Tag: 2023 College World Series

Who is singing the national anthem for Rangers-Diamondbacks in Game 1 of the World Series?

The Texas Rangers are hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday for Game 1 of the World Series.

The Texas Rangers are hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday for Game 1 of the World Series, where the Diamondbacks are playing for their first Commissioner’s Trophy since 2001 while the Rangers are going for their first ever.

But before the National League and American League champions face off in Game 1 at Globe Life Field, H.E.R. will perform the national anthem, per Major League Baseball.

The 26-year-old singer and song writer — whose given name is Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson and whose stage name is an acronym for “Having Everything Revealed” — is a Grammy Award and Academy Award winner, and she previously has performed at major events, including Super Bowl LV.

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12 Men’s College World Series standouts who could be picked in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft

Dylan Crews and Paul Skenes aren’t the only big names from Omaha likely to be picked Sunday night.

The 2023 MLB Draft is nearly upon us, and it features one of the best groups of collegiate prospects in recent memory.

The group is headlined by Dylan Crews and Paul Skenes, who have been widely projected all year to be the first and second overall picks (in varying orders). The LSU stars led the Tigers to their seventh national championship last month.

They’re not the only draft prospects who showed out in Omaha. Others — such as Florida’s Wyatt Langford, who is becoming a late dark horse to be the first pick — are likely to hear their name’s called during the first round on Sunday night.

Here’s a rundown of some of the players who made a name for themselves in Omaha and could be selected in the first round of the draft.

5 MLB veterans (Eric Karros!) with sons in the 2023 draft

 

Alex Milazzo reveals Jay Johnson’s message to him about staying at LSU in 2023

If you are going to win a national championship, it will take some unsung heroes to get the job done.

If you are going to win a national championship, it will take some unsung heroes to get the job done. [autotag]Alex Milazzo[/autotag] is a guy that fits that mold.

Milazzo thought about transferring out of LSU after only playing in 12 games in 2022 and only hitting .227 in 22 at-bats. Instead, [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] convinced him to stay, and the Tigers could not have won a championship without him.

[autotag]Hayden Travinski[/autotag] was used as the main catcher for most of the year and he was on a hot streak entering Omaha, but then he suffered an injury. Milazzo had to step up on the biggest stage of them all, and he did just that. He was 4-for-15 (.267) with two RBI. He scored two runs in the winner-take-all Game 3 against Florida.

He gave his all for LSU as he fractured his shin scoring to extend the Tigers’ lead.

Yet another story of a guy that took a bet on himself and is now a national champion forever.

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LSU’s Jay Johnson named ABCA National Coach of the Year

Jay Johnson is racking up the accolades after leading the Tigers to a national title.

After leading the LSU Tigers baseball team to a national title in his second year at the helm, coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] is adding another accolade to his collection.

On Sunday, Johnson was named the National Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association. Johnson was also named Coach of the Year last week by Collegiate Baseball.

Johnson led the Tigers to a 54-17 record in 2023 while leading the preseason No. 1 team in the country to a national title. In two years in Baton Rouge, Johnson has a 94-39 overall record with a 13-4 mark in NCAA tournament games, capped off by an 18-4 win in Game 3 of the championship series against Florida.

Johnson has made three College World Series appearances in his career, capturing his first title this season. In 2016 at Arizona, his team was the national runner-up.

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2023 MLB Draft: LSU’s Paul Skenes slight favorite to go No. 1 ahead of teammate Dylan Crews

Oddsmakers like two LSU Tigers to go back-to-back to start the 2023 MLB Draft.

The LSU Tigers have plenty to be excited about after winning the 2023 College World Series over Florida.

However, there might be one Tiger who’s just a bit more excited than the other as the 2023 MLB Draft approaches next month.

Right now, LSU pitcher Paul Skenes is projected to go first overall in the draft. His Tigers teammate, outfielder Dylan Crews, is slated to go second.

Per DraftKings, oddsmakers have Skenes as a -225 favorite to go first overall next month to the Pittsburgh Pirates, while Crews is +170 to be selected first. He’s a likely fit for the Washington Nationals, who hold the draft’s second pick.

LSU pitcher Ty Floyd is also expected to be picked in an earlier round during next month’s draft.

