LSU baseball team returns to Alex Box Stadium to celebrate a mission accomplished

Paul Skenes was in the dugout in the bottom of the ninth inning Monday against Florida when he looked at his catcher, Alex Milazzo, sitting there with a boot fastened over his broken fibula.

“I was kind of like, ‘Hey, dude, how are you getting out to the dogpile?’ And he was like, ‘I don’t know, I guess I’ll crutch out there,’ ” said Skenes, recalling the moment. “And I said, ‘No you’re not. I’ll get you out of there’ ”

Skenes hauled Milazzo on his back, looking down as he ran him to the dogpile, trying not to drop him. He wouldn’t let his catcher miss out on the celebration.

That was the same feeling Wednesday night, when a crowd of purple and gold packed the stands at Alex Box Stadium to watch members of the starting lineup walk down Skip Bertman Field to the tune of their walk-up songs one more time and celebrate the school’s seventh baseball national championship.

“It still feels like we have another series coming up this weekend,” LSU designated hitter Cade Beloso said. “It’s like an off day physically and practically. I don’t know if it’s gonna set in, man, but this is a really good feeling.”

LSU finished its season 54-17 record. The Tigers defeated Tennessee 6-3 in the first round of the College World Series at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska, then fell to Wake Forest 3-2 to send it to the elimination bracket. The Tigers went on to defeat Tennessee, then Wake Forest twice, to advance to the national championship series against Florida

The Tigers battled through an 11-inning game against Florida on Saturday, capturing the 4-3 victory on a walk-off home run by Beloso. But with the title on the line the next day, the Tigers were handed their worst loss of the season, 24-4. They’d flip the script on the Gators the next day, 18-4.

In all, LSU played eight games in the span of 10 days in Omaha.

“Who in the world loses a game by 20, then comes back to win a natty by 14,” LSU president William F. Tate IV said at the ceremony. “That’s swag.”

After a series of introductions, LSU coach Jay Johnson received the key to the city from East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, then he gave a speech. He outlined the resilience of the team, emphasizing that it wasn’t just about having the talent but also executing with the talent. LSU lost back-to-back games only twice this season.

“It’s one thing to know you have a good team or a talented team, it’s an entirely different thing to be committed to it every single day and follow through step by step,” Johnson said.

He emphasized the importance of players such as Milazzo and Hayden Travinski, having them stand up when introduced. They did not start at the beginning of the season, but both played huge roles on the way and through Omaha.

Skenes and Dylan Crews also accepted recent awards. Skenes received the Dick Howser Trophy as the best player in the country from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers, while Crews received the Golden Spikes Award from USA Baseball as the best player in the nation. It marked the first time a single college baseball team had different players receive the awards, which are considered the highest honors in college baseball.

After the ceremony, the new Intimidator was unveiled against the backdrop of a fireworks-covered sky. The temporary design prominently features the 2023 championship, with the six stars around home plate representing the program’s previous six title. The permanent design will be ready before the 2024 season.

“I love this place, and I’m going to have to come back here in the next few days and just kind of reflect,” Skenes said. “It’s really cool to be national champions. It’s really cool to have finished it.”