BATON ROUGE, La. — A double-digit winning streak and a trip to the College World Series are nothing new for LSU.
Yet experience tells the Tigers (51-16) — whose 10 straight victories have given them the most wins in the nation — that what may look like unstoppable momentum gets tougher to maintain as a team advances deeper in the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s always good to have a winning streak, but that could end Saturday,” said LSU slugger Blake Dean, referring to LSU’s CWS opener against Virginia. “It’s not all that important. Obviously, you know that you’re playing well, you’re rolling and you’ve got the momentum, but I don’t think it’s too big of a factor.”
As LSU left for Omaha on Thursday, some players weren’t ready to assert that the Tigers’ recent postseason surge was the sign of a team peaking at the right time.
The Tigers’ pitching has been impressive, led by starters Louis Coleman (13-2, 2.76 ERA, 124 strikeouts) and Anthony Ranaudo (10-3, 2.95, 147). Their hitting has come and gone, however, forcing the Tigers to pull out some nail-biters recently as they seek the program’s sixth national title and first since 2000.
“I don’t think we’ve peaked yet at all,” said Ryan Schimpf, who has batted .335 with 19 home runs and 63 RBIs while taking turns playing left field and first base.
In the middle of the 2008 season, LSU was no lock to make the NCAA Tournament. Then came a 20-game winning streak spanning the remainder of the regular season and the Southeastern Conference Tournament. The streak increased to 23 as LSU swept the regional round. But Cal-Irvine halted the streak with an 11-5 victory in the opener of the super regional. Although LSU rallied for two straight wins to advance to Omaha, the Tigers lasted only three more games before their elimination, leaving them 3-3 in their final six contests.
“Last year we might have peaked too early,” Schimpf said. “But we still have our best baseball yet to come. Pitching has really kept us in a ton of games, and that’s been the key for us. If we can go to Omaha and get them some more run support, that will be terrific.”
College World Series
A look at the eight teams competing in the College World Series. The double-elimination games start Saturday at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha. (Coaches’ records at current schools through super regionals):
TEXAS (46-14-1) CWS seed: 1
Coach: Augie Garrido (563-267-2, 13th season).
Road to Omaha: Won Austin regional: beat Army 3-1; beat Boston College 3-2 in 25 innings; beat Army 14-10. Won Austin super regional: beat TCU 10-4; lost to TCU 3-2; beat TCU 5-2.
Last CWS appearance: 2005.
All-time record in CWS: 78-53 (33rd appearance, six titles).
CAL STATE FULLERTON (47-14) CWS seed: 2.
Coach: Dave Serrano (88-36, second season).
Road to Omaha: Won Fullerton regional: beat Utah 18-2; beat Gonzaga 7-4; beat Utah 16-3. Won Fullerton super regional: beat Louisville 12-0; beat Louisville 11-2.
Last CWS appearance: 2007.
All-time record in CWS: 34-25 (16th appearance, four titles).
LSU (51-16) CWS seed: 3.
Coach: Paul Mainieri (129-61-2, third season).
Road to Omaha: Won Baton Rouge regional: beat Southern 10-2; beat Baylor 3-2 in 10 innings; beat Minnesota 10-3. Won Baton Rouge super regional: beat Rice 12-9; beat Rice 5-3.
Last CWS appearance: 2008.
All-time record in CWS: 30-19 (15th appearance, five titles).
NORTH CAROLINA (47-16) CWS seed: 4.
Coach: Mike Fox (499-206-1, 11th season).
Road to Omaha: Won Chapel Hill regional: beat Dartmouth 5-2; beat Coastal Carolina 14-5; beat Kansas 5-1. Won Chapel Hill super regional: beat East Carolina 10-1; beat East Carolina 9-3.
Last CWS appearance: 2008.
All-time record in CWS: 18-16 (eighth appearance, no titles).
ARIZONA STATE (49-12) CWS seed: 5.
Coach: Pat Murphy (627-282-1, 15th season).
Road to Omaha: Won Tempe regional: beat Kent State 17-6; beat Oral Roberts 4-1; beat Oral Roberts 8-3. Won Tempe super regional: beat Clemson 7-4; beat Clemson 8-2.
Last CWS appearance: 2007.
All-time record in CWS: 59-34 (21st appearance, five titles).
VIRGINIA (48-13-1) CWS seed: 6.
Coach: Brian O’Connor (264-102-1, sixth season).
Road to Omaha: Won Irvine regional: beat San Diego State 5-1; beat Cal Irvine 5-0; beat Cal Irvine 4-1. Won Oxford super regional: lost to Mississippi 4-3 in 12 innings; beat Mississippi 4-3; beat Mississippi 5-1.
Last CWS appearance: First appearance.
ARKANSAS (39-22) CWS seed: 7.
Coach: Dave Van Horn (274-156, seventh season).
Road to Omaha: Won Norman regional: beat Washington State 10-3; beat Oklahoma 17-6; beat Oklahoma 11-0. Won Tallahassee super regional: beat Florida State 7-2; beat Florida State 9-8.
Last CWS appearance: 2004.
All-time record in CWS: 7-10 (sixth appearance, no titles).
SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI (40-24) CWS seed: 8.
Coach: Corky Palmer (458-279, 12th season).
Road to Omaha: Won Atlanta regional: beat Elon 17-15; beat Georgia Tech 10-7; lost to Georgia Tech 10-3; beat Georgia Tech 12-8. Won Gainesville super regional: beat Florida 9-7; beat Florida 7-6.
Last CWS appearance: First appearance.
The Associated Press
