Stairway to 7: The Tigers’ seventh national championship by Pediment Publishing

STAIRWAY TO 7 How Jay Johnson and LSU marched to Omaha and earned the Tigers’ seventh national championship

On the cover L SU dogpiles on the field after the final out, in the College World Series championship finale between the Tigers and the Gators at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb., June 26, 2023. The Tigers clinched their seventh national championship with an 18-4 win over Florida. HILARY SCHEINUK / THE ADVOCATE

Copyright © 2023 by The Advocate All Rights Reserved • ISBN: 978-1-63846-079-4 No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the copyright owner or the publisher. This book is an unofficial account of the LSU Tigers baseball team’s 2023 season and is not endorsed by the NCAA or LSU. Published by Pediment Publishing, a division of The Pediment Group, Inc. • www.pediment.com Printed in Canada. 2 STAIRWAY TO 7

Contents

Jay Johnson’s first national championship �� 5

The science behind Dylan Crews �� 75

Quest for the crown �� 9

The long haul �� 79

Yet again, Tigers can’t run from expectations �� 15

Liftoff �� 83

LSU’s PitchCom watches �� 19

Addison Bockover �� 87

Brayden Jobert’s Jobu statue �� 23

Tigers one game away from elimination �� 91

The flying ace �� 27

‘He had enough’ �� 95

Missing ingredient �� 31

A shot in the arm �� 101

Tommy John surgery guru �� 35

Tre’s play saves day �� 105

Tigers must look inward �� 39

Tanks for the memory �� 107

Reigning Tigers �� 43

The big swing �� 113

Regional champions �� 49

One more left �� 119

Hayden Travinski is not an underdog �� 53

One for all �� 123

LSU baseball makes 7-hour delay worth wait �� 57

A total team effort �� 131

Tigers clinch trip to College World Series �� 61

Mission accomplished �� 137

LSU can picture a return trip to Omaha �� 65

LSU Tigers 2023 baseball roster �� 142

Calling their shots �� 71

Coaching staff �� 144

OPPOSITE: LSU takes bunting practice before an elimination game in the College World Series between the Tigers and the Demon Deacons, June 22, 2023, at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb. H ILARY SCHEINUK / THE ADVOCATE

INTRODUCTION

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Jay Johnson finally won a national championship. LSU’s coach won’t be satisfied with one. BY WILSON ALEXANDER | JUNE 28, 2023

MAHA, Neb. — On the same stage seven years earlier, Jay Johnson tried to make sense of the most excruciating loss of his career. He rubbed his red Arizona hat when he sat down and sighed, looking at the stat sheet for an answer hidden in the numbers. Minutes earlier, Johnson’s first chance at a national championship ended in heartbreak. His 2016 team needed to win either of the last two games of the College World Series finals. Instead, the Wildcats lost back-to-back one-run games to Coastal Carolina. Making the pain so much worse, Arizona had runners on second and third with two outs in the ninth inning of a 4-3 loss. Johnson sat next to longtime news conference moderator Bill Cousins for 12 minutes, trying to explain what happened. “Sitting here next to Bill seven years ago,” Johnson recalled, “was literally one of the most painful moments of my entire life.” Contrast that scene with the moment June 26, 2023, back inside Charles Schwab Field.

Johnson sat next to Cousins again, this time as the first college baseball coach to win a national championship within his first two seasons at any school. His purple LSU short-sleeve windbreaker was soaked with blue Powerade, which players had poured over his back. Johnson cracked jokes, finally able to relax for the first time in months. He waited to start the news conference until shortstop Jordan Thompson arrived, saying: “I’m in no hurry.” He told stories, and he shared strategic insights he had kept to himself while LSU was playing, not wanting to give anyone a competitive advantage. After 36 minutes, Cousins told Johnson he could leave. “I guess that’s it,” Cousins said. “I don’t want to put you through any more pain sitting here.” “Oh no,” Johnson said, laughing, “we can stay here all night on this one.” The clinching 18-4 win over Florida seemed to lift a weight off Johnson, at least for one night. He always has poured himself into his work, and

this job comes with expectations that don’t exist anywhere else in college baseball. Ever since Skip Bertman turned the program into a powerhouse three decades ago, LSU believes it should compete annually for national championships. “Our fan base is so into this team, and you want to see them reap the benefits of it,” former LSU coach Paul Mainieri said. “You put a lot of pressure on yourself to make that happen. I’m sure Jay feels a lot of accomplishment, but I’m sure he feels a lot of relief as well.” When Mainieri retired after the 2021 season, his 15th at LSU, Johnson eyed the opening. He always had admired the team from afar, using Bertman’s instructional videos to learn as a young coach. Johnson liked the talented core LSU had with center fielder Dylan Crews, first baseman Tre’ Morgan and Thompson. He knew what he could build. During Johnson’s interview, he impressed LSU athletic director Scott Woodward with his

