OMAHA, Neb. — LSU and Coastal Carolina have met only two times previously as they enter the College World Series finals Saturday night. Those games back in 2016 have not been forgotten.
Coastal Carolina swept the Tigers on their home field in super regionals on the way to their first national championship. The Chanticleers' opponent in the CWS finals that year was Arizona. Jay Johnson, now at LSU, was Arizona's coach.
Tigers outfielder Jake Brown was 11 years old and living in Sulphur, Louisiana, at the time, and he recalled Friday how the players on that LSU team were superheroes to him.
''A little bit of heartbreak,'' he said Friday. ''That was a great team, a team I think could have made a good run in the championship. Obviously, things didn't go our way that time. Looking forward to turning it around and making something good happen for us this time.''
LSU (51-15) will be playing for its eighth national championship and second in three years. Coastal Carolina (56-11), which brings a 26-game win streak into the best-of-three series, is going for its second title in its second all-time CWS appearance.
''That would put Coastal Carolina baseball on a different planet," Chanticleers coach Kevin Schnall said.
Cameron Flukey (8-1), who pitched four innings of relief against Arizona on June 13, will start for Coastal Carolina. Johnson has not named his starter. Ace Kade Anderson (11-1), who limited Arkansas to three hits and struck out seven in seven innings on June 14, is available.
The Tigers and Chanticleers each went 3-0 in bracket play. LSU had to beat SEC rival Arkansas twice, winning the bracket final 6-5 in walk-off fashion after a wild three-run ninth inning.