The LSU Tigers are once again the kings of Division I college baseball.
The sixth-seeded Tigers used a four-run fourth inning and a solid performance from starting pitcher Anthony Eyanson (MLB Pipeline's No. 66 Draft prospect) to defeat 13th-seeded Coastal Carolina on Saturday, 5-3, and secure the program's second College World Series title in three years.
The championship is LSU's fourth this century -- the most in the nation -- and eighth in program history. That trails only the 12 championships won by the University of Southern California. The Tigers' roster boasted six players on MLB Pipeline's Top 200 Draft prospects, the most of any team that made it to Omaha.
Left-handed starter Kade Anderson, Pipeline's No. 3 Draft prospect who threw a shutout in Game 1 on Saturday, was named the College World Series' Most Outstanding Player. The possible No. 1 pick in this year's Draft, Anderson earns the honor two years after former LSU ace Paul Skenes did the same just a few weeks before the Pirates selected him No. 1 overall in 2023.
The Chanticleers, who led Division I with 56 wins this season, had the pitcher they wanted on the mound for this do-or-die game: Golden Spikes Award semifinalist Jacob Morrison. He had allowed just 11 earned runs in his past nine starts, but the Tigers got to the 6-foot-8 right-hander for five runs in 3 2/3 innings.
That pivotal fourth inning was highlighted by two-run singles from center fielder Chris Stanfield and left fielder Derek Curiel. The latter knock marked the end of Morrison's afternoon.
That was enough support for Eyanson. He followed Anderson's masterpiece with nine strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings Sunday. Eyanson's three earned runs came off of two homers -- a solo shot by designated hitter Dean Mihos in the second inning and a two-run dinger by center fielder Wells Sykes in the seventh.
But the righty didn't allow any other baserunners to advance past second base.
Sykes' homer came on Eyanson's 99th and final pitch. Right-hander Chase Shores (MLB Pipeline's No. 85 Draft prospect) then came out of LSU's bullpen and did the rest. Firing triple-digit fastballs and mid-80s sliders, Shores struck out four batters and gave up only one hit over the final 2 2/3 scoreless innings.