#LSU rolls with the usual lineup vs a righty since being in Omaha.
It’s (likely the last at LSU) Kade Anderson shove day!
Tigers and Chanticleers face off at 6 p.m. CT. pic.twitter.com/BxuZYD5zCI
— Ross Abboud (@Abboud04R) June 21, 2025
LSU baseball beat Coastal Carolina in Game 1 of the College World Series behind a dominant outing from Kade Anderson. The lefty ace tossed a complete-game shutout, striking out 10 and throwing 130 pitches to lead LSU to a 1-0 win.
LSU’s offense totaled just six hits and two walks, but with Anderson on the mound, it didn’t matter. One run was enough.
Anderson’s first few innings weren’t the smoothest, but he recovered time and time again to work out of jams. Coastal threatened, but never scored.
LSU’s lone run came in the first inning when Derek Curiel began the game with a walk and Steven Milam put LSU on the board with an RBI.
Coastal Carolina’s loss was the Chanticleers’ first loss in 26 games.
LSU has a chance to win the national championship with a Game 2 victory on Sunday. The contest is slated for 1:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ABC.
Below is LSU Wire’s live blog coverage of the win.
Anderson’s stuff wasn’t at its best for much of the night, but elite pitchers find a way to get it done in games like this. Despite walking five batters, a career high, Anderson settled in and finished the game. This was Anderson’s second complete-game shutout of the year.
Anderson finished it off and completed the shutout. The Tigers win 1-0 and take a 1-0 series lead.
Anderson walked his fifth batter of the game and the tying runner is on.
It turns out Anderson’s day is not done. He’s returning to pitch the ninth with LSU up 1-0. The Tigers are three outs away from taking Game 1.
LSU let Kade Anderson pitch the eight and the flawless outing continued. His pitch count is at 115. If this is the last time we ever see Anderson in a LSU uniform, its one heck of a way to go out. LSU leads 1-0.
Cameron Flukey’s day is done and Coastal Carolina has tabbed Dominick Carbone out of the pen.
Kade. Anderson.
The LSU ace just completed his seventh scoreless inning. The lefty has struck out eight and allowed three hits. Batters have just six hits vs. Anderson in his last 14 innings.
LSU missed a chance to add to the lead in the sixth.
Anderson pitched a clean sixth inning and Coastal went three up, three down. It’s still 1-0 LSU.
LSU couldn’t get anything in the fifth. The score remains 1-0 Tigers.
Anderson hit Caden Bodine with a pitch, but Coastal was otherwise quiet. Anderson has held CCU scoreless through five innings.
Cameron Flukey stranded the LSU runner and ended the inning with a strikeout of Daniel Dickinson. Flukey has six strikeouts through four. LSU still leads 1-0.
Luis Hernandez smoked a ball to second base and CCU’s Blake Barthol couldn’t make the play. Hernandez is on first with one out in the bottom of the fourth.
There’s action in the Coastal Carolina bullpen.
After the leadoff double, Anderson responded by striking out the side. LSU remains up 1-0 heading to the bottom of the fourth inning. Anderson has six strikeouts through four innings and the pitch count is at 67.
Blagen Pado led off the fourth inning with a double, and again, Coastal Carolina gets the leadoff man on base.
Coastal Carolina starter Cameron Flukey has settled in since allowing the run in the first. Flukey has struck out four through three innings. His pitch count sits at 50.
LSU couldn’t cash in with Milam on third base. We head to the fourth inning with LSU leading 1-0.
Curiel led off the third with a groundout to short, and Frey followed it up with a popout in foul territory. Then, with two outs, Steven Milam doubled to right. LSU will look to score Milam with clutch two-out hitting,
The Chanticleers threatened in the third inning, but Anderson and LSU worked out of it. LSU leads 1-0 as the Tigers come up to bat in the bottom of the third.
Anderson already had three walks and just hit the first batter of the third inning.
Coastal has runners on first and second with nobody out in the top of the third. LSU leads 1-0.
With Anderson throwing 20 pitches in the first and 20 more in the second, the LSU starter could use a quick inning in the third.
Anderson is already at 40 pitches thanks to three walks, but it was another scoreless frame in the second.
One run was all LSU got in the first. The Tigers lead 1-0 as we move to the second inning.
