Editor’s note: This weekend, the 1996 LSU baseball team will hold a 20-year reunion celebrating its College World series title. Members of the team will be recognized on the field of Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field prior to the Saturday, April 23 game vs. Mississippi State.
The 20 years that have passed since second baseman Warren Morris hit the most famous home run in college baseball history haven’t diminished the memories created by the legendary blast.
“A week doesn’t go by without someone bringing up that game to me,” said Morris, whose two-run, walk-off homer lifted LSU to a 9-8 win over Miami (Fla.) in the 1996 College World Series championship game in Omaha, Neb. “They share where they were, what they were doing, and how much they loved seeing us win. I’m still amazed how people remember so many details about what was going on and who they were with as they watched us play our final game. It was an incredible season and an incredible team.”
“I still get goosebumps every time I see it,” said pitcher Eddie Yarnall, the ace of the Tigers’ 1996 staff. “That year and that moment when the ball went over the fence was the most exciting time in my baseball career. Over the past 20 years, I’ve seen on a regular basis people who recall that day vividly, and I feel like no matter who I meet, they are not a stranger, but a part of that team and that moment. For our team to have had such an impact upon the community is very special.”
The ’96 Tigers were a veteran club with several players who had been in coach Skip Bertman‘s program for three, four, even five, years. That experience translated into a remarkable year, especially in the postseason, where the Tigers swept their eight games in the NCAA Regional and College World Series.
“The 1996 team had many four and five-year guys that were educated by Coach Bertman,” said designated hitter Brad Wilson, who was on third base when Morris launched the iconic home run. “It was a true team, players that picked each other up, believed in each other and battled together.”
“We were tough and resilient, especially mentally tough,” said shortstop Jason Williams. “We refused to lose, and we knew what it took to win a national championship. We had the will and heart of a champion. We were fighters.”
“The ’96 team was special because it was a veteran team, but most importantly, that team had great chemistry,” said leftfielder Chad Cooley. “Most of us played three or four years together, and you can’t coach or teach that. Obviously, we had great coaching, so we knew we were going to go deep into the playoffs and make a run at the national championship, and the rest is history. Literally.”
Catcher Tim Lanier remembered that Bertman stressed the principle of the “Best 9” being greater than the “9 Best,” meaning a cohesive lineup of nine complementary players would win over a collection of nine talented, but not necessarily unified, individuals.
“For example, the University of Miami was much more talented 1 through 9 than we were,” Lanier said when recounting the ’96 title game. “Yet, we as a team always seemed to find a way to win. When someone was having an off game, then another person was there to pick that person up. We were the ‘Best 9’ in talent and mentality. That forced us to trust and rely on each other more than other teams. I think that was the difference-maker.”
“The team was made up of some of the most enjoyable, dedicated, successful, and yet crazy men,” said pitcher Kevin Shipp, the starter in the CWS championship game. “It was a very diverse group, but at the same time we shared so many things in common that allowed for camaraderie then and still today. The memories we created are still reminisced upon today, and the friendships have lived on even after 20 years.”
Centerfielder Mike Koerner said the Tigers excelled because they were placed in an environment where excellence was required.
“Having an opportunity to have Skip as a coach and mentor, for baseball and for life, was a priceless education and it’s never lost on me how fortunate I was,” Koerner said. “As a student-athlete, the environment at LSU is very competitive. As a freshman, I quickly realized that it was not just focused, determined, ultra-talented baseball players that surrounded me, but many other athletes as well as other students that had high goals and expectations beyond college.
“Living and working in the Baton Rouge area now, every day I get to associate with LSU alumni with remarkable achievements and success, and you see first-hand what the LSU experience can provide.”
The irony of it all, as most LSU fans know, is that Morris spent most of the 1996 season away from the playing field, missing 39 games with a broken hamate bone in his right hand. He returned to the lineup for the first game of the NCAA Regional and helped lead the Tigers to eight straight postseason victories, culminating the streak with his final swing in Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium.
The home run was his first of the season.
“Even though I missed much of that season, I wouldn’t change a thing,” Morris said. “I believe things happen for a reason and that God has a plan for each of us. During that season when things appeared their bleakest, I still felt like ours was a team of destiny. I think the belief we had in ourselves and each other is the power that fueled us to overcome and succeed.”