OPPOSITE: LSU coach Jay Johnson stands in the dugout before first pitch in an elimination game in the College World Series between the Tigers and the Demon Deacons, June 22, 2023, at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb. H ILARY SCHEINUK / THE ADVOCATE INTRODUCTION

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Quest for the crown This is the story of Dylan Crews, his desire to become the next LSU great, and to win a national title BY LEAH VANN | FEB. 17, 2023

AKE MARY, Fla. — Dylan Crews was walking out of Fenway Park when a local kid, no older than 12, asked for his bat. Crews was only 17 himself. He’d just finished playing in an elite high school tournament at one of the most iconic venues in baseball. It had already been a long day, and here was this kid, asking for his bat. Crews handed over the bat. The kid asked him to autograph it, too. But neither of them had a marker. Crews could have walked away and told the kid he was sorry; that the bat would have to do. Instead, he pulled out his phone, found the nearest drugstore, walked down Boylston Street, bought a Sharpie and returned to Parking Lot 11. The kid got his bat, autograph and all. Five years later, Crews is the superstar center fielder at LSU, preparing for what will be his final collegiate season, pursuing the goal that’s evaded him so far: winning the College World Series. After that, he will head off to the Major League Baseball draft, where he’s a strong candidate to go No. 1 overall to the Pittsburgh Pirates. (Crews’ teammate, Paul Skenes, went No.1 overall to the Pirates in July. Crews was taken No. 2 overall by the Washington Nationals.)

Nowadays, more kids (and even adults) ask for his autograph. And over winter break, he sat at his family’s kitchen table in Lake Mary, writing responses to his ever-growing stack of fan mail. Crews doesn’t mind. He likes giving away part of what baseball gives him. He has always wanted to be that guy, the type of athlete who’d have his picture hanging on a restaurant wall. (It already does, at 4th Street Bar & Grill in Lake Mary.) But it’s about more than fame, he says. A national title would be a parting gift to the university that will help him become a big-leaguer. He also came to LSU with a chip on his shoulder — fallout from a disappointing summer before his high school senior year, during which his draft stock took a slide. Since then, he wanted to show those scouts he could become the next big name in LSU sports folklore. It’s part of why he pulled out of the MLB draft pool three years ago. “I wasn’t going to come to school to be some ordinary player,” Crews said. “I wanted to be the next Alex Bregman, Odell Beckham Jr. or Shaquille O’Neal of LSU.” So far, he’s on his way. He’s nearing the end of a journey, one that began in a nondescript building nobody else wants.

THE WAREHOUSE A brick warehouse sits on North Elm Avenue in Sanford, Florida. Outside, a short cement staircase leads to a door, opening to a rickety wooden floor. Daylight glows through the window, as if to send visitors back in time. Inside, Crews’ dad, George, walks to the back corner and points to a spray-painted home plate, flanked by the faded outlines of a batter’s box. This is where Dylan took his first hitting lessons from a man named Moe Pesce, then a 70-year-old Mets scout who started his own hitting facility to help his grandson, Joseph Pesce. Moe knew what he was doing. He threw batting practice to all the kids he trained, and his methods were old-school — so old-school that his equipment made the warehouse look more like a junkyard playground. “We used to do the speed bag, like the boxers do, to get quick hands for hitting,” said Joseph, who now plays at Franklin Pierce University. “We used to use a sledgehammer to hit the tire for power, and we used to pull the tire around our waists.” Markings on the floor show where Moe formed one of his batting practice lanes. He laid a thin layer of artificial turf on the wooden floor and dropped nets from a wood-beamed ceiling.

