Jay Johnson reveals conversation with Kade Anderson in the middle of CWS shutout

LSU starting left-handed pitcher Kade Anderson‘s legacy grew even stronger Saturday night, as the soon-to-be First Round MLB Draft pick threw the first College World Series complete game shutout since 2018 in a 1-0 win over Coastal Carolina.

Everything went Anderson’s way, as he allowed just three hits while striking out 10 batters over the nine inning span. 83 of his 130 (!) pitches were strikes. Thanks to his performance, his hometown Tigers are just one win away from their eighth National Championship in program history.

Following the win, LSU head coach Jay Johnson recalled a conversation with Anderson in the third inning.

“I think as far as the pitching with traffic, I think I heard [UCLA] coach [John] Savage say it earlier this week, it’s the College World Series,” Johnson said. “You’re going to pitch with runners on base. It’s the best teams in the country, and that’s one of the best teams in the country. They do a great job of finding their way on base. And they did a few times tonight.”

“He told me in the third inning, I just went down to say a little something to him, and he’s, like, ‘I’ll settle in’. And I was, like, nobody knows that better than me. He had an outing very similar to this and I saw some commonalities in that. When we were at Oklahoma, we had a 10-pitch inning in the seventh and then two quick outs, really quick outs, maybe within three or four pitches in the eighth. I felt like they weren’t seeing him, they weren’t picking him up. I know the human being. That’s who you want on the mound in the ninth.”

LSU‘s lone run scored all the way back in the bottom of the first inning, as Derek Curiel drew a walk to open the frame and was driven home by a Steven Milam RBI-single. The run support wasn’t there for Anderson, but it didn’t let it stop him from leading his team to a massive win.

“He’s the best pitcher in college baseball,” Johnson said about his left-handed ace. “I mean, we had the best pitcher on the planet two years ago in a similar situation [Paul Skenes]. I felt like Kade’s had a very similar season to that. And that’s how you get here. I’m really proud of him. And I think the commonality between the two is the person, the character, the toughness, the team-first attitude.”

“I mean, his next pitch should be for someplace in the Washington Nationals organization. It’s not close. And they usually draft really well. And he’s the best player in the country. There’s nobody closer to the Major Leagues than that right now. But I don’t think you can quantify it — Paul Skenes, Joe Burrow, that type of deal.”

LSU can close out the Men’s College World Series Final with a win on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 1:30 pm CT.