LSU Claims Crucial Game 1 in College World Series Final
OMAHA, Neb. — LSU moved one step closer to its eighth national championship in baseball, securing a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Coastal Carolina in Game 1 of the 2025 Men’s College World Series Championship Series on Saturday night. The win gives the Tigers a pivotal 1-0 lead in the best-of-three final, played before a capacity crowd at Charles Schwab Field Omaha.
The deciding factor in the low-scoring affair was an absolutely dominant performance on the mound by LSU ace Kade Anderson, who delivered a historic complete-game shutout.
Kade Anderson’s Historic Pitching Masterpiece
LSU’s draft-eligible sophomore lefty, Kade Anderson, was lights out, arguably delivering the best outing of his collegiate career on college baseball’s biggest stage. He pitched all nine innings, allowing just three hits while striking out 10 Coastal Carolina batters over a taxing 130 pitches. Though he issued five walks and hit two batters, Anderson consistently made crucial pitches when needed, leaving runners stranded.
This performance marked the first complete-game shutout in the College World Series championship series since 2018 and only the third since the CWS final adopted a best-of-three format in 2003. More significantly, Anderson’s gem snapped Coastal Carolina’s nation-leading 26-game winning streak, their first loss since April 22 and the end of their undefeated run in the CWS.
LSU Head Coach Jay Johnson didn’t hold back his praise for Anderson after the game. “His next pitch should be for some place in the Washington Nationals organization,” Johnson stated, referencing the team with the No. 1 pick in the upcoming MLB Draft. Ranked No. 3 in Keith Law’s latest MLB mock draft, Anderson is widely considered a top prospect. “It’s not close,” Johnson added. “He’s the best player in the country. There’s nobody (in amateur baseball) closer to the major leagues than that.” Given his high pitch count in Game 1, this dominant outing could potentially be Anderson’s final appearance in a college uniform.
The Lone Run and Offensive Struggles
The only offense of the night came in the bottom of the first inning. LSU leadoff hitter Derek Curiel singled to start the frame, and Steven Milam drove him in with a single up the middle. That single proved to be all the run support Anderson would need, marking Milam’s 13th RBI of the postseason.
Coastal Carolina’s offense struggled mightily to solve Anderson. The Chanticleers finished the game 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and combined for just three hits against the LSU ace. Despite forcing Anderson to throw 25 pitches in the first inning and having an opportunity with runners on in the third, they failed to capitalize, with LSU’s defense even cutting down two runners at third base in the pivotal third inning.
Coastal Carolina starter Cameron Flukey also pitched well, holding LSU to just the one run on four hits over his six innings of work while striking out nine. Relief pitcher Dominick Carbone entered in the seventh. The game featured solid defense on both sides, including notable plays by LSU third baseman Michael Braswell and Coastal Carolina catcher Caden Bodine, though a base-running mistake cost Coastal a potential scoring chance in the third.
Game 2 on the Horizon: LSU Eyes History, Coastal Fights On
With the Game 1 victory, LSU now stands just one win away from claiming its eighth national championship, which would be their second title in three seasons under Coach Jay Johnson, who previously led the Tigers to victory in 2023. Historically, teams winning Game 1 of the CWS championship series have gone on to win the title 62% of the time.
Coastal Carolina, the 2016 national champions, faces a must-win scenario in Game 2 to force a decisive Game 3. The good news for the Chanticleers is they saved their ace, sophomore right-hander Jacob Morrison, for Sunday’s contest. Morrison boasts an impressive 12-0 record this season, with the team going 16-1 in his starts. He leads the nation with 10 outings of six innings or longer where he allowed zero or one run, a stat placing him second over the past five years only to former LSU star Paul Skenes’ dominant 2023 campaign.
Game 2 is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET, with LSU aiming to clinch and Coastal Carolina fighting to keep their championship hopes alive.
