Arkansas Baseball Does Something LSU Has Never Done at the College World Series

The LSU Tigers baseball program has made plenty of trips to Omaha for the College Baseball World Series, 20 actually. In those 20 appearances, they've won 7 National Championships. But with all of that College World Series success, there are still some things they've never accomplished.

Today, the Arkansas Razorback baseball program did something the LSU program has never done. They threw a no-hitter at the College World Series.

Gage Wood's Historic Performance Saves Arkansas' Season

With Arkansas' season on the line, in an elimination game against Murray State, Razorbacks' pitcher Gage Wood threw the game of his life. A 19 strikeout, no-hitter, to save his team's season for one more day.

Wood's 19 strikeouts were a career high, and helped Arkansas to a 3-0 win against Murray State. That ended Murray State's Cinderella season. For Arkansas, it gives them at least one more game in the College World Series, where they will face the loser of the LSU vs UCLA game. Arkansas lost to LSU in their opening round game.

Arkansas' Bold Pitching Choice Pays Off Big

It seemed like an interesting selection to have Wood pitch in Arkansas' elimination game. The Junior is an Arkansas native who only pitches 28.2 innings this season. Wood had a 3-1 record with a 5.02 ERA this season. Before the game, Jackson Fuller of the Fort Smith Southwest Times Record reported that Arkansas Head Coach Dave Van Horn was just thinking about inning by inning. He said:

"We just got to try to win the game that's in front of us...Really just taking care of the inning that we're in and not look too far down the road."

Wood had already pitched in the postseason for the Razorbacks, including a 13 strikeout start against Creighton in the Fayetteville Regional. So maybe it shouldn't be a shock that Wood struck out 19 today, but how long its been since there was a College World Series no-hitter is shocking.

The Elusive College World Series No-Hitter Club

The last no-hitter at the College World Series was all the way back in 1960, when Oklahoma State's Jim Wixson no-hit North Carolina. The only other no-hitter in College World Series history before today was Jim Ehrler of Texas throwing a no-hitter against Tufts in 1950.

So with only three no-hitters in College World Series history, maybe its unfair to hold that against LSU. I think Tigers fans would rather have their 7 National Championships over one no-hitter.