BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – National Champion baseball player, Mikie Mahtook, talks about how this year’s baseball compares to the 2009 team that won the National Championship.

“If I could tell these guys one thing, I would say, embrace the expectations,” said former LSU outfielder Mikie Mahtook.

OMAHA, NE – JUNE 24: The Louisiana State University Tigers celebrate the win over the Texas Longhorns during Game 3 of the 2009 NCAA College World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium on June 24, 2009, in Omaha, Nebraska. The Tigers defeated the Longhorns 11-4 to win the national title. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

LSU Baseball is ranked first in every single preseason poll, and if one person knows what that’s like, it’s Mikie Mahtook. 

“Embrace what people think that you should be, but also take a step back and realize that doesn’t mean anything,” said Mahtook.

The last time LSU won the College World Series was in 2009, Mahtook’s freshman year. However, he sees some similarities between his former championship team and the 2023 Bayou Bengals. 

OMAHA, NE – JUNE 22: Mikie Mahtook #8 of the Louisiana State University Tigers drives in the game winning run against the Texas Longhorns during Game 1 of the 2009 NCAA College World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium on June 22, 2009 in Omaha, Nebraska. The Tigers defeated the Longhorns 7-6 in 11 innings. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
OMAHA, NE – JUNE 24: The Louisiana State University Tigers celebrate the win over the Texas Longhorns during Game 3 of the 2009 NCAA College World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium on June 24, 2009 in Omaha, Nebraska. The Tigers defeated the Longhorns 11-4 to win the national title. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

“Offensively, I think we were very similar as a team,” said Mahtook. “We were very big, we were physical, we were athletic. Anybody in the lineup gets the ball at the ballpark.”

But what separates the two teams is the depth and the talent on the mound. 

“We didn’t have a lot of guys coming out of the bullpen throwing 95, 98 miles an hour. This team seems like everybody that comes out, the bullpen throws that hard,” said Mahtook.