OPPOSITE: LSU outfielder Dylan Crews poses for a portrait on Feb. 6, 2023, at Alex Box Stadium. M ICHAEL JOHNSON / THE ADVOCATE REGULAR SEASON

RIGHT: Former LSU head coach and athletic director Skip Bertman, left, chats with LSU coach Jay Johnson on the field before first pitch against Mississippi State, May 12, 2023, at Alex Box Stadium on the campus of LSU in Baton Rouge. H ILARY SCHEINUK / THE ADVOCATE OPPOSITE: The LSU Tigers gather together in the outfield before the game against Western Michigan on Feb. 19, 2023, at Alex Box Stadium. M ICHAEL JOHNSON / THE ADVOCATE

ERA is 2.10, theirs is 7.72). The Tigers’ mighty offense also doesn’t typically require the pitchers to be at the top of their game. All told, LSU is 36-1 this season when allowing fewer than eight runs. The good news for LSU is Georgia (28-24, 10-17 SEC) is really struggling, coming off a three-game sweep at Missouri. The bad news for LSU is that Georgia has had an annoying trait (Bulldog tenacity?) of winning against some of the better teams on its schedule. Georgia took two of three from Kentucky, swept Arkansas and won two of three from Tennessee, all in Athens. 40 STAIRWAY TO 7

“It’s another team fighting for its life that’s really talented,” Johnson said. Even though it’s potentially a trap series, it’s a good time for the Tigers to go on an extended road trip (they travel from Georgia straight to the SEC tournament in Hoover, Alabama). As the season progresses and the temperatures rise, the pressure inside Alex Box Stadium can start to cook a team. The “Intimidator” billboard behind the right-field bleachers constantly reminding of the years LSU won its six College World Series championships can seem like it’s edging closer and closer to the diamond. Final exams are over. It’s just all baseball, all

of the time now. Travinski, normally a catcher but who started at first base Tuesday after leaving Sunday’s game badly dehydrated, said he’ll miss his dog but sounded like he’s looking forward to the bond that only the road can bring. “We have a lot of special guys,” said Travinski, hitting .439 while playing about half the games. “We only get this one chance to play together. We have to make it count.” The regular season is ending. The postseason beckons. The time when legacies are made, good or bad. Time to make it count, all right. And nothing counts but what comes from inside.

REGULAR SEASON

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OMAHA! Tigers clinch trip to College World Series with win over Kentucky BY LEAH VANN | JUNE 11, 2023

n what he knew could be his last at-bat ever at Alex Box Stadium, Dylan Crews was nervous. He had walked four times in his first five atbats, but this time, the bases were loaded in the top of the ninth, and LSU held a narrow college baseball lead. He hopped backwards, dodging a wild pitch that allowed an LSU run to score in the ninth inning. Two pitches later, he roped a ball through the left-side gap for a two-run double to blank the bases, capping off LSU’s 8-3 victory over Kentucky in Game 2 of the Baton Rouge super regional. With the win, the Tigers now book a trip to Omaha, Nebraska, for their first College World Series appearance since 2017. “I was really able to control myself and control my breathing, but it didn’t help that my walk-up song was playing,” Crews said. Crews stopped just before reaching second base, watching his foot step on it for what he knew then would be his last time at Alex Box Stadium. He lifted the chest of his gray jersey showing “Tigers” and placed his hands in a heart shape above his head. “I knew it was going to happen before it happened,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said. “It’s one of those things where you’re like, ‘This is how it’s

supposed to be.’ ” But Crews did not do it alone. Starting righthander Ty Floyd’s outing was short, but not at the fault of a rain delay like the previous week. While he kept the damage at a minimum, the Wildcats were finding success in taking the right pitches out of the park. That began in the first inning when Jackson Gray blasted a ball on a 1-1 count to score the first run of the game, and the first run of the weekend for Kentucky. There were more runs to be cashed. Floyd gave up a single to Jase Felker, but recovered by striking out Devin Burkes swinging after a mound visit. Felker stole second, then Emilien Pitre singled to put runners at the corners. Pitre advanced to scoring position after a flyout by Hunter Giliam, but nothing came of the two runners as Floyd struck out Ryan Waldschmidt to end the frame. Floyd worked through a scoreless second backed by his defense. Shortstop Jordan Thompson gloved a ball in the grass moving away from first base and threw a ball across his body to beat the runner. In the end, Floyd exited the game after 3⅓ innings and throwing 82 pitches. He allowed three earned runs on seven hits, all three of those runs were solo homers, including Gray’s in the first, then Devin Burkes’ and Nolan

McCarthy’s in the third and fourth, respectively. LSU was quick to jump to an early lead off of starting right-hander Austin Strickland, but the bats fell quiet after the Wildcats turned to their bullpen. The Tigers drew two walks off of right-hander Darren Williams in the eighth but were unable to cash in. But they responded with three runs in the ninth off the wild pitch and Crews’ RBI double. Guidry, working his final inning in relief in the ninth, got Burkes to fly out, then nodded his head up and down to the crowd, circling the mound when he fired a third strike past Pitre. The final out was a grounder to White, who fired to Morgan to bring a swarm of LSU players from the dugout spraying Gatorade bottles to tackle him. “We don’t have a lot of signs or sayings up, there’s a few, but if you walk out of the hallway down into the dugout the big one just says, ‘one pitch at a time,’ and what we’ve tried to get them to do is just master living in the moment,” Johnson said. “Everybody knew what was on the line today, but it feels so much better to accomplish it.”

