Jay Johnson decided early in the day he'd go with Nate Ackenhausen in a do-or-die College World Series game, and for a lot of good reasons.
The coach texted his pitcher, who hadn't started or pitched more than 3.2 innings all year, at about 8:56 a.m. He didn't hear back for more than 2 hours. He'd decided to sleep in ahead of the late start time. When the junior finally sent a reply about the biggest game of his life, it was short.
"I think I just texted him, 'I'll give it all I got,' " Ackenhausen said in his standard deadpan.
When asked about the emotions as he learned he'd start, his answer was even shorter.
"It was cool. [That's] about it," he said with a grin, almost appearing surprised that the question was asked in the first place.
That even-keeled nature is among the reasons Johnson felt confident with the junior college transfer. He doesn't get too high or too low. The moment wouldn't get to him. It was certainly the reason that when Johnson went out for a mound visit in the 5th inning and well beyond the 12-batter, 60-pitch target he'd entered the game with, he opted to keep Ackenhausen in the game.
“Trust in the competitor, and this is a big deal if you haven’t been here before," Johnson said after LSU's 5-0 win to end Tennessee's season and save their own. "I think our team has handled it great, honestly. I knew he would handle it well. I knew he would throw strikes."
Ackenhausen was making his first start for the Tigers, but he did have experience starting during his two seasons at Eastern Oklahoma State Community College. In the 2022 season Ackenhausen went 8-1 in his 10 starts with a 1.77 ERA.
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Still, the CWS is a bit of a step up from the JuCo ranks, and the lefty held strong for six scoreless innings, striking out 7 Vols while scattering four hits. He went back out for the 7th inning but was pulled after plunking the leadoff batter. Riley Cooper entered and went the final three innings to finish off the shutout.
"That really shortened the game, which, when you’re in this side of the bracket you need that," Johnson said. "And if you’re going to have a chance to do something you need a performance like Nate gave us tonight. I’m really proud of him.”
It was the second game in as many days that the Tigers completed with just two pitchers, following a Ty Floyd-Thatcher Hurd game in a 3-2 loss to Wake Forest on Monday. The lack of pressure on the LSU bullpen will be helpful as they aim to make the difficult slog out of the loser's bracket, needing two victories over a Demon Deacons squad in as many days -- an ACC juggernaut that has lost just 10 games all year.
“[Nate's performance is] really big and in this tournament, you always find one or two of those," Johnson said. "I just don’t see it as like a Cinderella thing because he’s one of the most important parts of our pitching staff.”
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