2025 NCAA Super Regional Preview: West Virginia vs. LSU

Series Overview

West Virginia Mountaineers

• Overall: 44-14
• Conference: 19-9
• RPI: 26
• SOS: 93

#4 LSU Tigers

• Overall: 46-15
• Conference: 19-11
• RPI: 14
• SOS: 41

You have a West Virginia team that has caught fire vs. a juggernaut in LSU. This is the Super Regional we predicted, and there isn’t much shock to this one. West Virginia will be looking to prove the haters wrong and showcase that this team is talented regardless of the strength of schedule.

As for LSU, they’ll be looking to make their second College World Series trip in three years in Jay Johnson’s fourth season as Head Coach. There isn’t much to say that we don’t already know about this Tigers team. 

Team Strengths & Weaknesses

West Virginia Mountaineers

Are the Mountaineers the sexiest team on paper? No. Do they do everything right in a well-balanced way? Yes. 

This is a team that has ranked in the top 60s in basically every category. Now, you could say that’s because they had such an easy schedule, but regardless, it is still impressive, and it is what has made this West Virginia team somewhat interesting. 

Coming into the regional, on offense, they ranked 52nd in the nation in team batting average (.299). They also don’t strike out at a high clip and sport a 17% strikeout rate, which was suitable for 61st in the country. 

Guys like Sam White and Kyle West really get things going for this offense. White is hitting .352 on the season, and West is hitting .347. 

On the mound, it is a bit of the same story. Just a team that has found consistency at the top of the ranks. Coming into the regional, they were 28th in runs allowed per game (4.9), 37th in strikeout percentage (23.2), 34th in team WHIP (1.37), and 24th in team ERA (4.35). 

Jack Kartsonas and Griffin Kirn have been absolute forces and the definition of reliable for this team, especially Kirn. He’s thrown 95 innings on the year and has struck out 100 batters. The next closest arm to him in innings is Kartsonas, who’s thrown 64.1 innings. 

The question has always been whether the talent is real based on their strength of schedule. They proved in the Clemson regional that it was, and they have a chance to silence the critics with a strong Super Regional performance. 

LSU Tigers

Juggernaut. That is what the LSU Tigers are. This is the narrative most years for the Tigers, and it rings true in 2025. This team ranks in the top 30 nationally in almost every single offensive category. 

They’re 25th in slugging percentage, 27th in home runs, 39th in on-base percentage, and 34th in wRC+ as a team. The lineup is loaded from top to bottom. You’ve got guys like Ethan Frey, Jared Jones, and Daniel Dickinson locking things down for the offense.

And on top of that, freshman Derek Curiel has been a stud as well as Jake Brown and Chris Stanfield, who have been ultra productive. 

Things get better on the mound. You have two legit aces in lefty Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson, who have posted a 3.28 and 2.50 ERA, respectively. Eyanson has 10 wins, and Anderson has nine wins. 

As a team, they’re third in strikeout percentage, sixth in runs allowed per game, second in FIP, ninth in ERA, and 15th in WHIP—just absolute absurdity. 

This team is loaded and ready to compete for a national title. 

Recent Regional Performance

West Virginia Mountaineers 

All of us had someone outside of Clemson exiting the Clemson regional. The Tigers were a team that struggled to end the season, and it felt like it was prime for a two or three to make it out. 

Enter West Virginia. The Mountainers got a clean sweep out of the Clemson regional with a 4-3 win over Kentucky, a 9-6 victory over Clemson, and a 13-12 win in the championship game against Kentucky. 

In the championship game, West Virginia was down five runs in the eighth. The Mountaineers erupted for a six-run, two-out rally, with Armani Guzman delivering the go-ahead single. Guzman, who went 8-for-12 on the weekend, earned MVP honors, while Ben Lumsden, Gavin Kelly, and Logan Sauve powered the offense. 

Griffin Kirn came back on short rest to close it out, giving West Virginia its program-record 44th win. It was a gutsy and gritty performance by West Virginia, and they showcased that maybe they aren’t overrated. 

Even though we felt it was an easier region for a two or three to come out of, West Virginia proved they had the talent to actually accomplish the task. 

LSU Tigers

LSU punched their ticket to the Super Regionals and kept their Omaha dreams alive, thanks to a gritty, comeback-filled run through the Baton Rouge Regional. The Tigers opened the weekend on a tear, shutting out Little Rock 7–0 and then throttling Dallas Baptist 12–0 behind dominant pitching and a red-hot offense. 

But things got dicey in the regional final, when Little Rock stunned LSU with a 10–4 win to force a winner-take-all matchup. In that decisive game, LSU fell behind 5–1 early, but didn’t blink. Freshman Casan Evans came out of the bullpen and slammed the door with six lights-out innings and a career-high 12 strikeouts, giving the offense time to find its rhythm.

