Monday, June 23, 2025
College World Series Special Edition
CELEBR8TE
LSU baseball stands alone atop the college baseball world
BY AINSLEY FLOOD
Sports Editor
OMAHA, Neb. — LSU baseball is the national champion once again after defeating Coastal Carolina 5-3 in Game 2 of the College World Series finals on Sunday and going undefeated in Omaha.
“They performed like national champions every single day of this,” head coach Jay Johnson said in the post-game press conference.
Johnson and the Tigers earned their eighth national title in program history behind domination of the bats and Anthony Eyanson on the mound.
A dramatic first inning set the tone when CCU’s head coach, Kevin Schnall, began arguing with the umpire crew about balls and strikes at the bottom of the first.
To the shock of the stadium, he left the dugout to continue arguing and was ejected almost immediately, along with the first base coach.
According to a statement issued by the NCAA, Schnall was given a warning during the dispute, and he continued to argue outside of the dugout despite that, which is an automatic ejection.
“It’s a tough situation, but I moved past it immediately,” Johnson said. “I needed to be locked in on what our players needed from our coaching staff.”
Two coaches down, CCU still managed to get the go-ahead run in the bottom of the second inning when seven-hole Dean Mihos hit a home run.
Immediately, LSU fired back.
Daniel Dickinson led off with a
single in the second, followed by Michael Braswell’s sacrifice bunt to get Dickinson to second.
Ethan Frey was the star batter, driving the ball past the center fielder for an RBI double that brought back Dickinson and evened the score 1-1.
After a low-scoring 1-0 win in the first game, the LSU bats fully came to life in Game 2.
In the fourth, Jake Brown, Jared Jones and Luis Hernandez loaded the bases with no outs for Chris Stanfield to hit a two-RBI single. Brown and Jones scored to bring the Tigers up 3-1, but the offense wasn’t done yet.
“I knew if I came through, it would put us on top,” Stanfield said. “It was just getting a good pitch and putting a good swing on it, like all year.”
With Hernandez and Stanfield on second and third, Curiel also singled straight into center field. CCU’s outfield was slow to return the ball, allowing the two runners to score.
With the national championship on the line, a comfortable 5-1 lead was exactly what LSU needed at the halfway point.
CCU got back on the board after Eyanson hit a batter with a pitch at the bottom of the seventh, which allowed another home run to drive both players in.
After 6.1 innings and nine strikeouts, Eyanson stepped off the field one last time and was relieved by Chase Shores.
Three quick outs in the eighth meant the pressure was all on the CCU bats in the bottom of the ninth with a two-run deficit to make up.
The leadoff batter got a base hit, but Shores struck out the next bat-
ter for LSU’s first out. In 2.2 innings, Shores earned four strikeouts and only allowed one hit.
“Just to play a part in this run in Omaha was a dream come true,” Shores said. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
The last hit of the game went straight to second base, where the double play was made to first.
Both runners were declared out to end the game, and LSU gold flooded onto the field.
The 2025 team capped their season with a 53-15 overall record and an eight-game win streak.
“Our motto for the year was ‘tough and together,’ and I’ve never seen a team more mentally tough and consistent,” Johnson said.
When the dream of a repeat national championship died in last year’s regionals, Johnson put together a team capable of taking its title back in 2025.
“Last year, I believe we had eight pitchers drafted, another SEC record,” Johnson said. “That’s a lot to replace over a two-year period. Maybe that’s why I’m so proud of this thing. This is a completely different team.”
On a sunny Sunday afternoon in Omaha, they executed their fifth and final game of the College World Series, proving LSU had what it takes to win it all again.
“It took the best team in the country to beat them,” Johnson said. “LSU is the best team in the country this year, not just the national champion.”