LSU strikes first. Steven Milam drives in Derek Curiel and the Tigers lead 1-0.
LSU has something going in the first with a lead-off walk from Derek Curiel.
With two runners on, Kade Anderson got out of the first with a strikeout. It’s 0-0 as we move to the bottom of the inning.
Anderson has issued two walks in the first. Coastal has runners on first and second with two outs.
Caden Bodine led off for Coastal and grounded out to third. We are underway.
LSU needs to work the count vs. Flukey early. He’s a good pitcher, but he’s not unhittable. If LSU forces Flukey to throw enough pitchers, he’ll give the Tigers something to hit.
Coastal’s bullpen is deep, too. The earlier Flukey is out of the game, the quicker LSU can force CCU to start working through the arms in the pen.
This looks like a strong matchup for LSU pitcher Kade Anderson.
Coastal Carolina is inconsistent vs. lefties.The Chanticleers are prone to strikeouts, and Anderson has more strikeouts than anyone in college baseball.Coastal Carolina only has 66 home runs in 2025 and it’s tough to score on Anderson without the long ball.
Here’s what the Coastal Carolina lineup looks like. Caden Bodine and Sebastian Alexander are the stars at the top, but they’ve struggled in Omaha so far.
In the CWS, Bodine is hitting .231 without an extra base hit. Alexander has struck out seven times — also without an extra base hit. The Chants will need those two to get things rolling at the top of the order if they hope to do damage vs. LSU’s ace.
#PlayerPosition1Caden BodineC2Sebastian AlexanderLF3Blake Barthol2B4Walker Mitchell3B5Blagen PadoRD6Colby Thorndyke1B7Dean MihosDH8Ty DooleySS9Wells SykesCF
Derek Curiel will lead things off for LSU, followed by Ethan Frey and Steven Milam.
Jake Brown gets the start in right field and will hit cleanup. Jared Jones and Luis Hernandez occupy the No. 5 and No. 6 holes, respectively. Stanfield, Dickinson, and Braswell round out the order.
LSU will roll with its ace on Saturday. Lefty Kade Anderson will get the ball as he looks to put an exclamation point on his outstanding 2025 campaign. Anderson worked as a reliever in 2024 before entering the starting rotation as a sophomore this year.
Anderson is the nation’s strikeout leader and has a 3.44 ERA in 110 innings. He’s draft-eligible and has a chance to be the No. 1 overall pick. That means this could be the last time we see Anderson take the mound in a LSU uniform.
Here are some of the sights and sounds as LSU left the hotel and arrived at Charles Schwab Stadium.
Rain shouldn’t be an issue, but the weather is a story entering Game 1. According to The Weather Channel, it’s 98 degrees in Omaha, and it feels like 103. Strong winds are blowing in from left field, and gusts could be up to 40 miles per hour.
For pitchers, that’s good news. It will be nearly impossible for right-handed batters to drive a fly ball over the left field wall. On the flip side, you don’t want to be a defender trying to field a fly ball when a 40-mile-per-hour wind starts swirling.
Jay Johnson has had a few surprises this postseason when it comes to the LSU lineup. Should we expect another one on Saturday?
With LSU facing a righty, it’s fair to expect Derek Curiel in the leadoff spot. Ethan Frey has been a consistent presence at No. 2 and there’s no reason to think that will change tonight.
Jared Jones has homered in back-to-back games, which could be a reason for Jones to return to the top of the order. But with Jones rolling, Johnson probably doesn’t want to ruin a good thing.
I’d guess the first five mirrors the lineup we saw on Wednesday: Curiel, Frey, Milam, Hernandez, and Jones.
Flukey is a 6-foot-6 right-hander from Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. He pitched 55 innings as a true freshman in 2024 before assuming a full-time spot in the rotation in 2025.In 95.2 innings, Flukey spots a 3.29 ERA with 109 strikeouts and 22 walks. Opponents are hitting .211 vs Flukey.Flukey has struggled vs. Power Four lineups this year, posting a 5.91 ERA.Flukey will attack LSU hitters with a power fastball up in the zone. He sits around 93-94 MPH, but he can touch 97.Flukey has not thrown more than 100 pitches in a game this year.Flukey’s sole College World Series appearance came in the Chanticleers’ opener vs. Arizona. He tossed four innings and allowed two runs.