If you’ve never experienced college baseball at its finest, Monday night presents you with a golden opportunity with the finale of the College World Series, in which the Louisiana State University (LSU) Tigers and the University of Florida Gators will face off from Omaha, Neb.
Let me tell you a little about this year’s series, although I can’t promise to be unbiased at all. The Gators and the Tigers are Southeastern Conference (SEC) rivals, although they didn’t face each other in SEC play this season until the College World Series. The Gators are also a fierce rival to my University of Georgia Bulldogs, so naturally, they’re the villains in the telling of this tale. The Bulldogs’ new coach is Wes Johnson, who is currently the pitching coach at LSU, which gives me another reason to root for the Bayou Bengals over the Gators.
The two teams have nearly identical records in 2023, and obviously, they’ve had successful seasons if they’ve made it this far into the postseason. But the two teams couldn’t be much more different in terms of how they carry themselves. The Gators look like a team of polished, clean-cut kids — I’ll call them what they look like to me: entitled pretty boys. On the other hand, the Tigers look a little more, shall we say, working-class; they’re rough around the edges, and a couple of their heavy hitters are even pudgy.
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Contrast some of the big stars from either team. Florida’s first baseman Jac Caglianone is a pretty face with a cannon for an arm — especially when he slammed his helmet in the dugout after getting thrown out at first base during Saturday’s game — who is expected to be a superstar in Major League Baseball in the coming years. Right-handed pitcher Hurston Waldrep is quite the hurler, while outfielder Wyatt Langford has made a name for himself without being flashy or drawing attention to himself off the field.
LSU outfielder Dylan Crews won the Golden Spikes award for 2023 and is expected to go first in the Major League Baseball draft, while star right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes will likely start on Monday if he’s healthy enough. Third baseman Tommy White has hit clutch home runs just when the team needed him, while designated hitter/first baseman Cade Beloso blasted a game-winning homer in the 11th inning of Saturday night’s game. Both White and Beloso are big guys, so it’s fun to watch them swing the bat.
Florida cruised through its bracket, but the Tigers had to fend off a tough Wake Forest team, including an 11th-inning walk-off homer by White to finish off the Demon Deacons and make their way into the finals. It’s been these first two final games that have generated the most excitement.
Saturday night’s game was an exciting and satisfying back-and-forth contest that culminated in Beloso’s round-tripper in the top of the 9th inning and LSU winding up on top. Sunday night’s game was a show of Gator domination, with four Florida homers and an astonishing final score of 24-4. The dreaded Gators emerged victorious, setting a record for the largest margin of victory in College World Series history.
All of this sets us up for Monday night’s finale. A championship series that goes down to the wire is the stuff that makes sports media salivate, but after this weekend’s slate of exhilarating games, all eyes are on Omaha. If Skenes can pitch for LSU, even if he only goes two or three innings, the Tigers stand a good chance of winning. If Skenes isn’t on the mound, all bets are off, and it’s anybody’s game.
College baseball is one of America’s most underrated sports, and tonight’s finale is a great way to get your feet wet if you’ve never watched it before. ESPN+ will air it tonight at 7 p.m. Eastern. I’ll be watching and yelling, “GEAUX TIGERS!”
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