LSU, Coastal Carolina bring ‘worthy’ resumes into title series

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LSU is seeking its second national Men’s College World Series championship in three years and its eighth overall.

Coastal Carolina is looking to extend its 26-game winning streak and win its second MCWS title.

The No. 6 seed Tigers (51-15) and the No. 13 seed Chanticleers (56-11) are heavyweights that will open their best-of-three championship series Saturday night in Omaha, Neb.

“Two worthy opponents in the College World Series,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said Friday, adding that Coastal Carolina is “probably the best team that we’ve played this year.”

“It will make for excellent baseball,” Johnson said. “I think if you’re at this point in the NCAA tournament, you’ve been battle-tested. I don’t believe there’s anything we have not seen. What I mean by that is high-level pitching, high-level bullpen, high-level defense, offenses with speed, power, hitting skills, know how to play the game, move the offense.”

Both teams swept through three games to win their brackets and have been off since Wednesday. But Johnson has more flexibility with his starting pitching than Coastal Carolina coach Kevin Schnall as the series gets under way.

On Friday, Johnson wouldn’t name his starting pitcher for Game 1, but both of his top two starters are available. Ace left-hander Kade Anderson hasn’t pitched since last Saturday when he threw seven innings in a 4-1 victory against Arkansas.

Freshman right-hander Anthony Eyanson threw just 44 pitches Monday night before rain caused the suspension of a 9-5 victory against UCLA, which was completed Tuesday. Johnson used four pitchers but didn’t need Anderson or Eyanson in a 6-5 victory against Arkansas on Wednesday night.

Schnall said he will start right-hander Cameron Flukey, who threw four innings in relief, allowing two hits and two runs, in Coastal Carolina’s 7-4 opening victory against Arizona on June 13.

Riley Eikhoff (7-2) started the opener, throwing 45 pitches, and started and threw 98 pitches in an 11-3 victory against Louisville on Wednesday.

“We have extreme confidence in everything that we do on both sides of the ball,” Chanticleers catcher Caden Bodine said. “I think at the end of the day we take care of business on our side and just really respect the opponent. But honestly playing Coastal baseball is the way to win.”

Bodine described “Coastal baseball” as “just playing short game, playing quality at-bats, throwing competitive strikes and just having timely hitting.”

The Chanticleers have not lost in their two appearances in the MCWS. They swept a super regional at LSU on their way to an undefeated run in the 2016 MCWS.

–Field Level Media