1996 LSU Tigers baseball team
Encyclopedia
The 1996 LSU Tigers baseball team won the NCAA national championship in one of the most memorable College World Series
games in history.
The Tigers, coached by Skip Bertman, had already established themselves as a premier college baseball
program, having won two previous national championships in 1991 and 1993. The 1996 version built on this reputation by compiling a 52-15 record, including going 20-10 in the Southeastern Conference
, winning the SEC championship as well.
but then lost to Florida (their fourth loss to them in as many games) and Kentucky and were eliminated.
) of the NCAA Tournament
defeating Austin Peay
9-3, UNLV 7-6, UNO
17-4 and Georgia Tech
29-13.
(who had beaten the Tigers in all four games played earlier in the season). LSU won 9-4. Florida then came back through the losers bracket to face LSU again. The Tigers won the second game 2-1 to move onto the championship game.
The championship game featured a match-up of two college baseball powers in LSU and Miami (Florida)
. Both teams had previously won 2 national championships (Miami: 1982 & 1985) and were vying for their third. Miami featured future major leaguers
Alex Cora
and Pat Burrell
, who helped the Hurricanes to establish a 7-3 lead in the game. However, the Tigers would fight back to tie the game. Cora then reclaimed the lead for Miami with an RBI single and the Hurricanes then led 8-7 heading into the 9th inning
.
With 2 outs and a runner on third base LSU only needed a base hit or a wild pitch
to tie the game. An unlikely hero emerged from the LSU dugout in Warren Morris
, who had been hurt most of the year. He stepped to the plate and faced pitcher Robbie Morrison. Morris swung on Morrison's first pitch and lined the ball just inches over the right field fence for a 2 out, game winning walk off home run. This was his first home run of the season.
.
The Tigers won their third national championship and would follow it up with three more in 1997, 2000 and 2009. Miami would recover and go on to win two more national championships as well in 1999 and 2001.
College World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...
games in history.
The Tigers, coached by Skip Bertman, had already established themselves as a premier college baseball
College baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
program, having won two previous national championships in 1991 and 1993. The 1996 version built on this reputation by compiling a 52-15 record, including going 20-10 in the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
, winning the SEC championship as well.
Regular season
The Tigers regular season record was 43-13 with notable losses coming against conference rivals Alabama and a 3 game sweep at the hands of Florida.SEC Tournament
LSU defeated Tennessee in the first game of the 1996 SEC Baseball TournamentSEC Baseball Tournament
The SEC Baseball Tournament is the conference championship tournament in baseball for the Southeastern Conference . It is a double-elimination tournament and seeding is based on regular season records. The winner receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament...
but then lost to Florida (their fourth loss to them in as many games) and Kentucky and were eliminated.
NCAA Tournament Regional
LSU cruised through the regional round (hosted by LSU at Alex Box StadiumAlex Box Stadium
Alex Box Stadium, sometimes pronounced as "Elec" or "Alec" Box, is a baseball stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is the home field of the Louisiana State University Tigers college baseball team...
) of the NCAA Tournament
NCAA Division I Baseball Championship
The NCAA Division I Baseball Championship tournament is held each year from May through June and features 64 college baseball teams in the United States, culminating in the College World Series....
defeating Austin Peay
Austin Peay
Austin Peay was Governor of Tennessee from 1923 until his death in 1927.-Biography:Peay, a native of Kentucky, moved to Clarksville, Tennessee and opened a law practice in 1896. He was first elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1901 and re-elected in 1903...
9-3, UNLV 7-6, UNO
University of Nebraska at Omaha
The University of Nebraska at Omaha is a four-year state university located in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. Founded in 1908 as Omaha University, the institution became the public Municipal University of Omaha in 1931. It assumed its current name in 1968 following a merger into the University...
17-4 and Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets baseball
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets baseball team represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in NCAA Division I college baseball. Along with most other Georgia Tech athletic teams, the baseball team participates in the Atlantic Coast Conference...
29-13.
College World Series
The Tigers opened the College World Series by defeating Wichita State 9-8, the same team they beat in the championship games of 1991 and 1993. LSU then moved on to play conference rival FloridaFlorida Gators
The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
(who had beaten the Tigers in all four games played earlier in the season). LSU won 9-4. Florida then came back through the losers bracket to face LSU again. The Tigers won the second game 2-1 to move onto the championship game.
