FanHouse Paul Mainieri

OMAHA, Neb. -- The Mainieri household went 45 years without a national title. Bouday (a Cajun term for sorrow) -- that was plenty long enough.

Paul Mainieri's LSU Tigers powered past Texas 11-4 Wednesday night to win the College World Series. When the final out was made -- fittingly on a swinging strike out that ignited a mad sprint and player pile in front of the mound -- Mainieri's emotions almost immediately began to overwhelm him in the Tigers dugout.

It was a hugfest.

OMAHA, Neb. -- Sorry, but Augie Garrido's message to his Texas Longhorns late Monday night was private. Between head coach and team. The neighborly Garrido, who can spin a life-lesson while filling out a lineup card, wanted to make sure his players knew the score.

Sure, Texas already knew that score. The Longhorns, who had made a habit of winning on walk-off theatrics in the College World Series, had to swallow a dose of their own medicine, Bayou-flavor. The LSU Tigers scored two runs in the top of the ninth to tie the game at 6-all and then won it two innings later, 7-6. Both hits came with two outs, and, just to slip another burr under Texas' saddle, LSU survived five Longhorns home runs to boot.

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Brian O'Connor had a sneaking suspicion during Virginia's cross-country trek to California that the Cavaliers were good enough to reach the College World Series. Virginia had won its first two games in the NCAA Regional against a pitcher whose talents defy belief and against the nation's top-ranked team on its home field.

"I had a pretty good feeling that if the ball bounced our way a little bit, this could be the club that could do it," O'Connor said Tuesday.

A two-time draft selection at Georgia Tech, Luke Murton returned for his senior baseball season to enjoy the college experience and improve his draft status. The first has been accomplished and the second will be determined in next month's major-league amateur draft.

At the moment, however, Murton and teammates are not happy campers.

The Duke Blue Devils ruined the Yellow Jackets' extended stay in Durham, N.C., by winning two of three games and spoiling Georgia Tech's opportunity to win the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title and accompanying No. 1 tournament seed.

It's all about the bottom line at this point in the college baseball season. Victories, strength of schedules, and conference titles are assets; defeats are liabilities, no matter the explanation. And, at least for this millisecond, the national seed balance sheet appears to be in order.

Keep an eraser handy for good measure.