1996 LSU Tigers baseball team

American college baseball season March 2026 August 2023 baseball 1996 LSU Tigers 150 Southeastern Conference Western Division SEC 52-15 20-10 Skip Bertman Alex Box Stadium National ChampionsSEC Champions The 1996 LSU Tigers baseball team won the NCAA national championship in College World Series. 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. 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 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 Stadium) of the NCAA Tournament defeating Austin Peay 9-3, UNLV 7-6, UNO 17–4 and Georgia Tech 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 Florida (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. Aftermath Morris' home run would later win the 1997 Showstopper of the Year ESPY Award.ESPY Past Winners The Tigers won their third national championship and would follow it up with five more in 1997, 2000, 2009, 2023, and 2025. Miami would recover go on to win two more national championships as well in 1999 and 2001. Schedule/Results 1996 LSU Tigers baseball game log Regular Season # Date Opponent Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall record SEC record 1 - Western Kentucky Alex Box Stadium 9–0 - - - - 1–0 - 2 - Western Kentucky Alex Box Stadium 18–0 - - - - 2–0 - 3 - Western Kentucky Alex Box Stadium 18–1 - - - - 3–0 - 4 - Centenary Alex Box Stadium 6–1 - - - - 4–0 - 5 - Southern Mississippi Winn-Dixie Showdown (New Orleans, LA) 7–4 - - - - 5–0 - 6 - Ole Miss Winn-Dixie Showdown (New Orleans, LA) 9–7 - - - - 6–0 - 7 - Mississippi State Winn-Dixie Showdown (New Orleans, LA) 8–4 - - - - 7–0 - 8 - Tulane Alex Box Stadium 10–0 - - - - 8–0 - 9 - Louisiana Tech Alex Box Stadium 6–1 - - - - 9–0 - 10 - Duquesne Alex Box Stadium 14–7 - - - - 10–0 - 11 - Duquesne Alex Box Stadium 9–5 - - - - 11–0 - 12 - Loyola-New Orleans Alex Box Stadium 22–2 - - - - 12–0 - 13 - Vanderbilt Hawkins Field 15–0 - - - - 13–0 1–0 14 - Vanderbilt Hawkins Field 2–3 - - - - 13–1 1–1 15 - Vanderbilt Hawkins Field 14–4 - - - - 14–1 2–1 16 - Dayton Alex Box Stadium 15–2 - - - - 15–1 - 17 - Dayton Alex Box Stadium 6–7 - - - - 15–2 - 18 - Georgia Alex Box Stadium 14–4 - - - - 16–2 3–1 19 - Georgia Alex Box Stadium 12–5 - - - - 17–2 4–1 20 - Georgia Alex Box Stadium 23–5 - - - - 18–2 5–1 21 - UNO Alex Box Stadium 16–8 - - - - 19–2 - 22 - Northeast Louisiana Alex Box Stadium 10–0 - - - - 20–2 - 23 - Florida McKethan Stadium 6–7 - - - - 20–3 5–2 24 - Florida McKethan Stadium 5–9 - - - - 20–4 5–3 25 - Florida McKethan Stadium 1–2 - - - - 20–5 5–4 26 - Southern Alex Box Stadium 19–0 - - - - 21–5 - 27 - McNeese State Alex Box Stadium 16–0 - - - - 22–5 - 28 - Tennessee Alex Box Stadium 9–2 - - - - 23–5 6–4 29 - Tennessee Alex Box Stadium 5–3 - - - - 24–5 7–4 30 - Tennessee Alex Box Stadium 9–1 - - - - 25–5 8–4 31 - Tulane Greer Field at Turchin Stadium 3–1 - - - - 26–5 - 32 - Northwestern Louisiana Alex Box Stadium 5–10 - - - - 26–6 - 33 - Northwestern Louisiana Alex Box Stadium 5–6 - - - - 26–7 - 34 - South Carolina Carolina Stadium 15–2 - - - - 27–7 9–4 35 - South Carolina Carolina Stadium 0–2 - - - - 27–8 9–5 36 - South Carolina Carolina Stadium 4–2 - - - - 28–8 