B-16 Hodges Hall
Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, La. 70803 LSUReveille.com
ADVERTISING (225) 578-6090
Layout/Ad Design ASHLEY KENNEDY
Layout/Ad Design REESE PELLEGRIN
CORRECTIONS
&
CLARIFICATIONS
The Reveille holds accuracy and objectivity at the highest priority and wants to reassure its readers the reporting and content of the paper meets these standards. This space is reserved to recognize and correct any mistakes that may have been printed in The Daily Reveille. If you would like something corrected or clarified, please contact the editor at (225) 578-4811 or email editor@lsu.edu.
ABOUT THE REVEILLE
The Reveille is written, edited and produced solely by students of Louisiana State University. The Reveille is an independent entity of the Office of Student Media within the Manship School of Mass Communication. A single issue of The Reveille is free from multiple sites on campus and about 25 sites off campus. To obtain additional copies, please visit the Office of Student Media in B-39 Hodges Hall or email studentmedia@ lsu.edu. The Reveille is published biweekly during the fall, spring and summer semesters, except during holidays and final exams. The Reveille is funded through LSU students’ payments of the Student Media fee.
PAYTON PRICHARD/ The Reveille
PAYTON PRICHARD/ The Reveille
LSU baseball freshman outfielder Derek Curiel (6) celebrates during LSU’s 5-3 win over Coastal Carolina in the Men’s College World Series Championship June 22 at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb.
SPORTS CLOSED IT OUT
Chase Shores’ redemption comes full circle after he finishes off national championship
BY ROSS ABBOUD Staff Writer
OMAHA, Neb. — LSU baseball claimed the eighth national championship in program history on Sunday afternoon, and redshirt sophomore pitcher Chase Shores was essential to the historic feat.
“There’s nobody I would’ve rather had finished the game for the second national championship than Chase Shores,” head coach Jay Johnson said.
Shores came to LSU ranked as the No. 23 overall prospect and the No. 5 right-handed pitcher by Perfect Game. He was originally committed to Oklahoma State, but flipped his commitment in October 2021.
Shores arrived in Baton Rouge as a freshman for the 2022-2023 school year, and in that spring Shores was named to the starting rotation for the Tigers.
“I threw him right into the rotation on one of the best teams in college baseball history,” Johnson said, “because I wanted to get mileage on his tires, to get that talent to develop to the skill that we’re all seeing now.”
As a freshman, Shores started four games and appeared in seven. He posted a 1.96 ERA in 18.1 innings pitched.
But Shores’ path hasn’t always
BASEBALL
LSU
been easy, and in the middle of his breakout season, he suffered a torn UCL in his throwing arm against Tennessee in March of 2023.
“His last pitch that season was a
97 mile-an-hour fastball that struck somebody out from Tennessee,” Johnson said. “And then he had to go through the 18-month recovery and rehab and then persevere
through all of that.”
After missing the entirety of the 2024 season due to Tommy John surgery in April 2023, Shores made his return on Feb. 16 against Purdue
Fort Wayne.
Shores pitched five innings and allowed three hits with one earned run, all while striking out seven.
Throughout his 23 appearances this season, Shores recorded a 5.09 ERA and struck out 70 batters. After some struggles as a starter, he transitioned into a high-leverage reliever role midseason.
“He had some success and he had some failures, but I felt like we got the developed time in,” Johnson said. “Then we put him in a role and there’s nobody better for that role.“
During the Tigers’ time at the College World Series, Shores appeared in four out of their five games. He only allowed three runs through five innings of work and struck out eight batters.
Shores was also the only pitcher in Omaha to throw over 100 miles per hour.
“Just to play a part in this run in Omaha was a dream come true,” Shores said. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world and I’m just super thankful to do it with great teammates.”
The national championship was likely Shores’ last appearance in purple and gold as he’s eligible for the 2025 MLB Draft. Shores is ranked as the No. 85 overall prospect in the 2025 class by MLB.com.
“I’m so proud of him,” Johnson said. “It meant a lot to see him on the mound.”
Meet the viral organist letting fans pick songs at the CWS
At the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, the stadium’s organist has become an online sensation for his witty song choices.
