The championship trophy appeared behind the Rosenblatt Stadium backstop with LSU still needing three outs to claim it, but with a seven-run lead the bold Tigers fans in the first few rows starting snapping photos of the soon-to-be Baton Rouge-bound hardware.
Then, the fans readied their cameras again, as Louis Coleman struck out the side and the LSU pitcher who, like his senior teammates missed the university’s graduation ceremony because of a baseball conflict, led the team in a time-honored commencement tradition.
Only instead of a mortarboard, Coleman chucked his glove some 20-feet high before his catcher, Micah Gibbs, tackled him in front of the mound and the less traditional graduation tradition of a mosh pit ensued. And Coleman’s glove quickly became an afterthought as the Tigers celebrated their sixth national championship, besting Texas 11-4 Wednesday night to take the College World Series final two games to one.
“I don’t care,” the jubilant SEC Pitcher of the Year said. “I hope I lost it.”
As always, the offensive catalyst for LSU was junior right-fielder Jared Mitchell, the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. After taking a changeup on the inner half of the plate for a strike early in his first-inning at bat, Mitchell hoped he’d see the pitch again. It came on a 2-2 count, and after a ferocious cut, the ball landed well beyond the right-field fence, seemingly halfway to the zoo across the street, giving the Tigers a 3-0 lead.
The mostly LSU partisan bleachers roared for an unorthodox mid-inning curtain call, but Mitchell was happy to acknowledge the fans’ insatiable appetite for recognition with a wave of his cap. The fans realized that, win or lose, this likely would be the last time Mitchell, a first-round pick of the White Sox, would put on a Tigers uniform.
And thus the PINGs of Omaha fell silent, until next year….
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It seems from what I've read like it was a fairly exciting WS, but those pings make it impossible for me to watch. That one little change - from a crack to a ping - makes college ball feel like a completely different (and inferior) sport. Like MLB versus Olympic baseball or even baseball of any stripe versus softball.
I enjoy the ping. It is a different sport, more high scoring, always a batter away from a big inning. It is what it is.
But the drama and the excitement made it a fun game to watch.
Spoken like a true pitcher. An infielder would keep an eye out for it when they disengage the pile.
Jordan Danks is pegged as the center fielder of the future. As long as that doesn't curse him, Mitchell will probably be set for a corner spot.
Danks also has a shot to be the designated "leadoff man," so they should be able to keep an open mind on Mitchell's development.
Lefty, real deceptive motion...only sits 88-90 with his fastball, but has a change he throws for strikes and a slurvy breaking ball. Pretty sure he could LOOGY in the majors right now, and he's only a freshman.
geaux LSU! (alma mater)
monday's game was a corker.
The White Sox let Josh Fields, another former first round pick, swing and miss away all throughout the minor leagues. They never struck me as an organization that abhors the strikeout at the expense of power.
No ####. HYCHACYAHCYAHCYAHCA
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