MORGANTOWN — Listing the all-time accomplishments for the LSU baseball team is not a short research project.
Just know the Tigers dominated the 1990s with four national titles in that decade and then has added three more since 2000.
The biggest draw in professional baseball not named Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani is Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes, who was LSU’s ace during the 2023 national championship season.
West Virginia trying to compare its success against LSU’s would, “Be a challenge,” admitted WVU head coach Steve Sabins on Tuesday. “It’ll be a challenge in every area. They’ve been a top program in the nation, and they’ve been that way for 100 years.
“They have the best resources, the most NIL. They have the biggest fan base, the biggest TV deals, awesome network coverage, great coaching staffs and on and on.”
This is what the 24th-ranked Mountaineers (44-14) have heading into Saturday’s first game of their super-regional showdown with the No. 6 overall seeded Tigers: blinders.
“We don’t focus on the opposing teams very much,” Sabins continued. “By now, when you’re one of the final 16 teams playing in the nation, you’re not trying to convince guys that you can beat somebody.
“If you’re still trying to convince your team that you can win a game, you’re probably not playing any longer.”
If WVU, which will be facing LSU (46-15) for the first time ever, is short on its historical postseason resumé, these Mountaineers are long on not caring a whole lot about the past.
“The fun part is all of that extra stuff, like whatever LSU did last year or the previous year or their history or their accolades, none of that stuff matters once you get in between the line,” Sabins said. “It’s literally who can execute pitches and have great at-bats.”
Overall execution is where LSU has thrived this season.
Pitching? The Tigers are ranked sixth in the country with a team ERA of 3.73.
LSU breezed through the first two games of its regional by posting shutouts over Little Rock and Dallas Baptist.
Anthony Eyanson, a junior right-hander, will likely get the starting nod in Game 1 on Saturday. He’s 10-2 with a 2.50 ERA after transferring to LSU from UC San Diego this season.
In the regional, Eyanson made two appearances, combined for 9 1/3 innings and didn’t allow a run.
Defense? LSU is ranked ninth in the country in fielding percentage, having committed just 38 errors in 61 games.
Power? LSU’s 97 home runs are tied for 21st-most in the country with first baseman Jared Jones leading the way with 20.
If that sounds like a ton for a college baseball season, Jones is actually slacking. He had 28 dingers last season.
Sabins didn’t simply shrug those numbers off, he just doesn’t expect his players to be overwhelmed or intimidated by them.
“These guys know that they can beat anyone in the country, and they can match up with anyone in the country,” he said. “It’s just a matter of whether they do that day or execute on that day.
“Our team will go in with anybody we play for the remainder of the season believing we can win the game if we play good baseball.”
Note
Sabins said designated hitter Sam White and shortstop Brodie Kresser are both scheduled to play in the super regional.
White took a pitch to the ribs and Kresser took one to the kneecap in the 13-12 victory against Kentucky on Sunday.
“Both of those guys are not broken and they’re extremely tough,” Sabins said. “Sam White has the nastiest bruise I’ve ever seen on a human on his ribs. It is the size of a softball. I don’t know how his ribs aren’t broken.
“Kresser took a 95 mile-per-hour fastball to the kneecap and kept playing. They’re not feeling good today, I can assure you of that, but they’re not broken.”