OPPOSITE: LSU outfielder Dylan Crews (3) bats one last time in Alex Box Stadium in the top of the ninth inning of Game 2 against Kentucky in the super regionals on June 11, 2023, at Alex Box Stadium. M ICHAEL JOHNSON / THE ADVOCATE POSTSEASON

RIGHT: LSU pitcher Ty Floyd (9) delivers a pitch against Kentucky in the third inning of Game 2 of the super regionals on June 11, 2023. M ICHAEL JOHNSON / THE ADVOCATE OPPOSITE TOP LEFT: LSU first baseman Tre’ Morgan (18) stretches to make the out on Kentucky utility Nolan McCarthy (19) in the second inning of Game 2 of the super regionals on June 11, 2023. MICHAEL JOHNSON / THE ADVOCATE OPPOSITE RIGHT: LSU outfielder Dylan Crews (3) flashes a heart toward the dugout after a big hit in the ninth inning of Game 2 against Kentucky in the super regionals on June 11, 2023. M ICHAEL JOHNSON / THE ADVOCATE OPPOSITE BOTTOM LEFT: An LSU fan waves a flag from the third base stands in the seventh inning of Game 2 of the super regionals on June 11, 2023. MICHAEL JOHNSON / THE ADVOCATE

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POSTSEASON

escape the jam. Left-hander Riley Cooper handled the last four outs for his third save in the CWS, allowing only one walk. But 24 hours after left-hander Nate Ackenhausen worked his longest outing of the year, LSU saw another pitcher rise to the occasion. Count his coach among those who weren’t surprised. “He (Herring) had great composure,” Jay Johnson said. “I think he plays older than his age.”

RIGHT: LSU coach Jay Johnson is framed by members of the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard during the singing of the National Anthem before Game 12 of the College World Series between the Tigers and the Demon Deacons, June 21, 2023, at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb. H ILARY SCHEINUK / THE ADVOCATE

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ABOVE: LSU pitcher Blake Money (44) pitches in Game 12 of the College World Series between the Tigers and the Demon Deacons, June 21, 2023, at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb. H ILARY SCHEINUK / THE ADVOCATE ABOVE LEFT: LSU catcher Alex Milazzo (7) singles in Game 12 of the College World Series between the Tigers and the Demon Deacons, June 21, 2023, at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb. HILARY SCHEINUK / THE ADVOCATE LEFT: A motivational note is seen on the wrist tape of LSU third baseman Tommy White before Game 12 of the College World Series between the Tigers and the Demon Deacons, June 21, 2023, at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb. H ILARY SCHEINUK / THE ADVOCATE

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ABOVE: LSU celebrates after clinching their seventh national championship with an 18-4 win over Florida, June 26, 2023, following the College World Series championship finale between the Tigers and the Gators at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb. HILARY SCHEINUK / THE ADVOCATE LEFT: LSU takes a celebratory team photo, June 26, 2023, following the College World Series championship finale between the Tigers and the Gators at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb. H ILARY SCHEINUK / THE ADVOCATE

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LSU Tigers 2023 baseball roster NUMBER

NAME

POSITION

HEIGHT

WEIGHT

CLASS

EXPERIENCE

B/T

HOMETOWN

HIGH SCHOOL

Gavin Guidry

Infield

6-2

173

Freshman

R-R

Lake Charles, La.

Barbe HS

Dylan Crews

Outfield

6-0

205

Junior

R-R

Longwood, Fla.

Lake Mary HS

Jordan Thompson

Infield

6-1

185

Junior

R-R

Chula Vista, Calif.

Helix HS

Ben Nippolt

Infield

5-11

173

Junior

L-R

St. Paul, Minn.

Mounds Park Academy

Brayden Jobert

Outfield

6-2

209

Redshirt Junior

L-R

Slidell, La.

Northshore HS

Alex Milazzo

Catcher

5-11

185

Redshirt Junior

R-R

Zachary, La.

Zachary HS

Gavin Dugas

Infield/Outfield

5-10

205

Graduate Student

R-R

Houma, La.

