LSU Pulls Off Stunner, Knocking Out Oregon State To Reach CWS Final

"And #LSU's going back to the College World Series finals!" pic.twitter.com/uthl3VDUKK

— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) June 24, 2017

OMAHA—On the whiteboard stationed just inside the entrance of Louisiana State’s clubhouse in TD Ameritrade Park, welcoming the victorious Tigers back to their lockers was a message scrawled out in black and white by sophomore infielder Chris Reid.

“Welcome to the natty.”

LSU had on Saturday done the improbable, beating Oregon State, the No. 1 national seed, for the second straight day to advance to the College World Series finals out of the losers’ bracket. The Tigers (52-18) clinched their spot in the finals with a 6-1 victory, dealing the Beavers (56-6) their first back-to-back losses of the year.

LSU advances to the championship series for the first time since 2009, when it defeated Texas to win the national title. To get there, it had to knock off an Oregon State team that came to Omaha having lost just four times all season and will go down as one of the best teams in college baseball’s modern era.

“To lose four games the entire season and we beat them two days in a row, it’s hard to predict those things to happen,” coach Paul Mainieri said. “But that’s why you have to play the games and our kids embraced the challenge.”

LSU had to win three straight games while facing elimination after losing 13-1 on Monday to Oregon State. The Tigers climbed out of the losers’ bracket thanks in large part to their starting pitching. After lefthander Jared Poche’ and righthander Alex Lange delivered strong starts the last two games, it was sophomore righthander Caleb Gilbert’s turn Saturday.

Unlike battle-tested upperclassmen Lane and Poche’, Gilbert is not a veteran of LSU’s rotation. Before Saturday, which was his fifth start of the season, he said the biggest game he had pitched was when he came on in relief during super regionals. The sophomore was thrust into the spotlight after righthander Eric Walker, LSU’s third starter this season, left Monday’s loss with forearm tightness.

Gilbert more than proved to be up to the task, however. He threw 7.1 innings, striking out seven batters and limiting Oregon State to one run on two hits and a walk.

“It’s a surreal feeling to be able to pitch your team when their back’s against the wall in an elimination game into the College World Series final,” Gilbert said. “I just had all the faith in the world in my teammates and my coaching staff, and just really went out there and pitched my game, tried to attack early with a heater and get ahead and just trust my defense behind me.”

Gilbert’s start extended LSU’s string of outstanding starts while facing elimination. In three starts, Poche’, Lange and Gilbert combined to go 3-0, 1.99 with 19 strikeouts, 11 hits and seven walks in 22.2 innings.

Gilbert attacked hitters with a low-90s fastball and worked in his sharp slider. He was able to locate his fastball well, regularly working the outside of the plate—and beyond, as far as home plate umpire Greg Street was willing to call a strike. He struck out five batters the first time through the order, all looking, all on fastballs away.

“The ump was giving me a little bit here and there,” he said. “A couple balls off (the plate) and just really taking advantage of it and taking advantage of them being so patient.”

While Gilbert shut down the Beavers’ lineup, the Tigers went to work against righthander Bryce Fehmel, who surprisingly got the start instead of Drew Rasmussen. LSU jumped out to an early lead thanks to a three-run home run by Mike Papierski in the third inning. It was the first of three home runs the Tigers hit in the game, two of which came from the junior catcher. He became the first batter to homer twice in a CWS game since Bryan Holaday hit two homers for Texas Christian in 2010.

Papierski, a switch hitter, homered from both sides of the plate, the first time he had ever done so.

“I put some good swings on fastballs today,” he said. “And after that the wind helped a little bit.”

Having been staked to an early lead, Gilbert made sure it stood up. And after throwing a career-high 7.1 innings, he gave way to righthander Zack Hess for the final five outs. The Tigers’ freshman relief sensation was not as electric as he had been early in the tournament and gave up his first hit of the CWS, but closed out the victory and sent LSU to the finals.

Many did not expect LSU to reach the championship series after getting routed in its first game against Oregon State. But Mainieri said the Tigers always believed they could knock off the Beavers.

“We just needed to play up to our ability and have the kids start to loosen up and have some fun,” Mainieri said. “We did. We got great pitching performance yesterday from Alex and finished by Hess and today the same thing, Gilbert followed by Hess.

“If you pitch well, you’ve got a chance to win. It’s that simple.”