"LSU on its way back to CWS" - ESPN

ESPN

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BATON ROUGE, La. -- After LSU failed to make the College World Series for a third straight season in 2012, head coach Paul Mainieri called infielder Mason Katz and asked him if he wanted to accept an invitation to participate in the CWS home run derby.

Katz gladly accepted.

"And [Mainieri] said 'Good, I want you to have experience there for when you take the team there next year,'" Katz recalled.

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"At LSU, the goal is to win national championships," said outfielder Raph Rhymes who, along with Katz, is a senior who opted to return to school for his senior season rather than leave for pro ball specifically in an effort to get to Omaha for the first time in their college careers.

"Anything less than that and all that other stuff doesn't matter."

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"That's what gives me a lot of confidence about the team," Mainieri said. "I just feel like they've had a lot thrown at them and they've been able to keep their focus and their concentration when they need to."

LSU may not have played a game at TD Ameritrade Park yet, but the Tigers certainly carry themselves like they belong.

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ETA: Thought it was published today. It was yesterday, but I hadn't read it. If posted already, whatever