The championship game featured a match-up of two college baseball powers in LSU and Miami (Florida)
Miami Hurricanes baseball
The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39...
. Both teams had previously won 2 national championships (Miami: 1982 & 1985) and were vying for their third. Miami featured future major leaguers
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
Alex Cora
Alex Cora
José Alexander "Alex" Cora is a Major League Baseball infielder. He played college baseball at the University of Miami.-Early career:...
and Pat Burrell
Pat Burrell
Patrick Brian "Pat" Burrell , nicknamed "Pat the Bat," is a Major League Baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. He stands tall and weighs . He bats and throws right-handed...
, who helped the Hurricanes to establish a 7-3 lead in the game. However, the Tigers would fight back to tie the game. Cora then reclaimed the lead for Miami with an RBI single and the Hurricanes then led 8-7 heading into the 9th inning
Inning
Inning is a municipality in the district of Erding in Bavaria in Germany....
.
With 2 outs and a runner on third base LSU only needed a base hit or a wild pitch
Wild pitch
In baseball, a wild pitch is charged against a pitcher when his pitch is too high, too short, or too wide of home plate for the catcher to control with ordinary effort, thereby allowing a baserunner, perhaps even the batter-runner on strike three or ball four, to advance.A wild pitch usually...
to tie the game. An unlikely hero emerged from the LSU dugout in Warren Morris
Warren Morris
Warren Morris is a former college and Major League Baseball player. He is most remembered for his 9th inning walk-off home run that won the 1996 College World Series for the Louisiana State University Tigers.-College career:Morris joined the LSU baseball team in , just out of high school in...
, who had been hurt most of the year. He stepped to the plate and faced pitcher Robbie Morrison. Morris swung on Morrison's first pitch and lined the ball just inches over the right field fence for a 2 out, game winning walk off home run. This was his first home run of the season.
Aftermath
Morris' home run would later win the 1997 Showstopper of the Year ESPY AwardShowstopper of the Year ESPY Award
The Showstopper of the Year ESPY Award was presented annually from 1993 to 1999.-List of winners:-See also:*Best Moment ESPY Award*Best Play ESPY Award*GMC Professional Grade Play ESPY Award*Under Armour Undeniable Performance ESPY Award-References:*...
.
The Tigers won their third national championship and would follow it up with three more in 1997, 2000 and 2009. Miami would recover and go on to win two more national championships as well in 1999 and 2001.
Season results
| Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| |
||
| Western Kentucky | W 9-0 | |
| Western Kentucky | W 18-0 | |
| Western Kentucky | W 18-1 | |
| Centenary | W 6-1 | |
| Winn-Dixie Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. is an American supermarket chain based in Jacksonville, Florida. Winn-Dixie has ranked number 24 in the 2010 "Top 75 North American Food Retailers" based on 2009 fiscal year estimated sales of $7.3 billion by Supermarket News. and was ranked the 43rd largest retailer in the... Showdown (New Orleans, LA) |
||
| Southern Mississippi | W 7-4 | |
| Ole Miss | W 9-7 | |
| Mississippi State | W 8-4 | |
| |
||
| Tulane | W 10-0 | |
| Louisiana Tech | W 6-1 | |
| Duquesne | W 14-7 | |
| Duquesne | W 9-5 | |
| Loyola-New Orleans | W 22-2 | |
| @ Vanderbilt | W 15-0 | |
| @ Vanderbilt | L 2-3 | |
| @ Vanderbilt | W 14-4 | |
| Dayton | W 15-2 | |
| Dayton | L 6-7 | |
| Georgia | W 14-4 | |
| Georgia | W 12-5 | |
| Georgia | W 23-5 | |
| UNO | W 16-8 | |
| Northeast Louisiana | W 10-0 | |
