LSU wins eighth National Championship behind Eyanson, Curiel performances

By Andrew Riedell

OMAHA, NE--The 75th edition of the College World Series in Omaha has come and gone, and for the eighth time in program history, LSU is the last team standing.

The Tigers swept through the tournament in dominant fashion, capping off the run with 1-0 and 5–3 victories over the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in the Finals. While many believed the Tigers had one of the easier paths to Omaha, they proved their strength by losing only one game en route to their eighth national title. Here is how it went down for the final time this season at Charles Schwab Field.

The Tigers took the field in their iconic gold jerseys on a beautiful yet scorching Sunday afternoon, while Coastal Carolina opted for their black tops, hoping to force a winner-take-all game on Monday.

Coastal had reason for confidence, sending their undefeated ace Jacob Morrison to the mound—boasting a 12–0 record and a 2.08 ERA. Morrison had stirred some buzz during Friday's media session by stating he had no admiration for the LSU team. LSU, meanwhile, was equally confident, starting Anthony Eyanson, who was well-rested after throwing just 50 pitches earlier against UCLA. All signs early pointed to a classic pitchers' duel.

In the top of the 1st inning, the Tigers went down quietly, aside from a single by Steven Milam. Morrison looked sharp out of the gate, clearly fueled by adrenaline as he consistently sat at 93–95 mph with his fastball. LSU starter Anthony Eyanson encountered similar early pressure.

After giving up a one-out single to Sebastian Alexander, Morrison recorded a strikeout for the second out, bringing Walker Mitchell to the plate. During the at-bat, Alexander stole second base, but a controversial strike call prompted Coastal head coach Kevin Schnall to come out of the dugout. After a brief exchange, home plate umpire Angel Campos appeared to issue a warning, then abruptly ejected Schnall from the game.

The moment stunned the entire press box. It was a game-altering decision that many there felt unprofessional and unnecessary. In the heat of the moment, an assistant coach was also ejected, an umpire fell to the ground, and the Coastal bench was left reeling.

After all the drama, LSU went down quietly in the 2nd inning. Coastal, however, struck first. Dean Mihos turned on a hanging curveball from Eyanson, launching it into the stiff 25 mph wind. The ball just cleared the right field wall and landed in the Coastal bullpen, giving the Chanticleers an early 1–0 lead. LSU responded quickly, and following a Daniel Dickinson single and sacrifice bunt by Michael Braswell, Ethan Frey stepped to the plate.

Frey ripped a 114 mph line drive off the left field wall, bringing home the tying run. Eyanson settled in after the solo homer, while Morrison began to unravel. In the top of the 4th, things fell apart. A walk to Jake Brown, a single by Jared Jones, and hit-batter Luis Hernandez loaded the bases with no outs for Chris Stanfield.

Stanfield delivered, lacing a two-run single into left-center to give LSU a 3–1 lead. Two batters later, Derek Curiel came up looking to extend the lead. He came through with a sharp single up the middle, driving in two more runs and stretching the Tigers’ advantage to 5–1 that chased Morrison.

The five runs were all the Tiger pitching staff needed on Sunday afternoon. Eyanson cruised through the middle innings but eventually ran into trouble in the 7th. After hitting the leadoff batter, he left a breaking ball up in the zone to Wells Sykes, who launched it over the left field wall and cut the Coastal deficit to 5–3.

That was as close as Coastal would get, though. LSU head coach Jay Johnson turned to 6'8" starter-turned-reliever Chase Shores to shut things down. Shores came in firing, sitting 98–100 mph and touching 101 multiple times over the final innings. He held the Chanticleers in check and sealed the College World Series title with a game-ending 5-4-3 double play.

Coach Johnson perhaps said it best post game: "It took the best team in the country to beat them. LSU is the best team in the country this year, not just the national champion."

Riedell's Final Thoughts:

Well, the 2025 season has officially come to an end, and this LSU team proved to be battle-tested. But make no mistake—they faced a very talented Coastal Carolina squad this weekend. After last year's regional loss in Chapel Hill, LSU had only 12 confirmed returning players. Credit goes to Johnson and his staff for masterfully rebuilding the roster through the transfer portal and getting major contributions from freshmen throughout the season.

Key additions like Eyanson, Stanfield, and Zac Cowan played pivotal roles in LSU’s run through Omaha. There's a reason LSU is considered The Powerhouse—they consistently bring in top-tier talent from both the portal and high school, and those players quickly buy into the program’s culture and expectations.

It's also significant that assistant coach Josh Jordan is staying with the program for at least another year. According to a source, he did not engage with Duke about their head coaching vacancy, allowing him to continue playing a vital role in LSU’s recruiting success.

All in all, the chase for title number nine begins now for the Tigers.

*****