John Benedeck will play just about any tune at Charles Schwab Field–from “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer to “Tequila” by The Champs.
His creative takes on traditional ballpark music caught the attention of baseball lovers everywhere, garnering over 390,000 followers and 8.5 million likes on TikTok.
Besides playing in Omaha every year for the tournament, he’s the resident organist for the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
“I grew up a huge Cubs fan, so now I get to be a cheerleader with the keys and enjoy a lot of baseball,” Benedeck said.
As a born and raised fan, Benedeck had passion for the game, but not the music.
“My mom signed me up for piano lessons when I was six, and at first, I hated it,” Benedeck said.
Later, he heard another student playing “Canon in D” by Johann Pachelbel and instantly fell in love with the song. When Benedeck told his teacher he wanted to learn it, she said he wasn’t ready.
That quickly motivated him to prove her wrong.
“Over a few months, I learned the song and picked up on my playing-by-ear skills,” Benedeck said. “That’s where I started and have been ever since.”
The skilled pianist went to school for broadcasting and became a freelance podcast producer after he graduated.
One podcast he worked on was for a Cubs super fan who collected all kinds of team memorabilia. This included the stadium’s old organ from the ‘90s, which Benedeck would then play at events.
“Someone caught me on tape and put my hat in the ring, and the Cubs ended up reaching out,” Benedeck said. “They put me through a rigorous audition, and I eventually got the offer.”
Live organists are less pop -
ular among today’s ballparks, with only nine MLB teams having full-time organists on staff.
Once he was welcomed onto the team, Benedeck was convinced to create a TikTok account and share his unique job
with the world. He eventually gained a following that only grew from then on.
“It has allowed me to connect with people all over the world who wouldn’t ordinarily be interested in baseball or
sports at all,” Benedeck said. “It’s been quite a journey.”
At this year’s College World Series, fans made song requests for Benedeck to play during games using his hashtag, #MCWSOrganist, on social media.
PAYTON PRICHARD / The Reveille
baseball redshirt sophomore right-handed pitcher Chase Shores (34) smiles during LSU’s 5-3 win over Coastal Carolina in the Men’s College World Series Championship June 22 at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb.
PAYTON PRICHARD / The Reveille
Charles Schwab Field sits during LSU’s 4-1 win over Arkansas during the Men’s College World Series June 14 on Mike Fahey Street in Omaha, Neb.
LSU baseball takes care of business and defeats Coastal Carolina 5-3 to win the Men’s College World Series Championship at
Junior infielder Daniel Dickinson (14) runs to first base.
Junior designated hitter Ethan Frey (16) celebrates.
Junior right-handed pitcher Anthony Eyanson (24) pitches.
Senior infielder Michael Braswell III (10) celebrates after getting a hit.
Junior first baseman Jared Jones (22) gives a thumbs up. Freshman outfielder Derek Curiel (6) holds an “L” up.
An LSU baseball player holds up the national championship trophy.
Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb.
NEWS SEARCH BEGINS
University announces members of presidential search committee
BY JASON WILLIS
Editor In Chief
LSU announced Friday the members of its presidential search committee who’ll oversee the process for selecting a new university president after former President William Tate IV left for the same job at Rutgers in May.
The committee is made up of 19 members, many of them busi-
JUDICIARY
ness leaders from around the state.
The committee also includes seven current members of the LSU Board of Supervisors, including chair Scott Ballard; two current professors, Faculty Senate President Daniel Tirone and physics professor Kenneth Schafer; and one student, Emily Otken, who’s pursuing her doctorate at LSU Shreveport.
“This distinguished and en-
gaged group brings deep expertise, institutional knowledge, and a shared commitment to identifying the next transformative leader for our university system,” Ballard said in a statement.
Five of the Board of Supervisors members on the committee are Gov. Jeff Landry appointees. Two other committee members, Ben Bordelon and Greg Feirn, served on councils advising Landry as he transitioned into office.