As for the Gators, they’ll be able to celebrate the impending selection of outfielder Wyatt Langford, who has +2000 odds to go first but could be a fit for the Detroit Tigers with the draft’s third-overall pick.

LSU baseball found a way to meet every expectation in 2023

Jay Johnson and LSU met sky-high expectations this season.

A couple of weeks before LSU baseball began what would become its first championship season since 2009, I wrote about Jay Johnson assembling a dream team.

I wrote about how rare it was for “dream teams” to meet expectations, how the preseason favorite often isn’t hoisting the trophy at the end, and how challenging it is to go wire-to-wire.

This roster was one of the most talented the sport has ever seen. We knew that before games were even played. A combination of homegrown talent gelling as upperclassmen paired with elite additions in the portal made LSU a force to be reckoned with.

The expectations were sky-high.

And LSU met every single one.

There were times when it looked like LSU wouldn’t do it. It slipped from No. 1 as the bullpen struggled and other inconsistencies arose in conference play. Again, in Omaha, LSU did it the hard way out of the losers’ bracket.

This wasn’t the dominant team some thought would just roll through the sport. Not because LSU wasn’t that good, but because that’s not how this works. It’s not easy to win a title no matter how talented you may be.

The pressure could have gotten to LSU this year, but Jay Johnson’s group didn’t let it. LSU embraced the stage.

When the chatter is that loud, that’s the only thing you can do. When you have a roster with the first two projected draft picks playing for the biggest brand in college baseball, you’re going to get attention.

There’s a lot to say about the work Johnson did this year. He did good work in the transfer portal and knew exactly what buttons to push with the pitching staff in the playoffs, but more impressive than anything, he kept this team moving forward.

Johnson, who had plenty of pressure on himself, knew what he had in this team. He just let them go out, have fun, and play. And because of it, LSU delivered.

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Cade Beloso: A story of perseverance

They call him the Creole Bambino. He is the inventor of the “belly bomb.” He was a pivotal part of this LSU championship run, and he almost didn’t play this season.

They call him the Creole Bambino. He is the inventor of the “belly bomb.”

[autotag]Cade Beloso[/autotag] was a pivotal part of this LSU championship run. And he almost didn’t play this season.

Beloso was a member of Paul Maineri’s 2018 recruiting class, which was ranked as the No. 1 class in the country. Beloso was not the big star of the class, either. He was not a headliner who everyone thought would be the best LSU player ever. He was just a kid from John Curtis High School in New Orleans who had always dreamed of being an LSU Tiger.

He grew up watching LSU legends and he would go to Alex Box Stadium and try to get autographs from all of them. As a freshman at LSU, Beloso had a .279 batting average with 10 homers and 52 RBI.

Not too shabby in the SEC.

He was off to a hot start in his sophomore campaign before COVID-19 happened. Then, the whole world came to a halt.

 

Life changed for everyone when COVID hit, and Beloso’s first season after was his worst year as a Tiger. He had a .226 batting average in 51 games. He was in a slump of the worst variety.

Prior to last season, there was a lot of buzz surrounding Beloso having an incredible comeback year. Then there was another setback. In the pregame huddle before the first game of the season, Beloso tore his ACL and meniscus.

He had to have season-ending surgery right away. Cade became an advocate for mental health.

“If you’re not okay… see somebody. The human body is not geared to hold all of that inside you because it creates this great deal of pressure and one day it’s all gonna explode,” he said. “It’s okay to talk about your feelings and it’s okay to express yourself.”

After having his worst statistical year at LSU and then having surgery for a torn ACL and meniscus. Cade could have folded. He could have hung the cleats up and chosen a different path in life, but he decided to come back for one more year.

Beloso wasn’t a starter to begin the season. He split time with freshman [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag]. By the time April rolled around, Beloso had cemented himself as one of the best hitters in the lineup and a guy that should be playing every day.

On a team full of star players — [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag], [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag], [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag], etc. — it was Beloso who came through when the Tigers needed a hero the most.

During Game 1 of the CWS finals against Florida, we entered the 11th inning tied as both teams’ pitchers tossed a masterpiece. It felt as if one swing would be the deciding factor of the game. Beloso led off that inning and on a 0-1 count, he provided that swing. Cade Fisher served up a 93 MPH fastball and Beloso didn’t miss it.

