It's no secret that the Southeastern Conference and LSU are synonymous with college sports. Our athletes have collected forty-five national titles across twenty-one teams, placing us 5th all-time in collegiate sports championships. Many people would say that we aren't in the midst of one dynasty; we are in an unprecedented high point of our athletics programs altogether. We've had as many as nine teams in the Top 25, ranging from track and field to golf. Let's break down our successes over the 2014-2015 year.
Baseball and Softball
The teams that call Alex Box home are both having historically great seasons. Our baseball and softball squads have spent a majority of the year at #1 and #2, respectively. The Lady Tigers have won a series over their biggest competitor, Florida, and the men recently closed out a series over the number two Texas A&M Aggies. The two teams have a chance to do something unprecedented by winning both the baseball and softball national championships this year.
Gymnastics
The Lady Tigers Gymnastics program spent another year inside of the Top 5, and they barely missed the Super Six. They were easily the most exciting team to watch in the country behind Rheagan Courville and Lloimincia Hall, the latter of whom who provided this highlight-reel perfect floor performance against Alabama in 2014.
Basketball
LSU basketball made a return to the NCAA Tournament in 2014 thanks to the promising sophomore front court duo of Jordan Mickey and Jarell Martin. Despite an early exit from the tourney and both sophomores declaring for the draft, 2015 may be the best year for the Tigers since the days of Shaq. They landed the number one recruit in the nation in Ben Simmons and recently got two other commitments from four and five-star recruits. The team will likely haul in the best recruiting class in the nation in a sport that is more dependent than any other on incoming freshmen talent.
Last and certainly not least, the Tigers are coming off of a rough year by their standards, with only eight wins in 2014 and a disappointing loss in the Music City Bowl. However, another stellar recruiting class will prove to keep us as the favorites to win the SEC West and ensure a bid to the second annual College Football Playoff. Buga Nation is on watch for sophomore standout Leonard Fournette to make a run at the Heisman Trophy this year as well. If we pull out two tough road wins at Alabama and Ole Miss, there's a very good shot that we'll make another national championship run.
Whatever sport you support, there's no better time to be a Tiger.