LSU will soon conduct a nationwide search for its next president.
In 2019-2020, when the university sought to replace President F. King Alexander, the search committee contracted a professional search firm to narrow down candidates. The committee’s meetings were public then, and its interviews of finalists for the position were also public.
No details on how the search committee will operate this time around have been released, but more information is expected to be available at the next Board of Supervisors meeting on June 27.
In the meantime, the interim president is Matt Lee, formerly the vice president of agriculture and dean of the College of Agriculture.
The university has several other high-level vacancies at chief administrative officer and provost. Lee told the Reveille that those positions will be filled once a new president is named.
Here is the full committee, per
Scott Ballard, Chairman – LSU Board of Supervisors
Lee Mallett, Vice Chair – LSU Board of Supervisors
Valencia Sarpy Jones, Past Chair – LSU Board of Supervisors
Rémy Voisin Starns, Past Chair – LSU Board of Supervisors
James Williams, Past Chair – LSU Board of Supervisors
John Carmouche, Supervisor – LSU Board of Supervisors
Blaise Zuschlag, Supervisor – LSU Board of Supervisors
Ben Bordelon, President & CEO – Bollinger Shipyards
Clarence Cazalot, Immediate Past Chair
MD Anderson, Former Chair/President/ CEO Marathon Oil, Past Chair – LSU Foundation Board of Directors
Paul Coreil, Chancellor – LSU Alexandria
Greg Feirn, CEO – LCMC Health
EJ Kuiper, President & CEO – Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System
Pete November, CEO – Ochsner Health
Roger Odgen, Business Leader, Philanthropist, LSU Foundation Board of Directors
Emily Otken, Medical Student – LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport, Former Student Member – LSU Board of Supervisors
Kenneth Schafer, Boyd Professor and Ball Family Distinguished Professor
Ryan Theriot, Executive Vice President/ COO of Parish Construction, Former LSU & MLB Baseball Player
Daniel Tirone, LSU A&M Faculty Senate President, Associate Professor – LSU
A&M College of Humanities & Social Sciences
Bill Windham, Shreveport-Bossier Business and Industry Leader
Greg Brooks lawsuit overcomes another hurdle
BY JASON WILLIS Editor In Chief
The medical negligence lawsuit brought by former LSU football Greg Brooks Jr. against the university overcame another hurdle on June 16 when a 19th Judicial Court Judge declined a motion to quash a subpoena brought against the NeuroMedical Center.
Brooks brought the lawsuit in August against LSU and Our Lady of the Lake Medical Center, LSU Athletics’ sports medicine partner, after the surgery he received for a brain tumor in September 2023 left him permanently disabled.
The NeuroMedical Center, located in the Baton Rouge area, is not a party to the lawsuit but is the place of practice of Dr. Brandon Gaynor, the surgeon who oversaw Brooks’ procedure at OLOL. The subpoena is related to records of his qualifications.
Judge Tiffany Foxworth-Roberts ordered the records be produced within 30 days.
Brooks Jr. and his father were present at the hearing.
The NeuroMedical Center argued that the records were unrelated to the case and they could be obtained through other means. Its stance was overruled.
The lawsuit will continue on, with the next hearings scheduled Sept. 2 and Sept. 8.
On Sept. 2, the Court will review the documents produced by the NeuroMedical Center and determine which are admissible. On Sept. 8, the Court will consider a motion to compel OLOL to produce certain records.
The lawsuit’s background
Brooks is still wheelchair-bound and re-learning how to talk, write and eat, according to what he and his father said in a “Good Morning America” segment in February.
Brooks also alleged on GMA that LSU head coach Brian Kelly hadn’t contacted him or his family since October 2023, which Kelly impassionately denied at a press conference shortly after. It’s been one of the most publicly contested points of the dispute.
“It is factually incorrect to state that I was not there by Greg’s side
through this ordeal,” Kelly said. “I was there on multiple occasions. We had somebody from my staff that was there virtually every day.”
