Ranking LSU's top five super regional moments in Alex Box Stadium history

USA Today

17 hours ago

Ranking LSU's top five super regional moments in Alex Box Stadium history
Postseason baseball at Alex Box Stadium is special. College baseball doesn't garner the same attention as college football and college basketball, but Baton Rouge is different. It has no equal.
Alex Box Stadium holds 10,326, but you would think it's a lot more if you've ever watched a super regional in Baton Rouge. The place comes alive, and it's not all that different from Tiger Stadium across the street, despite a capacity that's just 10% of what the football stands hold.
LSU has hosted 12 Super Regionals at The Box. The Tigers are 9-3 in those series and 19-9 in super regional games at home.
Now, it's West Virginia's turn to witness the power of the postseason at The Box. The Mountaineers roll in for the Baton Rouge Regional set to begin on Saturday.
LSU didn't make a super regional in 2024 after falling in the Chapel Hill Regional. The last time LSU was in this spot was 2023, when the eventual national champs swept Kentucky in two games. Super regional baseball at Alex Box will be a welcome site for LSU fans.
Here are the top five super regional moments in Alex Box history.
June 6, 2003: Back-to-back homers vs. Baylor force Game 3
On the brink of elimination, LSU used back-to-back home runs to lead off the eighth inning and force a game three. Clay Harris hit the first homer against pitcher Abe Woody to right-center.
After the Bears made a change on the mound, Ivan Naccarata hit a solo blast to put the Tigers up 6-5. that score set up a rubber match. LSU took the series with a 20-run showing the next day.
June 6, 2015: Walk-off homer vs UL-Lafayette
In the latest installment of an in-state rivalry, LSU and UL-Lafayette met in Baton Rouge for a super regional match. The two sides came down to the wire in the series opener, winning 4-3 on a walk-off home run from designated hitter Chris Sciambra.
The Tigers advanced to Omaha with a win the following day. The rare matchup of in-state teams well into the postseason provided an extra sense of excitement inside Alex Box Stadium.
June 8, 2008: Ninth inning rally keeps LSU alive vs. UC Irvine
After dropping Game 1, LSU was facing elimination in Game 2 of the super regional vs. UC Irvine. LSU trailed 7-4 entering the top of the ninth. The Tigers' season was on the brink.
With the bases loaded, Jared Mitchell drew a walk to make it 7-5. Then Nicholas Pontiff drove in another run on a fielder's choice. Blake Dean singled to right field to score Mitchell, and suddenly it was tied.
Catcher Sean Ochinko kept the rally going with a single to left, driving in the go-ahead run. The next day, LSU punched its ticket to Omaha.
June 10, 2017: Big inning late leads LSU past Mississippi State
In the opening game of the super regional against Mississippi State, LSU found itself in a hole. Trailing 3-0 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, the Tigers scored four unanswered runs in their half of the frame to cement a 4-3 win. Greg Deichmann, Zach Watson and Michael Papierski recorded the RBIs.
LSU pitcher Alex Lange put together a standout game, finishing with 10 strikeouts through 7.2 innings. The contest was one for the ages in eyes of then-LSU head coach Paul Mainieri.
"Well, that's a game that we'll never forget in these parts," Mainieri said. "I'll be talking about this game 10 years from now."
June 7, 2013: Aaron Nola dominates
In what would be a two-game series win against Oklahoma, starting pitcher Aaron Nola hurled a gem. The right-handed pitcher threw a complete game shutout at home in game one, his fifth of the season.
Nola allowed just two hits and didn't surrender a walk while adding six strikeouts. LSU needed the effort in its quest for a College World Series berth as it won 2-0 over the Sooners.