by Joey Papania
LSUsports.net
It never fails. Every year before the start of the college baseball season, my family and friends profess their infinite baseball knowledge upon me. They pull me aside and explain how LSU head coach Skip Bertman and the LSU baseball program have had their day in the sun, they can’t possibly match their past success. I don’t know why.
I just humor them and wait for the season to begin, because every year the Tigers find a way to win. Every year the Tigers find their way into the top 10. Every year the Tigers find themselves hosting a regional tournament. And every year the Tigers find themselves with an opportunity to advance to Omaha, Nebraska. It never fails.
The Tigers began the 2000 campaign strong winning the first six games of the season. However, LSU then dropped the next five, including a three-game sweep at the hands of the Houston Cougars who are currently ranked No. 5 in the nation according to Baseball America.
After dropping two out of three in the opening SEC series against Georgia, the 2000 Tigers matched the worst 20-game start in head coach Skip Bertman‘s tenure with a 12-8 record. The 1984 team, Bertman’s first year with LSU, also began the season 12-8. The ’84 club finished the year with a 32-23 record and without advancing to the post season.
But this year’s team responded to their early struggles. The Tigers rattled off wins in 17 of the next 19 games and captured the SEC Western Division title and the SEC Tournament title. Currently, LSU is riding a seven game win streak and holds a 46-17 overall record.
“We knew we had the talent on the mound and in the field, it was just a matter of when it was going to happen for us,” said Blair Barbier, LSU’s 2000 team captain. “We knew if we stayed with it we would eventually start playing well. We stuck with it and it did.”
The Tigers are making their second straight appearance in the newly formed Super Regional Tournament. The University of Alabama eliminated the Tigers in the Super Regional last season in Tuscaloosa. Last year was the first time since 1995 that LSU did not make it back to the College World Series. This year’s team returned six starting position players from the 1999 club, and they remember all too well the frustration of last season.
“Last year was a big disappointment,” said Barbier. “When your main goal is to get to Omaha, but you get beat in the Super Regional, it leaves a bitter taste. We’re ready to play, and it is big for us to have the games at the Box. It gives us a little bit of an edge.”
The home field advantage bodes well for the Tigers. The LSU baseball program holds a 45-8 overall record in NCAA Tournament games held in Alex Box Stadium. Of the 12 Regional Tournaments held in Baton Rouge, LSU has advanced in all but two. But what makes LSU so successful at home?
“No team in America plays in front of a bigger crowd than will play here (at Alex Box Stadium). We have the biggest crowds in the country,” LSU head coach Skip Bertman said. “So the best thing we can do, better than the heat, is to get 8,000 people in the stadium on Friday night and 8,000 people here at 3:00 on Saturday. That’s the best home field advantage we have, other than that the bases are 90 feet, the fences are the same, and the umpires are the same. I don’t think there’s much edge with the exception of the crowd.”
The Tigers may need every advantage they can get. In order to advance to the College World Series, LSU will have to get through the UCLA Bruins. The only time the two teams have ever met was during the 1988 Busch Challenge II at the Superdome in New Orleans with the Tigers claiming a 7-1 victory.
“You can look at it both ways,” explained Tiger senior Brad Cresse. “We don’t know much about them, but they don’t know much about us. We play in the toughest conference in the nation, so we’re ready for any quality competition, and I think we’re going to face the best.”
The 2000 UCLA team is currently ranked No. 16 according to Baseball America, and boasts a 32-24 overall record. The Bruins two top pitchers, lefthander Rob Henkel and right-hander Josh Karp, should be high picks in the upcoming major league draft. Karp is a strong candidate to be the No. 1 pick in the 2001 draft.
However, as impressive as their staff and their record may be, the Bruins struggled at times throughout the year.
“There is no team in America, with the exception of South Carolina, that didn’t struggle this year,” Bertman said. “That includes Miami (Fla.), Florida State, LSU, Stanford, and all the top teams. UCLA has to play the University of Southern California, Arizona State, and Arizona six times each. I think they have more talent than any team in the Southeastern Conference. You see, California baseball is a lot different than the baseball (LSU) plays, but not at UCLA. They play American league baseball the way (LSU) did in ’97 and ’98. They have strong pitching, they don’t base run that much, they play good defense, but that’s not their best suit.”
The Tigers and the Bruins will definitely provide a competitive and entertaining series. The road to Omaha is never an easy one, but the difficulty is what makes achieving the ultimate college baseball goal so sweet.
“After four years you learn to utilize that pressure to your advantage. It’s always tough, and we want to get back to Omaha especially since we didn’t get their last year. We always play to win.”