The Walk Off

In the 1996 College World Series, Warren Morris made history. According to the Omaha World Herald he became the first man in history of the CWS to hit a walk off home run, and was his only home run of the season. Warren Morris played for Louisiana State University and did what seemed was impossible. During this time home runs left ballparks at a rate no one could imagine, but this was not just any other home run. For LSU, this was more than a walk off home run, this was history.

The Beginning

Warren Morris was a kid from Alexandria, Louisiana who did not have near the size and the strength needed to pay at a top tier division 1 program like the LSU Tigers. In high school, Morris never hit a home run, but he had about a .400 career batting average according to Dennis Breland Morris’ high school coach in the ESPN Film – The Walk Off. Morris lead his team to a state championship, but towards the end of his senior year he didn’t know where he was going to play in college. The hard working and dedicated demeanor Morris had helped him make the decision to try and walk on at LSU. In the film, he said if he was going to be the best he wanted to play with the best, and that is exactly what he did.

Start of Something Great

In 1991 the Tigers won their first national championship under legendary coach Skip Bertman. As a freshman, Morris redshirted for a couple reasons. The first because of him being a little under sized, and two because legendary second basemen Todd Walker was the starter for the Tigers at the time. That year they went on to win their second CWS. Morris had dedicated himself to being able to fill Walker’s shoes went he went on to play professionally, so he mimicked everything Walker did, from his swing to fielding ground balls, he was going to be as good as Walker. In 1995, Morris’ sophomore year, he got his opportunity in left field, where he played unbelievably well. According to the Baseball Cube he hit .369 with 8 home runs and 50 RBIs. This was enough for Morris to be honored to play with the Olympic team.

Land of Opportunity

Playing for Team USA was a major accomplishment, but unfortunately would suffer an injury in his hand. He went to the doctor to see what was wrong and they could not tell him exactly what was wrong, so he continued playing into the 1996 season. LSU was

ranked number 1 in preseason polls, so there were high expectations, not only for the team, but for Warren Morris. The team won 13 straight games and things were looking really good, until one painful at bat. During one of Morris’ at bats, he checked his swing and injured his hand worse. He then went back to the doctor where they told him he had fractured his hamate bone. Morris was going to have to have surgery to take out the broken piece out without any certainty of making it back for the end of the season. For Morris to have finally gotten to the point where the spotlight was on him to be the star of the team and then to have to sit out because of an injury was hard for him, but he was determined to come back.

When Warren was finally able to play again, he could hardly swing a bat, but was still a lockdown defender in the field, so he had to play. In nearly every at bat, Morris went to the plate and bunted. Everyone knew he was injured and everyone knew he was bunting, but he was still able to get the job done. Having the team’s best hitter having to bunt was difficult for the Tigers to be as successful as they were, but they did just enough to be able to host a regional. Home field advantage pushed the Tigers to win the regional and go on to play in the College World Series.

The Championship

The LSU Tigers were able to beat a national powerhouse Wichita State in the first round and beat the University of Florida twice to advance to the championship game. LSU would play Miami in this game, but something was different about that day. In the film, Morris said he woke up and felt that his hand was at 100%. He was finally able to drive the ball in batting practice, and felt confident in his ability to swing the bat. The game went back and forth with multiple lead changes, but he biggest of them all was when Miami went up 8 to 7 in the top of the ninth inning. The first hitter in the bottom of the ninth for the Tigers roped a ball down the third base line for a double and on a ground-out was moved over to third. Next up was the catcher Tim Lanier. Lanier was a big guy and was the guy everyone thought was going to tie up the ball game or win it. After a 2-strike curveball to Lanier, he struck out and there were now two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, the tying run on third, and Warren Morris at the plate. Morris, like most kids have dreamt about this moment for their whole lives and did what he had always hoped. The Tigers won their third College World Series in 5 years and Warren Morris’ legacy would live on forever.

Morris went on to play five years in the major leagues, but what he will most be remembered for was the 1996 World Series win. What makes this so amazing is that a regular guy, he was not the guy that had 30 home runs or was highly recruited. He gave kids all over the nation hope and dreams to want to be able to do what he did. That is why this home run was not just a home run, not only a part of history, but was an inspiration to people throughout the nation.