Brooks was diagnosed with a brain tumor in September 2023 shortly after beginning his second season with LSU football as a starting safety and captain. He had previously played two years with Arkansas.
Brooks alleges that LSU’s athletic training staff failed to properly treat him in the weeks before his diagnosis, as he was consistently suffering from clear neurological symptoms like dizziness, headache and nausea. Instead, the training staff made diagnoses like vertigo without having Brooks see team doctors and had him continue competing, according to the lawsuit.
Then, during his surgery, Brooks suffered multiple seizures due to mistakes made by Gaynor, Brooks alleges.
After Brooks’ procedure, LSU raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Brooks via the Greg Brooks Jr. Victory Fund and put in place honorary field markings and helmet decals of his No. 3 jersey during the
Third Chipotle to open in Baton Rouge near LSU
BY CHLOE RICHMOND
Managing Editor
It’s been a little over three months since the Chicken Salad Chick on Frogmore Drive off of West Lee Drive closed, and now there’s a new restaurant taking over the space.
Chipotle Mexican Grill is the newest owner of the property with plans to open its third Baton Rouge location. A deal was filed on June 13 with the East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court’s office that detailed Streamline Development Partners, a commercial real estate firm, purchasing the property for $1.5 million, according to Baton Rouge Business Report.
Chipotle has two other locations in Baton Rouge. One is near LSU on 1010 W. State St. and it opened in 2012. The other location is on 6330 Siegen Ln. and opened in 2024.
2023 season.
The lawsuit alleges that Brooks has not yet been given access to the money raised by LSU.
FRANCIS DINH / The Reveille LSU football senior safety Greg Brooks Jr. (3) gets into position Sept. 4, 2022, during LSU’s Allstate Kickoff game defeat to Florida State 23-24 in the Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, La.
Student football tickets sold out
BY CHLOE RICHMOND
Managing Editor
Season ticket packages for the 2025 LSU home football season for returning LSU students sold out on Friday, according to an email sent out by LSU Athletics.
The sale period started on Friday and ended the same afternoon as tickets quickly sold out. Students can expect any updates regarding potential ticket availability in their LSU email in mid-July. Incoming students and transfer students for the fall can expect information about tickets at a later date.
Tickets will be delivered to online accounts and available for download in late August. In order to receive your tickets, you must be a full-time student with an overall GPA of 2.0 or better at the time of distribution.
LSU:
FRANCIS DINH/ The Reveille
A sign reading “Louisiana State University” frames the entrance to LSU’s campus Oct. 28, 2022, on Dalrymple Drive.
OPINION
Have decorum in campus dressing
AVA’S POV
AVA FRANCIS Columnist
In college, parents and parental figures’ voices usually take a backseat. When 18 arrives, most college students lean into calling the shots for the first time ever.
I remember choosing my outfit for the first day of college understanding I could wear anything my little heart desired with no school dress code to fret about. Heck, I could wear a bikini and kimono to class and there would be no consequences.
Would you believe me if I said I’ve seen classmates actually wear attire meant for a beach club in Ibiza for their 8 a.m. psychology lectures? I get it, it’s Louisiana. It’s hot. Decorum is still necessary.
As you know, there’s always some hot topic circulating through social media platforms like TikTok. The conversation around women’s attire in the office and corporate world caught my attention and led me to recount inappropriate outfits I’ve seen in the classroom. I know some of my peers could care less, but I would feel awkward in a sports bra and biker shorts in the presence of my professors regardless of their gender. It’s like wearing a thin top with no bra to a job interview. You would never, so what’s the difference in a college lecture?
While the makeup of dress codes stem from sexist practices and are accompanied by enforcement disparities specifically in schools targeting young girls, they do hold an importance in professional environments and life in general.
There’s a time and place for everything.
