The Louisiana State University Tigers pitching staff, led by 2023 national champion head coach Jay Johnson, is gaining momentum heading into the best-of-three National Championship Series of the 2025 NCAA Division I College World Series. LSU, with a 51-15 overall record, will face the No. 15 Coastal Carolina University Chanticleers of the Sun Belt Conference in Game One on Saturday, June 21, at 7 p.m. EDT on ESPN at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb.
Coastal Carolina is 56-11 under first-year head coach Kevin Schnall and enters the National Championship Series on a 26-game winning streak. The Chanticleers are seeking their second national title in program history, their first since 2016—the year of their College World Series debut.
LSU is aiming for its eighth national title, having previously won in Omaha in 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2009 and 2023. The Tigers have reached the College World Series 20 times.
National Championship Series Schedule
All game start times are Eastern Daylight Time
^If necessary
Saturday, June 21, 2025
Game 1 – No. 15 Coastal Carolina vs. No. 6 LSU – 7 p.m. – ESPN
Sunday, June 22, 2025
Game 2 – No. 6 LSU vs. No. 15 Coastal Carolina – 3 p.m. – ABC
Monday, June 23, 2025
^Game 3 – No. 15 Coastal Carolina vs. No. 6 LSU – 7 p.m. – ESPN
LSU, ranked No. 6 nationally, defeated No. 3 Arkansas 6-5 on Wednesday night thanks to a walk-off single by first baseman Jared Jones that deflected off a leaping second baseman Cam Kozeal in the bottom of the ninth inning.
In their two College World Series games before facing Arkansas, LSU’s pitching staff tossed 18 innings, allowing 15 hits, nine earned runs, six walks, and recording 22 strikeouts.
Against Arkansas, LSU used starter Zac Cowan and relievers Jaden Noot, Chase Shores, and Jacob Mayers, who combined for nine innings, allowing nine hits, four earned runs, no walks, and 11 strikeouts while facing 38 batters.
LSU left-hander Kade Anderson is slated to start Game One on Saturday, following his outing in the Tigers’ CWS opener against Arkansas on June 14, when he threw seven innings, allowed three hits, one earned run, walked two, and struck out seven across 100 pitches—60 for strikes—in a 4-1 win.
Kade Anderson, 95mph Fastball & 83mph Breaking Ball, Overlay pic.twitter.com/LiFuFPvTXm
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 15, 2025
In his second season at LSU, Anderson is 11-1 with a 3.44 ERA across 18 starts. He’s thrown one complete game and one shutout, pitching 110 innings with 88 hits, 42 earned runs, 16 home runs, 30 walks, 170 strikeouts, and a 1.073 WHIP.
Three LSU pitchers are ranked on the MLBPipeline.com Top 200 list for the upcoming MLB Draft: Anderson at No. 3, Anthony Eyanson at No. 66, and Chase Shores at No. 85.
2025 MLB Draft Information
The 2025 MLB Draft will be held July 13-14 in Atlanta, Ga., during All-Star Game festivities. Amateur players from the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico will be eligible across 20 rounds and 615 total picks.
The draft begins July 13 at 6 p.m. EDT at the Coca-Cola Roxy at The Battery Atlanta and will air on ESPN and MLB Network.
The Washington Nationals hold the first overall pick, which was determined during the MLB Winter Meetings on December 10, 2024, in Dallas, Texas.
LSU pitcher Kade Anderson (32) during an NCAA College World Series baseball game on Saturday, June 14, 2025 in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Cory Eads)