Ethan Frey was unstoppable at the plate, going 4-for-4 with a home run, two doubles, and four RBIs in the final game. Luis Hernandez added two solo shots of his own, and Jared Jones capped the rally with a dagger of a two-run homer in the ninth. 

It was head coach Jay Johnson’s 500th career win, and he called it one of the best of his career. 

MLB Draft Players to Watch

West Virginia Mountaineers

C Logan Sauve

Sauve is a guy who has worked his way up draft boards after a good season where he’s slashed .289/.399/.478 with 12 doubles, eight home runs, and 36 RBI in 52 games. He’s also walked as much as he’s struck out (34 times). He’s seen massive improvements in his walk rate, chase rate, and exit velos compared to his 2024 season.

He’s a candidate to stick behind the dish as well due to his solid receiving abilities and leadership traits, as he’s shown he can handle a pitching staff. 

LSU Tigers

LHP Kade Anderson

After missing his senior year of high school due to Tommy John surgery, LSU’s Kade Anderson is finally showing why he was such a big-time prospect in the 2023 class.

Now a draft-eligible sophomore, Anderson has taken on a key role in LSU’s rotation, flashing a fastball that touches 96 with serious carry and late life. His slider, a sharp mid-80s sweeper, has become a go-to pitch, and when paired with a big-breaking curveball and solid changeup, he’s proving he has the full starter’s arsenal and plenty of upside as he continues to regain pre-injury form.

2B Daniel Dickinson

A former On The Clock guest, Dickinson shot up draft boards after an incredible year at Utah Valley. That led him to transfer to LSU, where he hasn’t missed a beat against tougher SEC pitching. He is one of the best contact hitters in college baseball and has started to tap into more power. It’s still fringe-average but a positive sight to see regardless.

There are still some areas to improve in the profile, but the floor is very safe with Dickinson.

RHP Anthony Eyanson

Eyanson might be my personal favorite draft prospect on the LSU Tigers. I love guys who pitch with passion and fire on the mound, and Eyanson does just that. While the fastball doesn’t blow you away on the radar gun (low-90s), he has been able to get it up to 97 in shorter stints, and its cutterish action is fun.

His low-80s slider is filthy, and his mid-70s curveball is the pitch to keep your eye on. He gets tons of swing-and-miss with it as it has tons of depth, and he can land it for strikes. 

RHP Chase Shores

Electric factory. That is Chase Shores’ arsenal. Shores had a potential top 10 pick written all over him his freshman year, but he ended up getting Tommy John surgery and spent most of 2024 rehabbing.

He’s a physical specimen on the mound coming in at 6’8, 252 pounds. He has gotten his heater up to 102 mph, and he pairs it with a mid-80s slider that has some good bite to it. He may have some of the best pure stuff at LSU. He’s struggled in a starting role, but has found a resurgence in the Tiger bullpen. 

1B Jared Jones

Jared ‘Bear’ Jones does one thing well: he hits baseballs very, very far! Jones was a draft-eligible sophomore last year, and we thought there was a very good chance he would sign, but he decided to return to LSU.

It has paid off well, as the primary concern last year, the hit tool, has improved exponentially. He had a 37% whiff rate last year and has dropped that to 24% this year—a vast improvement. There are tons of questions on where he will play defensively, but the bat will most definitely play at the net level. 

1B/OF Ethan Frey

Ethan Frey came out of nowhere. He wasn’t even initially starting for the Tigers, but he has come on strong and showcased every bit of why he is a sleeper for the 2025 MLB Draft.

He’s a massive human being and has shown off some incredible bat speed that has generated plus power across the board for him. The exit velo numbers back up the power as well. He loves facing lefties and absolutely torches them. He’s a name to watch on draft day. 

OF Derek Curiel

Man, it was a surprise to everyone that Curiel made it to campus. Derek Curiel is a more than intriguing prospect for the 2026 MLB Draft. He’s displayed some incredible plate discipline and elite contact skills as a freshman. He’s posted a .339 batting average with a .458 on-base percentage, drawing 42 walks against 48 strikeouts over 58 games.

Curiel has the potential to be a top-tier outfield prospect in the 2026 MLB Draft. 

Predictions

We saw Arkansas Little-Rock give LSU a bit of trouble in the regional, but I’m projecting that LSU will take that as a kick in the butt and be ready to go in this Super Regional. The Tigers will sweep the Mountaineers in two games and punch their ticket to Omaha. This team is too stacked and talented not to make a statement in this Super Regional.

As much as I like this West Virginia team, I feel like the Tigers are going to be ready to play and will come with some fire on day one.