of the Year Alberto Rios and slugger Tommy Troy, the Cardinal are as consistent as they come at the plate with depth being their best friend. A three-headed snake of Rios, Troy and freshman Malcom Moore, there’s much to like about what Stanford brings to the table.
This program goes 1-9 at ease with production from just about the entire lineup on a routine basis. Stanford holds a .318 batting average with success in strength but overall consistency. From a power perspective, they ranked No. 11 in the country in homers, but are also effective at playing “small ball” and maximizing their opportunities.
On the mound, the Cardinal are led by PAC-12 Pitcher of the Year Quinn Matthews. The same Quinn Matthews who took the country by storm with his 156-pitch outing in Stanford’s elimination game against Texas.
Aside from Matthews, it’s a mixed bag for this program, they’ve gone with a variety of different starters all season long and hold a 5.75 team ERA. Coming into the tournament, it’ll be a battle for this squad as they enter a bracket against Wake Forest and LSU who both attain rosters that are offensive juggernauts.