The Little Rock Trojans’ Cinderella story finally ran out of pages on Monday night in Baton Rouge, and it means that West Virginia baseball’s taking its show to the Bayou.
The Trojans couldn’t hold a 5-1 lead against LSU in the deciding game of the Baton Rouge Regional, as the Tigers gradually climbed back into the game.
Luis Hernandez homered in the sixth and eighth inning for LSU, and Little Rock couldn’t find any more magic against LSU ace Anthony Eyanson. The Tigers ended up winning 10-6, claiming the regional and earning the right to host West Virginia this weekend in the Baton Rouge Super Regional.
Related: Mountaineers Win Clemson Regional
Had the Trojans hung on, West Virginia would have hosted the Ohio Valley Conference tournament champions at Kendrick Family Ballpark. Instead, the Mountaineers will now have to do things the hard way, as they’ll play a best-of-3 series at Alex Box Stadium.
Read more: West Virginia Baseball Will Travel to LSU for Super Regionals
Trojans’ Bats Go Cold
Little Rock looked like it was on its way to the upset after a five-run explosion in the second inning. But when Casan Evans came into the game, everything went wrong for the Trojans.
After the second inning, Little Rock managed one base runner in the next four innings. And Evans appeared so bothered by that one baserunner that he struck out the nest nine hitters. Little Rock didn’t threaten again until the seventh inning, by which time LSU had erased the lead.
Of course, the Trojans ended the seventh by leaving the bases loaded. And they left them loaded for the same reason they’d been failing to get base runners: they struck out.
Mountaineers Again Face Tough Task
Going into Clemson to beat both the hosts and SEC squad Kentucky wasn’t easy. Things only get harder from here for the Mountaineers. To make the program’s first trip to Omaha, the Mountaineers will have to get a win off at least one of LSU’s two pocket aces.
It’s hard to find a stronger 1-2 combination than Eyanson and Kade Anderson. Between them, they went 19-3 and held hitters to a .213 batting average in 2025. Given that the Tigers pressed Eyanson into action Monday night in relief, it seems likely that Anderson will be the Game 1 starter.
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If the teams end up playing a Friday-Saturday-Sunday schedule (the other option is Saturday to Monday), there’s an even greater chance that Anderson goes first.
While West Virginia has one very good answer in Griffin Kirn, it’s going to be harder to find a second option. If there’s a third game, things get even harder, as Casan Evans proved he can handle being the No. 3 pitcher in a pressure spot.
West Virginia Baseball Will Play Without Pressure
West Virginia needs to go into this playing loose and staying relaxed. The Mountaineers are now playing with house money to have even made it this far. They’re facing a team with seven national titles in search of its 20th appearance in Omaha. In short, this is a power in every sense of the word.
So the Mountaineers have nothing to lose. If they can play like they have nothing to lose, they have a chance to make it out of this super regional.
