For LSU baseball, will two miracles in Hattiesburg lead to a trip to Omaha?

HATTIESBURG, Miss. — Nothing on Jay Johnson's face would have suggested that anything miraculous had just happened.

The first-year LSU baseball coach was calm and collected. There wasn't a hint of anger or elation; all that Johnson's body language could emanate was his cool California demeanor.

But something remarkable had just transpired. Again.

LSU, for a second consecutive night, had executed a miraculous comeback in the Hattiesburg Regional. On Saturday, the Tigers came back from a four-run deficit to tie the game and win it in the 10th inning over Southern Mississippi, 7-6. Roughly 24 hours earlier, they had erased a seven-run hole by scoring 10 runs in the eighth inning to defeat Kennesaw State, 14-11.

SEE JOSH STEVENSON'S WINNING RUN: See LSU's Josh Stevenson score winning run in 10th inning to beat Southern Miss baseball

LSU BASEBALL'S KENNESAW STATE RALLY: Explaining LSU baseball's furious rally past Kennesaw State in NCAA baseball tournament

LSU BASEBALL'S NINTH INNING RALLY: See LSU baseball's furious 9th inning rally to force extras vs. Southern Miss in Hattiesburg Regional

Losing either game would have sent LSU's season to the precipice.

All of that pressure, and yet Johnson was not relieved.

"I've played in a lot of NCAA tournaments, and this thing is far from over," Johnson said. "It's a win that should be celebrated. Let me clarify. What these guys just did, we should celebrate those types of things. It's just we can't do it and blow it out right now. It's not the state of mind that I want them to be in."

That poker-faced mindset is what has gotten LSU to this point. There were hints of this mentality basking underneath the surface during the regular season, as the Tigers had walk-off wins over Oklahoma and Georgia and a 21-10 comeback victory over Vanderbilt in which LSU trailed 6-0 to start the game.

After two days of theatrics, there is no questioning LSU's mental toughness or if it has properly bought into Johnson's message. The only question that remains is if it can ride its coach's steely approach all the way to Omaha and the College World Series.

"I want them to enjoy it. It's something we'll look back on at the end of this run and go like, how about that game? And it's something that will bond them for a long time from now," Johnson said. "But this is not the time to do that."

A win Sunday night over Southern Miss or Kennesaw State would match LSU with the winner of the Coral Gables Regional, which includes host Miami, Arizona, Ole Miss and Canisius.

Friday's games in that regional were postponed due to rain and were moved to Saturday. Miami, the No. 1 seed, defeated Canisius 11-6 and will face Ole Miss after the Rebels defeated Arizona. The winner of that matchup would only need to win once to advance to the super regionals.

But after two of the more dramatic games in recent program history, too much focus on any of the Tigers' potential upcoming opponents would be missing the point.

LSU's offense was shut down from innings three through eight on Saturday, mustering just two hits during that span. But the Tigers came back and won anyway. Their pitching staff surrendered 11 runs in five innings the night before. But that was rendered pointless after they collected seven hits, walked four times and sent 13 batters to the plate in the eighth inning.

None of this is supposed to make sense. The Tigers are hot, and it has nothing to do with riding an emotional high or fighting through an emotional low.

Instead, they've stayed even-keeled and unbothered. Just like their coach.

"I've asked them all year to grow up," Johnson said. "I have to set the example."

Koki Riley covers LSU sports for The Daily Advertiser and the USA TODAY Sports South Region. Email him at kriley@theadvertiser.com and follow him on Twitter at @KokiRiley.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU baseball Hattiesburg Regional comeback wins Omaha