I think there are dos and don’ts when it comes to your attire, and I’m not just talking about women. Men also wear unprofessional clothing, but there’s a double standard.
My fellow peers choosing to wear athleisure (and in some cases undergarments/lingerie) that should only be worn to the gym or other recreational activities, not an 8 a.m. lecture, is mind-boggling. Let’s retire the biker shorts; they’re unflattering on everyone and look far from comfy. Exposed booty should be kept for J-Lo’s videos, not for the classroom.
I grew up with pretty strict dress codes put in place by my
school district. Once, I was stopped by a teacher who insisted my skater skirt was too short.
As I sat and waited for my mom at the school entrance, I watched the very same teacher welcome students into the building who were wearing Lululemon shorts so tight and tiny that they were almost imaginary. Yet my loosely fitted skirt was deemed inappropriate.
Don’t even get me started on the guys who got away with wearing slutty little shorts the entirety of their school career receiving no heat whatsoever. Boys seemingly get away with everything.
I knew my skirt was fine that day, but why argue with someone who was in the position to make my day miserable? At the end of the day, it was probably just a case of targeted sexism, body shaming and rage from an authoritative figure.
I recap this experience so you understand I’m here for freedom of expression through clothing. However, society is trying to normalize the notion that less is more. To me, there’s nothing more empowering than wearing an outfit I feel good in, where I’m not fidgeting or tugging on my garments. I feel bad when I see girls who fell for the propaganda and now regret their outfit choice, always hunched over in the corner trying to hide in the outfit that looked good in their head.
Dressing for the male gaze shouldn’t be your ultimate goal. While some women would argue that wearing a zero-support bra and an unbreathable, too-tight dress was for their own gratification, in actuality it’s not. There are indeed people benefiting from this choice, and it’s not you.
Get dressed for yourself. Get
dressed in hopes a young girl will see you and feel inspired. Don’t fall for the exploitative narrative that some media and corporations are trying to brainwash women and young girls with every day. There are proven mental health repercussions.
Your clothing doesn’t make you sexy, it’s how you carry yourself that does. I’m not telling anyone to dress like a pilgrim. As a woman who’s proud of her own physique and who refuses to be slut-shamed just because of chest size, I know how to dress for any and every occasion while still looking stylish and feeling my best.
The fact that there are some women making TikToks showing Gen Z suitable workplace outfits to avoid dressing like the “office siren” proves our generation doesn’t know the difference between rave attire and corporate chic.
Everything has been overly sexualized. As my mom says, we need to know the fundamental difference between expressing ourselves vs. exploiting ourselves.
The gag is women often think it’s their choice to oversexualize themselves when that’s not always the case. The majority of the entertainment industry and corporations alike are ruled by men who call the shots, leaving women and young girls to deal with the aftermath of overall objectification.
The road to strengthening your skill set and building a strong personal brand begins during your college career. Don’t let your outfit choice hinder your professional growth.
Ava Francis is a 22-year-old journalism major from New Orleans residing in Texas.
Jason Willis Editor in Chief
Richmond
Managing Editor
The Reveille (USPS 145-800) is written, edited and produced solely by students of Louisiana State University. The Reveille is an independent entity of the Office of Student Media within the Manship School of Mass Communication. Signed opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the editor, The Reveille or the university. Letters submitted for publication should be sent via e-mail to editor@lsu.edu or delivered to B-39 Hodges Hall. They must be 400 words or less. Letters must provide a contact phone number for verification purposes, which will not be printed. The Reveille reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for space consideration while preserving the original intent. The Reveille also reserves the right to reject any letter without notification of the author. Writers must include their full names and phone
The Reveille’s editor in chief, hired every semester by the LSU Student Media Board,
all
decisions.
THE Daily Commuter Puzzle by Stella Zawistowski
Graphic by Kaleb Searle
Digital
Chloe
Sports Editor
Ainsley Flood
Riley White Production Editor
LSU baseball wins its eighth national championship to cap off undefeated CWS run.