EXPECTATIONS UNFULFILLED

The No. 1 national seed has not dominated the College World Series this century

In most years, the college team that emerges as No. 1 on our Preseason Top 25 has gone through rounds of debate and discussion.

This year, it was Louisiana State at No. 1 by a mile.

If LSU had simply brought in the nation’s best recruiting class to add to a team that already featured outfielder Dylan Crews—the nation’s best draft prospect—the Tigers would have been one of the favorites for a spot in Omaha.

Adding in the best transfer class in college baseball was how this team went from potentially good to potentially great.

LSU brought back three starting pitchers who made 10 or more starts last year. But thanks to the influx of transfers Paul Skenes, Thatcher Hurd and Christian Little—as well as recruits like Chase Shores—none of those returning starters is guaranteed to start this year.

The Tigers have an exceptionally deep lineup, a weekend rotation to envy and the depth to handle the injuries that will almost assuredly crop up. Add to that a coaching staff that poached pitching coach Wes Johnson from a major league team and you have a team that’s done everything it can to try to win its first baseball national title in 16 years.

With this team and this collection of talent, anything less than a spot in Omaha would be a huge disappointment.

Unlike the College Football Playoff National Championship, which has also been dominated by the Southeastern Conference in recent years, the best team almost never wins the College World Series.