10–5 37 - Southeastern Louisiana Alumni Field 5–2 - - - - 29–8 - 38 - Nicholls State Alex Box Stadium 14–0 - - - - 30–8 - 39 - Ole Miss Oxford-University Stadium at Swayze Field 6–5 - - - - 31–8 11–5 40 - Ole Miss Oxford-University Stadium at Swayze Field 10–1 - - - - 32–8 12–5 41 - Ole Miss Oxford-University Stadium at Swayze Field 9–2 - - - - 33–8 13–5 42 - Southeastern Louisiana Alex Box Stadium 7–4 - - - - 34–8 - 43 - Arkansas Alex Box Stadium 2–3 - - - - 34–9 13–6 44 - Arkansas Alex Box Stadium 11–4 - - - - 35–9 14–6 45 - Arkansas Alex Box Stadium 9–4 - - - - 36–9 15–6 46 - University of New Orleans Maestri Field 8–4 - - - - 37–9 - 47 - Louisiana College Alex Box Stadium 20–0 - - - - 38–9 - 48 - Alabama Alex Box Stadium 8–6 - - - - 39–9 16–6 49 - Alabama Alex Box Stadium 4–17 - - - - 39–10 16–7 50 - Alabama Alex Box Stadium 5–12 - - - - 39–11 16–8 51 - Auburn Samford Stadium – Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park 14–2 - - - - 40–11 17–8 52 - Auburn Samford Stadium – Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park 6–0 - - - - 41–11 18–8 53 - Auburn Samford Stadium – Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park 3–7 - - - - 41–12 18–9 54 - Mississippi State Alex Box Stadium 8–7 - - - - 42–12 19–9 55 - Mississippi State Alex Box Stadium 17–9 - - - - 43–12 20–9 56 - Mississippi State Alex Box Stadium 10–11 - - - - 43–13 20–10 Post-Season SEC Tournament # Date Opponent Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall record SECT Record 57 - Tennessee Regions Park 3–1 - - - - 44–13 1-0 58 - Florida Regions Park 2–6 - - - - 44–14 1-1 59 - Kentucky Regions Park 11–12 - - - - 44–15 1-2 NCAA South II Regional (Baton Rouge, LA) # Date Opponent Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall record NCAAT Record 60 May 23 Austin Peay Alex Box Stadium 9–3 - - - - 45–15 1-0 61 May 24 UNLV Alex Box Stadium 7–6 - - - - 46–15 2-0 62 May 25 University of New Orleans Alex Box Stadium 17–4 - - - - 47–15 3-0 63 May 26 Georgia Tech Alex Box Stadium 29–13 - - - - 48–15 4-0 College World Series # Date Opponent Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall record NCAAT Record 64 June 1 Wichita State Rosenblatt Stadium 9–8 - - - - 49–15 1-0 65 June 3 Florida Rosenblatt Stadium 9–4 - - - - 50–15 2-0 66 June 6 Florida Rosenblatt Stadium 2–1 - - - - 51–15 3-0 67 June 8 Miami (Florida) Rosenblatt Stadium 9–8 - - - - 52–15 4-0 Roster Jim Schwanke Assistant Coach Coaches Name Position Skip Bertman Head coach Mike Bianco 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 1B Dan Guillory RHP Jeff Harris RHP James Hemphill OF Conan Horton C Sonny Knoll RHP Mike Koerner CF Tim Lanier C Brett Laxton RHP Antonio Leonardi-Cattolica RHP Trey McClure INF Jeramie Moore 1B Warren Morris 2B Joey Painich RHP Keith Polozola INF Kevin Shipp RHP Bill Bridges RHP Kevin Ward C Jason Williams SS Brad Wilson DH Jeremy Witten OF Eddie Yarnall LHP References External links USAToday.com: LSU dramatics trigger memory Lsu Category:LSU Tigers baseball seasons Category:NCAA Division I baseball championship seasons Category:College World Series seasons Category:Southeastern Conference baseball champion seasons LSU LSU