Game Two of the Men’s College World Series Finals raised the stakes for both LSU and Coastal Carolina, with the Tigers being one win away from their second national title in three years, and the Chanticleers needing to fight their way out of the corner to force Game Three.
If the stakes weren’t already high enough with a national championship hanging in the balance, history was also in reach with a series win for each coach. Jay Johnson would become the fastest coach in college baseball history to win two national championships with one team – Johnson took over LSU in June 2021 and won his first Men’s College World Series title in 2023. Kevin Schnall, in his first season at Coastal Carolina, would become the first-ever first-year head coach to win a national championship. Schnall is the sixth coach to lead his team to the MCWS Finals in year one, and all five previous coaches have failed to reach the mountaintop.
Those stakes were clear on both sides of the diamond, and the tensions were high to open Game Two.
In the bottom of the first inning, Kevin Schnall was seemingly unhappy with Homeplate umpire Angel Campos and where his strike zone was set up. Schnall let him know – loudly – and after one warning, he was promptly ejected from the game.
First base coach Matt Schilling then had words for Campos, most likely just telling him to have a great day, and was also tossed from the game.
Per the NCAA, Schnall and Schilling received an added two-game suspension for prolonged arguing, meaning if Coastal Carolina would have forced Game Three tomorrow, they would be unavailable for that game.
Coastal gave its coach something to cheer about from the tunnels of Charles Schwab Field when Dean Mihos blasted a solo home run in the bottom of the second. Facing adversity, the Chanticleers took the early lead in Game Two, 1-0.
In the top of the third inning, LSU evened the score when Ethan Frey hit a hard line drive over Sebastian Alexander’s head in left field. Alexander had trouble tracking the ball off the bat and couldn’t recover in time, giving Frey an RBI double to bring the game to 1-1.
LSU kept the pressure on in the top of the fourth after holding Coastal scoreless.
With the bases loaded and no outs, Chris Stanfield singled to left field that scored both Jared Jones and Jake Brown.
Later in the inning, with two outs, Derek Curiel singled up the middle, scoring Stanfield and Luis Hernandez. With the score now 5-1 in favor of LSU, Jacob Morrison’s day was done after just three and two-thirds’ innings pitched.
Hayden Johnson entered the game to stop the onslaught and got out of the jam two batters later, but Coastal Carolina was in a big hole.
The fifth and sixth innings came and went with no runs scored and only three baserunners between the two teams. The story to that point? LSU starting pitcher Anthony Eyanson, who had allowed just one run while striking out nine.
Eyanson would last just a few more batters though. After putting Ty Dooley on base via hit-by-pitch to begin the seventh inning, Eyanson allowed another home run. This time, Wells Sykes homered into left field, cutting Coastal Carolina’s deficit.
LSU brought in closing pitcher Chase Shores, who ended the inning without any additional runs added for Coastal, and LSU was heading to the plate in the eighth inning ahead 5-3.
Neither LSU nor Coastal Carolina scored in the eighth inning, and it was on to the ninth, where Coastal Carolina would have to keep the deficit at two in the top of the inning before receiving one more chance to overcome it in the bottom.
The Chanticleers did just that, holding LSU scoreless again in the top of the ninth, and went to the plate with one more chance to score two runs.
To lead off the bottom of the ninth inning, Dean Mihos took a 100 mile-per-hour fastball to right field for a single, and Coastal Carolina had life.
The next at-bat, Ty Dooley couldn’t handle Chase Shores’ heat and struck out for the first out of the inning.
Wells Sykes grounded into a double play in the next at-bat to end the game, and LSU secured its second national title in three years.
Player of the Game: RHP Anthony Eyanson – Eyanson secured his 12th and most important win of the season in an impressive outing where he went six and one third innings, allowing seven hits, three runs and one walk while striking out nine.
Coach Jay Johnson became the fastest coach to two national championships at one school after taking the LSU job in 2021. After only returning 10 players from last year’s squad, Johnson assembled a juggernaut capable of beating the favorite, Arkansas, in this years’ College World Series – Twice – and of knocking Coastal Carolina off the rails of its 26-game winning streak. Johnson also scored redemption against Coastal Carolina, who denied him history when he was the head coach at Arizona and was seeking to become the first coach to lead his team to a national championship in his first season. LSU had yet another successful trip to Omaha, winning its eighth Men’s College World Series title and the Rocco’s Jell-O shot challenge once again.
The 75th anniversary of the Men’s College World Series was packed with late-inning excitement and historic performances that paid honor to the event in its diamond jubilee. In the end, the best two teams emerged from Brackets One and Two to showcase the nation’s top talent in the Finals, and LSU’s stars shined brightest. Congratulations to the 2025 Men’s College World Series champion LSU Tigers.
