Nothing Like Postseason at The Box

Yesterday, I got to chop it up with Jordy Hultberg on his radio show down out in Lafayette.

And all we talked about—no surprise—was LSU baseball.

But not just any LSU baseball.

Postseason LSU baseball. At Alex Box Stadium.

If you know, you know.

My 2009 LSU championship team. photo: crescentcitysports.com

It’s hard to put into words how special that place is once the postseason hits. The tailgates, the energy, the humidity in the air, and the best fans in the country that actually make moments heavier and harder for opponents.

It’s just different there.

LSU was named the #6 overall national seed, which means we’re hosting a regional and a Super Regional if they win. And again, let me tell you, there’s no better place in the country to play playoff baseball than The Box.

I feel fortunate to say that now as a fan, but also someone who lived and experienced it as a player.

NJ to LA

When I got to LSU in the fall of 2007, I was just a kid from New Jersey. I didn’t grow up dreaming about playing at Alex Box.

I wanted to be Derek Jeter. I was going to win a world series for the Yankees, obviously.

I had no idea who Eddy Furniss was, or about Warren Morris' legendary homer.

I knew Todd Walker's name from the Twins, and was clueless about how badass the '97 LSU team was (seemingly from the highlight tape we would watch on bus rides pulling up to stadiums).

Truth is, I didn’t even really know what or who LSU was.

But damnnnn… I learned fast.

In 2008, I got to experience the last year of the old Alex Box Stadium. Where they won five national titles. There was history in those walls and in that locker room. You could feel it.

Oh....and you could definitely smell it.

If you know, unfortunately, you know.

That year, we rattled off 23 straight wins heading into the Super Regional. That streak got snapped by UC Irvine in Game 1. Game 2? Magic.

9th inning, one of the best closers in the country, down 3 and we came back...it was fucking wild.

Crowd went ape shit. The Box was rocking. And we were one game away from Omaha.

Momentum is one of the best things in sports (when you're on the right side of it, of course) and as history goes, we closed out Alex Box Stadium in style, and absolutely worked Irvine.

Since we were up 847236285 runs, I got the ball to close it out.

The last out ever in the old Alex Box Stadium? That was mine. So crazy.

I fielded a come-backer, tossed it to first, and sealed the win to send us to Omaha. I hugged Sean Ochinko, we got tackled by everyone, and dog pilled right there on the mound.

The 2008 dogpile that I am on the bottom of. Photo: LSUsports.net

There was so much noise, I couldn't hear him talking to me face to face at the bottom of the pile. That moment? That moment is tattooed on my soul.

From a Different Perspective

Speaking of noise…

That UC Irvine team? They had someone on their roster who has done some cool things in life, and he shared a wild story recently.

My guy Jared Mitchell shared a podcast clip the other day from an actor named Tyler Hoechlin—you might know him from Teen Wolf or Superman & Lois. Turns out, he played for that Irvine team. And in that episode, he talked about playing at The Box and how LOUD it was.

He literally said that their third baseman didn’t hear their coach call out to him to back up… and the game-tying hit was a chopper that went right over his head.

We tied the game. Then we walked it off. Game 2. Series flipped. That’s the kind of chaos that lives at The Box in June.

You can check out him telling the story on the podcast here: Tyler Hoechlin on Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum

2009

Then came 2009—the new stadium. The new Box. A new chapter.

We had unfinished business after our magic ran out in 2008, going 1-2 in Omaha.

But 2009....we were ready.

Preseason number one team. SEC regular season and tournament champs. National Seed.

We got to host again.

We hosted Baylor in the regional, and I had what I’d still call the best start of my life. 13 strikeouts over 9 innings.

Funny enough though, I didn’t get the complete game because we were the away team, and it went to extras.

But it didn’t matter, I didn't give two shits.

That crowd… that stadium… brought something out of me I’d never felt before. Walking off the field after punching the side in the bottom of the ninth with the whole crowd on their feet is still bringing tears to my eyes as I type this.

Screaming and jogging off the mound to the dugout to Chris McGhee, Buzzy Haydel, and Louis Coleman pushing and shoving me will forever give me chills.

And I’ll never forget this…

As I walked off the field, after shaking hands, and walking toward the dugout— I see my dad sprinting down (if you know my Dad you know how shocked and SCARED I was to see this), face purple as shit, trying to catch his breath and through the netting behind home plate—yelling “You did it, bud! You did it, bud, great job, I love you!”

That still chokes me up to this day. That’s what this place does to you.

Getting to the Facts

The numbers back it up, too.

In their most recent champion season, 2023, LSU once again led the country in college baseball attendance. Over 447,000 fans packed into The Box that season.

LSU even broke it's own single-game attendance record—13,068 deep against Tennessee.

But it’s never just about the number of people. It’s about how much they care.

That’s why I made Baton Rouge my home.

That’s why I started businesses here.

That’s why I still go out of my way to support this team, this town, this culture.

Because The Box isn’t just a ballpark.

It’s a heartbeat.

So yeah, postseason baseball starts today.

And if you’re reading this and you’ve got a ticket—bring the energy that stadium deserves. If you don’t have a ticket, find a way.

Tailgate. Watch. Yell. Be part of it.

Because this place is special.

Because memories are made here.

Because legacies are built here.

And because there’s absolutely nothing like postseason baseball at The Box.