The Tigers didn’t get the win in game two that they hoped for, but that set the stage for a winner-take-all game three on Monday night. Jay Johnson made a lineup change prior to the first pitch and instead of batting Golden Spikes winner, Crews first, Beloso was penciled in as the leadoff hitter.

Beloso went 2-for-5 with two RBI and two HBP (hit by pitch). On the biggest stage of them all, Beloso hit 10-for-27 (.370) in the College World Series with two homers and eight RBI. The kid from New Orleans lived out his dream of playing for the LSU Tigers and winning a national championship.

“I just love it here so much,” he said. “I thank God for blessing me with the ability to play here for five years. I would take all the ups and downs 10 years in a row. I would do this all over again in a heartbeat. I’m embracing all of the emotions.”

Two of Cade’s last messages to Tiger fans were, “Don’t dream, set goals.” and “Go Tigers, I love you, and I hope I represented you guys the right way.”

Beloso is a player who did it all the right way, carrying himself the right way and giving credit to whom it was deserved. He is the embodiment of an LSU Tiger, and he ended the season as a champion.

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Check out the staggering TV ratings for LSU baseball’s national championship win

The Tigers captured the seventh national title in program history on as big a stage as college baseball has ever seen.

The television ratings are in for LSU baseball’s victory over Florida in the College World Series final, and like with the Tigers’ record-setting women’s basketball title game, the numbers demonstrate that the game continues to grow.

More than 8 million people watched this weekend’s series on TV, with Game 3 of the championship series being viewed by 3.586 million people alone. For reference, the most-watched game of last year’s championship series was viewed by only 1.9 million people with a tournament average of 1.1 million viewers.

That’s especially impressive considering Games 2 and 3 were not particularly competitive, with the Gators and Tigers winning both in respective blowouts. Despite the rout in the rubber match (and the fact that it was on a Monday night, viewership soared.

The tournament in Omaha also set an attendance record with LSU fans comprising a sizable proportion.

It was certainly a College World Series LSU fans will never forget, and the Tigers captured the seventh national title in program history on as big a stage as college baseball has ever seen.

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LSU’s final record-obliterating tally at the Rocco’s CWS Jell-O Shot Challenge

Worldwide Jell-O shortages are being reported in the wake of LSU fans’ dominant showing in Omaha.

The 2023 college baseball season came to an end on Monday night, and sadly, that means so does this year’s College World Series Jell-O Shot Challenge at Rocco’s Pizza in Omaha.

In addition to capturing a title on the diamond, LSU blew away the competition in the Jell-O Shot Challenge. Fans from the bayou shattered the record set by Ole Miss fans last spring days ago, but the Tiger faithful continued to bump the number up, apparently with the intent of setting an unbreakable record.

If that were the case, I feel pretty comfortable saying “Mission Accomplished.”

The previous record was just shy of 19,000. LSU’s final total after 10 days in Omaha? 68,888.

While the Jell-O Shot Challenge is always secondary to the baseball being played at Charles Schwab Stadium, it’s nice to come away with a clean sweep in the festivities in Omaha.

LSU managed to do just that after capturing national title No. 7 — and a Jell-O shot crown, to boot.

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Jay Johnson said this LSU squad will be remembered among greatest teams in history

Jay Johnson thinks this LSU team will be remembered for a lot more than ending a 14-year title drought.

LSU captured the seventh national championship in program history on Monday night, dominating Florida 18-4 in a decisive Game 3 to end a 14-year wait to get back to the mountaintop.

But this team is a lot more than just one of seven, at least according to head coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag]. After the game, he said this LSU squad will be remembered as one of the greatest in the history of the sport.

“I really believe this will go down in one of the best teams in college baseball history,” Johnson said per On3. “So consistent in the regular season. I think the SEC Tournament is the only week of the year we had a losing record, if you think about that. Not only one losing week for an entire regular season. 11 wins in the postseason, six of them against SEC teams. And I really believe we played and beat every team, the best team that we could have played along the way throughout the entire tournament at that spot.”

LSU spent much of the year as the No. 1 team and knocked the only other team to be ranked in the top spot, Wake Forest, out of the tournament. The Tigers also had to beat the No. 2 seed in the Gators in a three-game series.

There have been a lot of great teams to dogpile in Omaha — including several that wore the purple and gold — but Johnson certainly has an argument to make about this year’s squad.

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