Chuck Carlton

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OMAHA, Neb. – On the eve of the College World Series championship games, Texas players were being quizzed about their journey as much as the destination.

The storyline remained too good to ignore, even with a best-of-3 series against LSU beginning today at Rosenblatt Stadium and an NCAA title at stake.

Throughout the NCAA tournament, Texas has discovered ways to win. Sometimes it took 25 innings. Or required a comeback from six runs down against one of college baseball's best pitchers. Or consisted of manufacturing a few runs in the Longhorns' last at-bat.

As much as Texas has been able to deliver high drama against the backdrop of high stakes, the Longhorns acknowledged that they may be tempting fate.

"I don't know if we can keep banking on winning in the ninth inning and rallying for 10 runs," third baseman Michael Torres said.

He wasn't expressing doubt as much as realism. While Texas enters as the No. 1 seed in the tournament, LSU has been the nation's consensus top-ranked team throughout much of the season.

The Tigers are simply too talented, too experienced and too hungry to expect any late collapses.

They're 3-0 in Omaha, outscoring opponents 32-11.

Think Gorilla Ball, the Sequel.

From 1991 to 2000, offense ruled college baseball, leading to the primate-inspired nickname. No one bashed fences better than LSU, with five titles in that span under former coach Skip Bertman. The 1997 team hit 188 home runs en route to the championship, a record that still stands.

While this team won't threaten those numbers, the Tigers have demonstrated power (103 homers) and speed (112 stolen bases).

Bertman even told the Associated Press that the current LSU team was as good as any of his teams from the 1990s.

For Texas, the tournament has been about destiny as much anything.

"How does it happen? It just does," said coach Augie Garrido, seeking his sixth NCAA title.

Garrido even joked Sunday about adding illusionist David Copperfield to his staff. But LSU players weren't buying sleight of hand or computer magic as the real reason for the Texas success.

"I grew up with a lot of those guys, and I know how good they are," said LSU sophomore catcher Micah Gibbs of Pflugerville.

Texas has shed some of the "small ball" characteristics that defined the team's regular season. The Longhorns have as many home runs (six) in Omaha as sacrifice bunts. Prestonwood Christian Academy product Cameron Rupp has connected for three of his 11 home runs this season in the CWS.

During Sunday's news conference, the Longhorns were asked if the absence of a title would render all the remarkable moments meaningless.

"Games like the close ones we've played are the ones you remember for the rest of your life," said sophomore Chance Ruffin, who will start Game 1 against LSU.

"If you don't leave here with a championship, the memory of these games is what you walk away with, and it gives us something to work toward next year."

Special Contributor Steven Pivovar contributed to this report.