In the immediate aftermath of the 2025 Men’s College World Series Final, a moment of unvarnished honesty, laced with the sting of defeat and the competitive fire that fuels champions, unfolded in the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers’ post-game press conference. Having just been swept by the LSU Tigers in the championship series, the raw emotions were palpable, and a simple, direct question from a member of the media pierced the somber atmosphere, eliciting a response that simultaneously drew laughter and illuminated the fierce rivalry between the two programs.
The question posed to the Coastal Carolina players was straightforward: “What do you like or respect about LSU baseball?”
The room, filled with the subdued murmur of defeated athletes and the hushed clicks of cameras, went dead quiet. The players, still reeling from the disappointment of falling short on college baseball’s biggest stage, looked at one another, their faces a mixture of exhaustion, frustration, and perhaps, a hint of lingering disbelief. In that moment of uncomfortable silence, the true weight of the loss, and the nature of their opponent, hung heavy in the air.
After what felt like an eternity, but was likely only a few seconds, Jacob Morrison, the ace right-handed pitcher for Coastal Carolina, finally broke the silence. Morrison, who had been a dominant force for the Chanticleers all season, earning Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year honors and leading his team on an incredible 26-game winning streak that extended into the CWS Finals before they met LSU, was the one to speak. His answer was concise, pointed, and utterly without pretense.
“Not very much,” Morrison stated.
The room, instantly, burst with laughter. It wasn’t mocking laughter, but rather an acknowledgment of the pure, unadulterated competitive spirit on display. It was the kind of honest, unfiltered remark that only comes from athletes who have poured everything into a contest and faced a truly formidable adversary. It was the raw truth of rivalry, stripped of polite diplomacy.
Morrison’s comment, while delivered with a dry wit that prompted the laughter, spoke volumes about the intensity of the College World Series Final and the respect, albeit grudging, that LSU had earned through their performance. It’s the kind of quote that will undoubtedly be etched into the lore of this particular championship series.
For Coastal Carolina, the 2025 season had been nothing short of historic. They amassed a program-record and national-best 56 wins, including that astounding 26-game winning streak that saw them go unblemished through their conference tournament, regional, and super regional play, and even the early rounds of the College World Series in Omaha. They captured Sun Belt regular-season and tournament titles and became only the second Sun Belt team to reach the CWS championship series (their first coming in 2016, which they also won). Jacob Morrison himself had an incredible year, finishing with a 12-1 record and a 2.42 ERA, becoming the Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year. He was even recognized by the NCBWA as District 4 Player of the Year, and was a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy. His lone loss of the season came against LSU in the championship series.
To come so close, to build such an incredible winning streak, only to be stopped cold by LSU in the final, must have been a bitter pill to swallow. LSU’s Kade Anderson, the eventual CWS Most Outstanding Player and Baseball America’s Pitcher of the Year, had shut down Coastal Carolina in Game 1 with a masterful complete-game, three-hit shutout. Then, in Game 2, LSU’s Anthony Eyanson held the Chanticleers in check, while LSU’s offense, including a pivotal five-run outburst in the fourth inning that saw Jacob Morrison tagged for five runs in 3 2/3 innings, secured the 5-3 victory and the national championship.
Morrison’s “Not very much” wasn’t a disrespect of LSU’s talent or their victory. It was the competitive retort of a warrior who had given his all and been bested by an equally fierce opponent. It implied: “They beat us, and it hurts. We don’t like losing, especially to them, and we don’t ‘like’ what they did to us out there on the field.” It spoke to the competitive animosity that develops between two elite teams vying for the ultimate prize. It was the response of a player who felt the sting of defeat and acknowledged the dominance of the team that delivered it, without having to offer polite platitudes.
For LSU fans, Morrison’s comment, and the laughter it elicited, will likely be embraced as a badge of honor. It’s validation that their Tigers didn’t just win; they truly dominated an incredibly hot Coastal Carolina team, leaving them with little positive to say in the immediate aftermath of the championship. It reinforces the perception of LSU as a program that doesn’t just win, but breaks its opponents, especially when a national title is on the line.
The exchange captures the essence of high-stakes collegiate competition. There’s respect for the game, for the effort, and for the journey of both teams, but in that raw moment of post-championship press conferences, the losing side isn’t obligated to sing the praises of the victor. Instead, they often offer a glimpse into the competitive fire that fuels them, and in Jacob Morrison’s case, a dose of candid humor that perfectly summed up the sting of defeat against an undeniable champion. That quiet, followed by the punchline and the burst of laughter, will be replayed and retold, becoming a memorable anecdote from the 2025 Men’s College World Series.
