BATON ROUGE, La. — LSU’s SEC Network Takeover will feature at 8 p.m. CT Thursday the airing of the 1996 College World Series championship game, a contest that produced the greatest finish in college baseball annals.
Second baseman Warren Morris propelled LSU to a 9-8 win over Miami (Fla.) on June 8, 1996, with a two-out homer in the bottom of the ninth inning. It was the only home run of the ’96 season for Morris, who had missed most of the season due to a broken hamate bone in his right hand.
The telecast of the LSU-Miami game is part of the Tigers’ SEC Network “Takeover,” where 12 classic events in six different sports are being shown over a 24-hour period. The takeover begins Wednesday at 11 p.m. CT and concludes Thursday at 11 p.m. CT.
The 20 years that have passed since 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. “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.”
Morris missed 39 games with the hand injury, and he returned to the lineup for the first game of the NCAA Regional. He helped lead the Tigers to eight straight postseason victories, culminating the streak with his final swing in Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium.
“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.”