Houma Christian HS

Ty Floyd

Right-Handed Pitcher

6-2

200

Junior

R-R

Rockmart, Ga.

Rockmart HS

Josh Pearson

Outfield

5-10

190

Sophomore

L-R

West Monroe, La.

West Monroe HS

Mic Paul

Outfield

5-10

180

Freshman

L-L

Salt Lake City, Utah

Olympus HS

Nic Bronzini

Left-Handed Pitcher

6-3

245

Freshman

L-L

San Ramon, Calif.

California HS

Brady Neal

Catcher

5-10

185

Freshman

L-R

Tallahassee, Fla.

IMG Academy

Sam Dutton

Right-Handed Pitcher

5-11

185

Sophomore

R-R

Southside, Ala.

Westbrook Christian HS

Tre' Morgan

First Base

6-1

215

Junior

L-L

New Orleans, La.

Brother Martin HS

Paul Skenes

Right-Handed Pitcher

6-6

247

Junior

R-R

Lake Forest, Calif.

El Toro HS

Bryce Collins

Right-Handed Pitcher

6-0

200

Redshirt Junior

R-R

Valencia, Calif.

Hart HS

Jared Jones

Catcher/First Base

6-4

230

Freshman

R-R

Marietta, Ga.

Walton HS

Josh Stevenson

Outfield

6-1

195

Sophomore

L-L

Youngsville, La.

St. Thomas More HS

Cade Beloso

First Base

6-0

230

Graduate Student

L-L

New Orleans, La.

John Curtis HS

Hayden Travinski

Catcher

6-3

235

Redshirt Junior

R-R

Shreveport, La.

Airline HS

Thatcher Hurd

Right-Handed Pitcher

6-4

214

Sophomore

R-R

Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Mira Costa HS

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NUMBER

NAME

POSITION

HEIGHT

WEIGHT

CLASS

EXPERIENCE

B/T

HOMETOWN

HIGH SCHOOL

Jaden Noot

Right-Handed Pitcher

6-4

225

Freshman

R-R

Oak Park, Calif.

Sierra Canyon HS

Paxton Kling

Outfield

6-2

205

Freshman

R-R

Roaring Springs, Pa.

Central HS

Micah Bucknam

Right-Handed Pitcher

6-2

195

Freshman

R-R

Abbotsford, B.C., Canada

Mennonite Educational Institute

Nate Ackenhausen

Left-Handed Pitcher

6-2

240

Junior

L-L

Owasso, Okla.

Owasso HS

Aiden Moffett

Right-Handed Pitcher

6-3

235

Freshman

R-R

Mount Olive, Miss.

Taylorsville HS

Ethan Frey

Catcher/First Base

6-5

215

Freshman

R-R

Rosepine, La.

Rosepine HS

Chase Shores

Right-Handed Pitcher

6-8

245

Freshman

R-R

Midland, Texas

Lee HS

Griffin Herring

Left-Handed Pitcher

6-2

195

Freshman

R-L

Southlake, Texas

California HS

Riley Cooper

Left-Handed Pitcher

6-2

270

Junior

L-L

Fresno, Calif.

Clovis North HS

Zeb Ruddell

Outfield

6-1

186

Freshman

L-L

Monroe, La.

Neville HS

DJ Primeaux

Left-Handed Pitcher

5-10

195

Freshman

L-L

Baton Rouge, La.

Central HS

Garrett Edwards

Right-Handed Pitcher

6-5

218

Junior

R-R

Pitkin, La.

Pitkin HS

Blake Money

Right-Handed Pitcher

6-7

240

Junior

R-R

Spring Hill, Tenn.

Summit HS

Kaleb Applebey

Right-Handed Pitcher

6-7

245

Sophomore

R-R

Mount Carmel, Ill.

Mount Carmel HS

Tommy White

Third Base

6-0

236

Sophomore

R-R

St. Pete Beach, Fla.

IMG Academy

Will Hellmers

Right-Handed Pitcher

6-4

215

Junior

R-R

Metairie, La.

Jesuit HS

Javen Coleman

Left-handed Pitcher

6-2

205

Redshirt Sophomore

L-L

Richmond, Texas

Home Schooled

Grant Taylor

Right-Handed Pitcher

6-3

230

Sophomore

R-R

Florence, Ala.

Florence HS

Jack Merrifield

Infield

6-2

195

5th-year Senior

R-R

Prairieville, La.

Dutchtown HS

Christian Little

Right-Handed Pitcher

6-4

225

Junior

R-R

St. Louis, Mo.

Christian Brothers College

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