Jay Johnson reflects on what it meant to give ball to Chase Shores for final outs of national championship

Jay Johnson called upon pitcher Chase Shores to finish the final 2.2 innings of LSU‘s national championship win over Coastal Carolina on Sunday. He relieved Anthony Eyanson, who struck out nine Chanticleers batters in his 6.1 innings of work.

Shores would let up just one hit across 28 pitches during his time on the mound, securing the 5-3 victory for LSU as well as its second national title in three seasons. After the win, the Tigers head coach knew he made the right call out of his bullpen

“The talent is uncoachable,” Johnson said of Shores. “I mean, it’s 99 (MPH), 100. It’s what they look like on TV at Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium, Wrigley Field, Petco Park, that’s where he’ll spend his life because he’s got that ability.

“He missed a lot of development time. I threw him right into the rotation on one of the best teams in college baseball history because I wanted to get mileage on his tires. To get that talent to become the skill that we’re all seeing now.”

Shores hadn’t pitched since March 2023 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He subsequently missed the entire 2024 baseball season. Johnson revealed that there was a learning curve for Shores on the mound once he came back in the lineup.

“He didn’t pitch great going into the season, in our scrimmages and all that type of stuff, but I felt like we had a good enough offense, good enough supporting pieces, we decided to start him because I wanted him to get that experience,” Johnson said. “He had some success and he had some failures, but I felt like we got the development time in. Then we put him in a role that there’s nobody better for that role.”

Johnson admitted there were some speed bumps along the way, such as his appearance in the Baton Rouge Regional against Little Rock. His next appearance in the Super Regional against West Virginia was a different story entirely. He finished off his season by recording the most critical 2.2 innings of his career.

“It meant a lot to see him on the mound because this doesn’t happen overnight,” Johnson said. “It didn’t happen last summer.”

Now, Shores gets to enjoy his second national championship with the Tigers. While he was forced to sit out during 2023’s title run, Shores can forever stake his claim as the pitcher who recorded the final outs for LSU’s 2025 College World Series championship.