Lsu Coach Still Big Fan Of Cws Foe

Louisiana State coach Skip Bertman has won a pair of national championships after a similar experience as an assistant with Miami. Today, his current team meets his old one for the title at the College World Series.

Bertman, the U.S. Olympic baseball coach, is a Florida native and Miami graduate, who was the Hurricanes’ pitching coach for eight years when Ron Fraser was building the Canes into a two-time national championship team in the 1970s and ‘80s.

“I was a Hurricane,” Bertman said. “I grew up with Miami and the university. Outside LSU, I always root for Hurricane teams in football, and baseball for that matter. It’s exciting to play against Miami. It reminds me of our championship teams in ‘91 and ‘93 when we were hot, playing well in all phases of the game. They’re just doing a great job.”

LSU has been a hot team, too, scoring 45 runs in its last two games in the regionals and nine in each of its first two wins at Omaha. Then the Tigers beat second seed Florida in a 2-1 pitchers’ duel Thursday.

Bertman will try to quiet the Hurricanes bats that are hitting .377 in Omaha after a regular season at .340, fourth best in the nation. LSU will start Kevin Shipp (5-4) with Brett Laxton (8-2) ready if needed.

“I feel great about being able to start,” said Shipp, who had two relief appearances and his first two saves of the season at the CWS. “Hopefully, I can go out and pitch as I have all year, keep them off balance with my curve ball, throw my fastball in and out, and hold them down to as few hits as I can.”

Shipp has some big-game experience. He pitched in the junior college national championship game a year ago for Meridian (Miss.) Community College. Being a part of two of the three wins with two saves at the CWS also has given him a confidence boost.

“We’ve worked hard for this situation and put ourselves in a good situation to be playing for the national championship,” said LSU catcher and captain Tim Lanier. “I think we’ve been playing decent. I don’t think we’ve played our best yet here and we’re still finding ways to win and that’s impressive. But Miami is a hot club.”

Miami coach Jim Morris agrees.

“We feel like we’re playing very well right now,” he said. “We know LSU has got a great club. They’ve got a lot of guys who can hit it.”

Morris also is going with his big-game pitcher, J.D. Arteaga (12-1), who has started every big game since Morris came to Miami three years ago. The junior left-hander threw seven innings of five-hit ball to hold top seed Alabama to one run in the Canes’ 15-1 romp Sunday.

“I think it’s a great opportunity to start the national championship game,” Arteaga said. “I like pitching big games and being in clutch situations.”

Morris said he went with his left-hander because of the five left-handed hitters in LSU’s lineup that has 130 homers this season. Otherwise, it was a tossup between Arteaga and right-hander Clint Weibl (15-3), who is tied for the national lead in wins this season.

Morris said Weibl will be ready if needed against LSU.

“We’re not thinking about the next game. We’re not thinking about the rest of the season. We’re thinking about this one game,” Morris said.