LSU Baseball Eyes Rare Back-to-Back Titles as 2026 Season Opens
Another college baseball season is upon us, and once again, all eyes are on Baton Rouge. LSU is set to open its 2026 campaign with a three-game series against Milwaukee at Alex Box Stadium this weekend, followed by a Monday matchup against Kent State.
The Tigers are chasing history - and this time, it’s not just about Omaha. It’s about legacy.
Head coach Jay Johnson has the chance to do something even the legendary Skip Bertman didn’t: win three national championships in a four-year span. Bertman brought home back-to-back titles in 1996 and 1997, but never added a third in that tight of a window. Johnson, with titles in 2023 and 2025 already under his belt, is knocking on that door.
The SEC’s History With Title Defenses
History tells us that defending a College World Series crown isn’t just tough - it’s borderline brutal. Since 2000, 11 SEC teams have entered a season as reigning national champions.
Only one - South Carolina in 2011 - managed to go back-to-back. That’s it.
The Gamecocks were the exception, not the rule.
Still, four other SEC teams made it back to Omaha the year after winning it all. Florida reached the bracket finals in 2018.
South Carolina (2012), Vanderbilt (2015), and Mississippi State (2021) each made it all the way to the CWS finals before falling short. Vanderbilt’s 2021 run came with an asterisk, though - they were the 2019 champs, but the 2020 CWS was canceled due to COVID-19.
LSU’s Track Record in Title Defenses
LSU has claimed four national titles since the turn of the century - in 2000, 2009, 2023, and 2025. But when it comes to defending those titles, the results haven’t been kind to the Tigers.
In 2001, they ran into a red-hot Tulane squad in the super regionals and fell short. In 2010, they were bounced early in the Los Angeles Regional, going 1-2. And just last year, after winning it all in 2023, LSU’s 2024 team lost to North Carolina in the Chapel Hill Regional finals.
That’s the challenge of college baseball. Winning once is hard.
Doing it again, with a new roster, new arms, and a target on your back? That’s another level.
The 2026 Outlook: Not Built Like 2023, But Still Dangerous
Let’s be clear: this 2026 LSU team isn’t a juggernaut like the 2023 squad that steamrolled its way to a title. And it doesn’t boast the elite one-two punch at the top of the rotation like the 2025 team did. But don’t mistake that for weakness.
Johnson has assembled a roster that’s more than capable of earning a national seed - and if they can host both a regional and a super regional at The Box, they’ll be in position to make another serious run. Once you get to Omaha, anything can happen. And no program has thrived in Omaha quite like LSU.
There are questions, sure. Power hitting is a concern, and the starting rotation doesn’t have any proven aces just yet.
But what LSU does have is depth - especially on the mound. If three reliable starters can emerge from that deep bullpen, the Tigers could be right back in the thick of the national title hunt.
A Look at the SEC’s Recent Title Defenses
Here’s how SEC teams have fared in the year following a national championship over the last two decades:
- 2000 LSU: Won the title over Stanford.
- 2001 LSU: Fell to Tulane in the super regionals.
- 2009 LSU: Beat Texas for the championship.
- 2010 LSU: Eliminated early in the UCLA-hosted regional.
- 2010 South Carolina: Won it all over UCLA.
- 2011 South Carolina: Repeated, beating Florida.
- 2012 South Carolina: Lost to Arizona in the finals.
- 2014 Vanderbilt: Beat Virginia for the title.
- 2015 Vanderbilt: Lost to Virginia in a finals rematch.
- 2017 Florida: Took down LSU for the championship.
- 2018 Florida: Eliminated by Arkansas in the CWS.
- 2019 Vanderbilt: Beat Michigan for the title.
- 2021 Vanderbilt: Lost to Mississippi State in the finals.
- 2021 Mississippi State: Won it all over Vandy.
- 2022 Mississippi State: Missed the NCAA tournament.
- 2022 Ole Miss: Beat Oklahoma for the championship.
- 2023 Ole Miss: Missed the tournament entirely.
- 2023 LSU: Beat Florida for the title.
- 2024 LSU: Lost to UNC in the regional finals.
- 2024 Tennessee: Took down Texas A&M in the finals.
- 2025 Tennessee: Lost to Arkansas in the super regionals.
- 2025 LSU: Beat Coastal Carolina for the title.
- 2026 LSU: To be determined.
The Road Ahead
LSU’s path to a repeat starts now. There’s no Dylan Crews or Paul Skenes walking through that door, but there’s talent, depth, and a program that knows what it takes to win when it matters most. If Johnson can find the right mix - especially on the mound - this team has the tools to make another run.
History may not be on their side, but LSU has never been afraid of rewriting it.