| @ Florida | L 6-7 | |
| @ Florida | L 5-9 | |
| @ Florida | L 1-2 | |
| Southern | W 19-0 | |
| McNeese State | W 16-0 | |
| Tennessee | W 9-2 | |
| Tennessee | W 5-3 | |
| Tennessee | W 9-1 | |
| @ Tulane | W 3-1 | |
| Northwestern Louisiana | L 5-10 | |
| Northwestern Louisiana | L 5-6 | |
| @ South Carolina | W 15-2 | |
| @ South Carolina | L 0-2 | |
| @ South Carolina | W 4-2 | |
| @ Southeastern Louisiana | W 5-2 | |
| Nicholls State | W 14-0 | |
| @ Ole Miss | W 6-5 | |
| @ Ole Miss | W 10-1 | |
| @ Ole Miss | W 9-2 | |
| Southeastern Louisiana | W 7-4 | |
| Arkansas | L 2-3 | |
| Arkansas | W 11-4 | |
| Arkansas | W 9-4 | |
| @ UNO | W 8-4 | |
| Louisiana College | W 20-0 | |
| Alabama | W 8-6 | |
| Alabama | L 4-17 | |
| Alabama | L 5-12 | |
| @ Auburn | W 14-2 | |
| @ Auburn | W 6-0 | |
| @ Auburn | L 3-7 | |
| Mississippi State | W 8-7 | |
| Mississippi State | W 17-9 | |
| Mississippi State | L 10-11 | |
| |
||
| Tennessee | W 3-1 | |
| Florida | L 2-6 | |
| Kentucky | L 11-12 | |
| NCAA Division I Baseball Championship The NCAA Division I Baseball Championship tournament is held each year from May through June and features 64 college baseball teams in the United States, culminating in the College World Series.... |
||
| Austin Peay | W 9-3 | |
| UNLV | W 7-6 | |
| UNO | W 17-4 | |
| Georgia Tech | W 29-13 | |
| College World Series The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,... |
||
| Wichita State | W 9-8 | |
| Florida | W 9-4 | |
| Florida | W 2-1 | |
| Miami (Florida) | W 9-8 | |
Coaches
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Skip Bertman | Head Coach |
| Mike Bianco Mike Bianco - External links :*... |
Assistant Coach |
| Dan Canevari | Administrative Assistant |
| Daniel Tomlin | Volunteer Assistant Coach |
Players
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| T.J. Arnett | RHP |
| Tom Bernhardt | OF |
| Eric Berthelot | LHP |
| John Blancher | INF |
| Justin Bowles | RF |
| Matt Colvin | LHP |
| Patrick Coogan | RHP |
| Chad Cooley | LF |
| Casey Cuntz | INF |
| Brian Daugherty | RHP |
| Chris Demouy | LHP |
| Nathan Dunn | 3B |
| Jake Esteves | RHP |
| Eddy Furniss Eddy Furniss Wilburn Edward "Eddy" Furniss is a former college baseball and minor league baseball player.-Collegiate career:... |
1B |
| Dan Guillory | RHP |
| Jeff Harris | RHP |
| James Hemphill | OF |
| Conan Horton | C |
| Sonny Knoll | RHP |
| Mike Koerner | CF |
| Tim Lanier | C |
| Brett Laxton Brett Laxton Brett William Laxton is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for two seasons. He pitched in three games for the Oakland Athletics during the 1999 Oakland Athletics season and six games for the Kansas City Royals during the 2000 Kansas City Royals season. He is the son of former major... |
RHP |
| Antonio Leonardi-Cattolica | RHP |
| Trey McClure | INF |
| Jeramie Moore | 1B |
| Warren Morris Warren Morris Warren Morris is a former college and Major League Baseball player. He is most remembered for his 9th inning walk-off home run that won the 1996 College World Series for the Louisiana State University Tigers.-College career:Morris joined the LSU baseball team in , just out of high school in... |
2B |
| Joey Painich | RHP |
| Keith Polozola | INF |
| Kevin Shipp | RHP |
| Jeremy Tyson | RHP |
| Kevin Ward Kevin Ward (baseball) Kevin Michael Ward is a former Major League Baseball player. Ward was a Outfielder during his career. In two seasons with the San Diego Padres,... |
C |
| Jason Williams Jason Williams (baseball) Jason Gerald Williams is a former professional baseball player and an Olympic bronze medalist in baseball. His minor league baseball career spanned from 1997 to 2003.-External links:**... |
SS |
| Brad Wilson | DH |
| Jeremy Witten | OF |
| Eddie Yarnall | LHP |