The LSU baseball team had a late lead against the North Carolina Tar Heels in a decisive regional final game on Monday night, but it couldn’t maintain it.
The Tigers fell 4-3 in extra innings as their season came to an end just short of a berth in the super regionals. After the disappointing loss, coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] explained how he was proud of the team’s resiliency despite a disappointing end result.
“Just as I said, I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of great teams and go a little further than this, but my heart is full right now,” Johnson said per On3. “Like I said, I’m sad. I’m really sad. You know, I’d give anything to practice on Wednesday and get ready for super regionals at home. But it’s because of these guys. The resiliency, you know, you coach long enough you can understand maybe why we were where we were a little better than the average person.
“But to come out of it, like nobody does that. (UNC) might win it. They have the pieces to win the national title. They’re built for the ballpark in Omaha. They do a terrific job coaching. And we’re right there.”
Johnson said the biggest frustration will be knowing how close LSU was to winning the regional and hosting a super regional in Baton Rouge.
“It’s that close. And when you’re on the road against a great opponent, it’s a small margin for error,” Johnson said. “But in terms of how I remember this, I’m good. I got all the peace in the world right now about what these guys did. And I’m so proud.”
Johnson still continued to reiterate his pride in the team, despite the disappointing finish.
“We held the trophy last year and I am as equally proud of my team and our program today as I was that day,” Johnson said. “And where we were in the middle of SEC play to right now is one of the most gratifying coaching years of my entire life. I love these guys: the achievement, the accomplishment, I mean that’s obviously what we’re here to do. Literally means nothing to me, I have a broken heart just simply because I wanted to go to practice Wednesday and I love these guys.”
The Tigers did a good job of salvaging what looked like was going to be a very disappointing national title defense campaign, earning a No. 2 regional seed after an impressive run to close the regular season and in Hoover.
But now, LSU is back to the drawing board as it looks to return to Omaha in 2025.
Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno