Paul Skenes, Rhett Lowder and the 2023 College World Series showdown for the ages: ‘Like Ali-Frazier’

Paul Skenes, Rhett Lowder and the 2023 College World Series showdown for the ages: ‘Like Ali-Frazier’

The Athletic Staff
Jun 19, 2024

By Melissa Lockard, Mitch Light and Sam Blum

The 2023 Men’s College World Series was a literal tournament of stars, with 11 of the top 38 picks in the 2023 MLB Draft taking part (as well as several other players likely to go in the top two rounds this year). The preliminary games featured plenty of drama, but no game in Omaha was more memorable and more highly anticipated than the June 22 matchup between top-ranked Wake Forest and star-studded LSU. It was a win-or-go home game that determined which of those teams would take on Florida in the championship series.

But that game was so much more than that. It featured the two top starting pitchers in college baseball — eventual No. 1 pick Paul Skenes of LSU and eventual No. 7 pick Rhett Lowder of Wake Forest. It had, as LSU head coach Jay Johnson put it, all the trappings of “an instant classic.”

And, remarkably, it delivered. Skenes and Lowder were each at their best, with Skenes throwing eight scoreless innings and Lowder going seven scoreless. The game remained knotted at zero until the 11th, when LSU’s Tommy “Tanks” White crushed a two-run walk-off homer to send his team to the finals. The Tigers would go on to defeat Florida two games to one to take home the national title.

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With the one-year anniversary of Skenes and Lowder’s epic clash nearly upon us, we wanted to take a look back at that game, with input from those who played, coached, called and watched what one observer called an “Ali/Frazier” moment for college baseball.

“Both their outings were the two most impressive outings I’ve ever seen on a college baseball field, pitch-for-pitch,” Wake Forest head coach Tom Walter said.

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Pre-game buzz

The College World Series is a championship tournament like few others, as eight teams jostle for a week to make the final series. It’s a double-elimination format, so once a team loses, it faces elimination in the next game. That happened to LSU in its second game, as the Tigers lost to Wake Forest, 3-2. After beating Tennessee in its third game, LSU would have to defeat No. 1 Wake Forest on back-to-back nights to reach the CWS finals. 

LSU took down Wake Forest 5-2 to set up a win-or-go-home matchup between the teams. It also meant that both teams would have their top starters — Skenes and Lowder — on the hill. Because LSU had to win on June 21 to set up the Skenes/Lowder matchup, there wasn’t a lot of time to build up pre-game buzz. Still, once the matchup was set, the baseball world was ready.

Westwood One College Baseball radio play-by-play announcer John Bishop: (The pre-game buzz) was unique, but it was also disappointing that it didn’t have more run-up because it was the second game of two elimination games in that bracket. But we knew when the night before ended that it was going to be set up for those two guys to pitch.

The rest of the country may not have known the matchup was going to happen until the night before, but Johnson had a sense it was coming after his team lost to Wake earlier in the week.

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Johnson: If we were going to get to the finals, that (Skenes/Lowder matchup on June 22) was going to be the game, because Paul wasn’t going to be able to pitch until that day, and Rhett wasn’t going to be able to pitch until that day. So we kind of set up the two games before with, hey, it’s these nine pitchers. If you nine guys can beat Tennessee (on June 20) and Wake Forest (on June 21), on Wednesday, we’re going to get back to Paul, which means we’re going to be in the finals. That was the motivational sell to the team, if you will.

Once LSU won those two games to make the matchup official, Johnson knew the game was going to be special. 

Johnson: You knew this has got a chance to be an instant classic, an ESPN Classic, the two best pitchers in the country. And it lived up to the billing going into it. It was on my mind for a few days, that that would be the game.

Bishop: It was the shortest amount of time between starts for each of them all season (four days rest). … You knew you’re going to be in for something special, you just didn’t know that both guys were going to be able to rise to the occasion because I see it so often in a (College) World Series, where you get a team that’s kind of running on fumes or a pitcher that’s running on fumes, they just don’t have it that day. But both of these guys had it, and they had it for so long.

As he got ready for the start, Skenes didn’t allow himself to get sucked into the drama behind the matchup.

Skenes: Really just game-planning their lineup. We played them already a couple times. We knew what we were going to be facing. I don’t really care about the guy on the other side. Because I knew that at some point, we were going to score some runs with that lineup. I really was just focusing on what I was going to do.

On the Wake Forest side, Walter was similarly focused on the game at hand.

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Walter: In the moment, you’re not thinking of it that way (as an epic matchup). You’re just thinking of it like, what do we have to do to win? And how can I put our club in the best position to win? But certainly, in retrospect, that game is epic. And we were thrilled to be a part of it.

San Francisco Giants scouting director (and Wake Forest alum) Michael Holmes: Usually, in sports in general, when there’s this much build-up going in, there’s always some sort of letdown, and very seldom does something live up to the billing. That game between Wake Forest and LSU, not only lived up to the billing, but I think it even exceeded it.

Walter: I think quite frankly both teams felt like the winner of that game was going to have the best chance to win the national championship.

Middle innings tension

It was clear from early on in the game that despite being on short rest, both pitchers had brought their “A” games. Through four innings, both had allowed just one hit out of the infield.

Walter: I did think they were both on immediately from the first pitch of the game. And again, I think elite competitors like that, they understand the gravity of the situation and the magnitude and how important every pitch is in that situation. And they were both relentless.

As the zeros continued to pile up on the scoreboard, the tension in the stadium also began to rise.

Westwood One College Baseball radio play-by-play announcer Mike Ferrin: I don’t remember if there was a moment that (he and Bishop) turned to each other, but we recognized right away, probably by the middle innings, that we were seeing something really special. You have the two best pitchers in the country going head-to-head in the biggest game that either of them has ever pitched. And neither of them are giving an inch of ground. It was incredible.

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Bishop: (Tension) was rising with every inning because it’s just natural. It’s an elimination game, the winners moving on. But then you’re watching this matchup. I can remember turning to Mike at one point, and this was probably after both guys left the game and I’m like, “I don’t want this game to end.” And you’re normally by the end of an eight, nine, 10-day run, you’re like, OK, we need a break. But this was such a great game, and it was so well played, especially on the mound, that you were just like who’s gonna flinch? Who’s gonna blink first?

Walter: I think (our guys in the dugout) knew (what an epic matchup it was). Watching Skenes and Lowder, the two best pitchers in college baseball and two of the best pitchers in college baseball of all time. Skenes was the National Pitcher of the Year. Rhett Lowder, back-to-back ACC Pitcher of the Year. I think everybody felt that and were locked in from the first pitch.

Ferrin: Never does that pitching matchup meet expectations. I shouldn’t say never, but rarely. Especially in those big moments, you walk into it thinking, “Gosh this would be great if this happened.” Because so much of loving baseball is the anticipation of what’s going to happen. And it almost always is, one of those guys gets knocked out in the third or they pitch well enough but it’s not dominant.

On Paul Skenes’ performance

It was a dream season for Skenes and LSU. The transfer from Air Force Academy made 19 starts in his one season for the Tigers, going 13-2 with a 1.69 ERA and a 209:20 K:BB. A few weeks after his final collegiate start, Skenes would go No. 1 in the draft to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He’s already reached the big leagues and his games have become “must-see” events.

On that night versus Wake Forest, Skenes was nearly unhittable. He threw eight scoreless innings, allowing two hits and a walk, and he struck out nine. Skenes broke Ben McDonald’s SEC single-season record for strikeouts early in the game.

Johnson: That was Paul for the entire season. You realize now how spoiled we were with him taking the mound. That was like every game, in terms of what he delivered from a performance standpoint.

Skenes’ consistent mindset from start to start allowed him to thrive in that high-pressure environment, and has helped him now as he’s started his MLB career.

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Skenes: Baseball is baseball, I think. As much as you can keep environments the same, or make different environments as similar as you can internally, the better position you’re going to be in. The year before, I was playing at the Air Force Academy, with 50 people in the stands. So baseball is baseball.

Wake Forest, of course, was very familiar with Skenes coming into the game, but even with his high-profile track record, he still managed to surprise the Demon Deacons.

Walter on Wake’s plan against Skenes: It was to try to get on time for his fastball and maybe get on the plate a little bit and maybe get him a little uncomfortable. But, it didn’t work. … The thing that we didn’t realize — we knew the stuff and the velocity was really good — but I guess what we didn’t realize until we faced (Skenes) was just how good the command was. He just threw strike after strike, and they were located strikes. And he hadn’t really thrown a ton of changeups prior to that game. But he did that against us because obviously he felt like he needed to do that. So I was just so impressed with a) his command, and b) his ability kind of on the fly to adjust to his game plan and his repertoire as the situation dictated.

Bishop: We’ve seen it with Paul in the big leagues. He’s not just a power pitcher. With that frisbee slider that he’s got, he can move the ball around as well.

On Rhett Lowder’s performance

Though Skenes and Lowder came into that game as the top two pitching prospects for the MLB Draft, they couldn’t have been more different style-wise. Skenes, with his military-style haircut and massive 6-foot-7 frame, is all power. Lowder, with his long, curly hair and looser build, is more of a throwback to a different era of pitchers who focused less on velocity and more on command and changing speeds.

Bishop: It’s that great contrast — whether it’s a high-flying basketball team against a grinder or an explosive offense against a great defensive football team. I love to watch these pitching matchups where you’ve got somebody who can touch three digits, another guy who you know, throws at 90 (mph), but he can hit you with a hammer, he can change speeds on you, and he can work inside out. As a Cub fan, I’m a big Greg Maddux fan. I watched (this game) from that standpoint. It was a great chess match.

Lowder threw 120 1/3 innings for Wake in 2023, posting a 1.87 ERA and a 143:24 K:BB, using a mix of low-90s fastballs and plus sliders and changeups. He went seventh overall in the draft to the Cincinnati Reds and is currently pitching in Double A. In last year’s College World Series matchup, Lowder went seven innings, allowing three hits and two walks and striking out six. He recorded 10 outs on the ground.

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Bishop: I’ve always been one who really appreciates a great craftsman who can do more without having the great velocity. You kind of felt yourself going, man, you know, Skenes is gonna get all these oohs and ahhs (with the fastball), you just hope that Lowder can work his way through, and he did.

LSU had one of the deepest lineups in college baseball, a historically good group that scored 634 runs in 71 games (8.9 runs per game). Johnson says no one handled his team better than Lowder did that night.

Johnson: That’s one of the best games anybody has ever pitched against one of my teams. I felt like we had a good plan going in, but he was throwing strikes that were unhittable. You couldn’t take away a pitch. You couldn’t take away a side of the plate. You couldn’t take away a speed, a location. He just kept beating us in the strike zone. And that just speaks to the competitor that he is, the intent that he threw with and the quality of his pitches. It’s literally the best seven innings I’ve seen anyone throw against one of my teams.

Walter never doubted that Lowder would rise to the occasion.

Walter: I was just so proud of Rhett Lowder and … that was kind of a common characteristic of Rhett that, regardless of how good the team needed him to pitch, he pitched that good. Like if we scored two, he gave up one. If we scored eight, he might give up three or four. But, you know, it was just about whatever the team needed.

On the decision to pull each starter

With both pitchers throwing on four days rest (short rest for college starters who usually go once a week), there was always going to be a limit to how deep into the game they would be allowed to pitch. Decision time came for Walter and Wake in the seventh, when Lowder had to work around a leadoff walk and a line out to get through the bottom of the frame. He finished that inning with 88 pitches thrown.

Walter on pulling Lowder: Lowder wanted to go in the eighth. I’m sure we could have let him go in the eighth, but it was one of those things where he had a long seventh inning. There was some traffic and a couple long at-bats where they fouled a bunch of pitches off. I just didn’t think it was prudent to send him back out there for the eighth. He had done so much already.

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Walter: One of Rhett’s goals going into last season was to outlast the other team’s starting pitcher in every start. And I’d have to fact-check it, but I’m pretty sure that was the only time all year he didn’t.

Johnson let Skenes pitch the eighth but had no hesitation in pulling him in the ninth, even with the game still knotted at zero.

Johnson: He threw I want to say 116 maybe against Tennessee (actually 123 pitches). And then he was on four days rest and he was right about at that same area (120 pitches). So for me, that was it, knowing what was coming down the pipe for him that he was going to be the No. 1 pick. He did everything that he could. He gave us eight scoreless innings. And I believed in that offense. I think the offense we had is one of the best in modern college baseball history. We were gonna have to win it with somebody else.

One of the other factors in the decision to pull Skenes was the high stress in the top of the eighth when Wake got runners on the corners with one out. The Deacons attempted a squeeze bunt to score the runner, only to see him cut down with a game-saving play by LSU first baseman Tre’ Morgan.

Walter: Such an unbelievable defensive play.

Oakland A’s assistant GM Billy Owens: The back and forth was on a different level. Tre’ Morgan made the best play I had ever seen for the moment, until the Cam Cannarella catch in the Super Regional (this year).

The ninth inning and extras

Despite all of their collective brilliance, the game wasn’t close to being decided when Lowder and Skenes were removed. Wake Forest turned to relievers Cole Roland, Michael Massey and Cam Minacci while LSU tapped starter-turned-reliever Thatcher Hurd. Both bullpens held the line until the dramatic bottom of the 11th.

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Ferrin: When (Skenes and Lowder) come out, what happens is that the tension switches. All of a sudden it’s like, OK, what’s gonna happen? And then you end up with these incredible defensive plays.

Walter: We hit a couple balls kind of right on the screws. I think once we got into the bullpen, we started to hit the ball harder. And I think we had a stretch where we had six balls in a row over 100 (mph) in exit velocity that all found gloves — like in a row, which doesn’t happen very often. The percentages of that happening are slim.

Bishop: Part of the magic was even after those two guys left, there was still this chess match of who’s gonna score first. At one point … I’m looking down and my leg’s twitching. I look over at Mike and his leg is just like mine. It feels like we’re at Game 7 of the World Series here.

Ferrin: There was nothing like that energy, that intensity, the weakness in your legs that you get even when you’re sitting down. That was there from about the fifth inning on, every single pitch.

Hurd, a transfer from UCLA, had an up-and-down first season with LSU but had been pitching well leading into that game. He would end up throwing three scoreless innings, earning the win.

Johnson: We felt like he could match up with who they were going to throw out there … and give us a chance as the home team to at least match what they were doing.

The seal finally broke when eventual No. 2 MLB Draft pick Dylan Crews led off the bottom of the 11th with a single off Massey, who had thrown 2 2/3 scoreless to that point. He gave way to Minacci, whose first pitch to Tommy White was deposited over the left-field wall for a walk-off two-run homer.

Ferrin: Every moment was big, right to the last one, when Tommy White hits the two-run homer to win it. It was really fun to be able to live in the moment.

White became the first player to hit a walk-off homer to break a scoreless tie in CWS history.

Johnson: When the ball went over the fence, it was honestly probably one of the greatest moments of my entire life. I felt something in my body I’ve never felt before.

Ferrin says his favorite moment of the game came in the minutes that followed that fateful pitch.

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Ferrin: Minacci’s been one of the best relievers in the country. He’s crestfallen. Catcher Bennett Lee is standing on the mound with (Minacci) as LSU is celebrating at home plate. Tommy White grew up with those guys. After the celebration started to break up, he went to the mound and embraced Minacci and Lee. It was one of the most emotional moments I’ve ever seen on a baseball field. I’m getting chills talking about it now a year later.

 White embraces Minacci and Lee on the mound after the game. (John Peterson / Associated Press)

Ferrin: Here’s this guy whose nickname is Tommy Tanks. He has this great freshman year at NC State, and then he transfers to LSU, and everybody’s complaining about the NIL, the transfer portal and all this. He’s got a little bit of swagger to him. And in a moment when he hits the biggest home run of his life and sends his team to the finals, maybe not his first thought but one of his first thoughts is about his friends that he grew up with. That was so beautiful. I think it’s one of those things that makes college baseball really special.

The heavyweight battle in a tournament of greatness

The 2023 College World Series will be remembered for more than that one game, of course. Given the talent involved in the tournament, it’s likely that baseball fans will be geeking over the box scores of the games for decades to come. Florida’s Wyatt Langford, TCU’s Braden Taylor, Stanford’s Tommy Troy and Tennessee’s Chase Dollander are among the many big names who played in the tournament.

Ferrin: We had this star-studded Men’s College World Series last year. (The tournament) kept getting better and almost all of the preliminary round games were exceptional. And that (game) was the cherry on the top.

The Skenes-Lowder game featured three of the top 10 picks in the 2023 draft, as well as two more players taken in the top three rounds (Brock Wilken and Tre’ Morgan). And that doesn’t include several players who were sophomores in that game who could go in the top five rounds this year.

Ferrin: There was so much talent on the field.

Bishop: You’re watching these two guys (Skenes and Lowder) and then you’re looking out and you’re looking at some other (future) major-league players. … You’re watching this and you’re like, “Man, you’re just seeing some high-level talent.”

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Bishop: It’s always cool when the storylines match the moment. Our storyline going into the whole week was looking at all the talent that we have here (at the CWS). We kind of built the storyline throughout all of our broadcasts that week about, “look at all this talent that is here.” Not to take it away from LSU and Florida in the finals, but this game, it felt like this is where it peaked.

One of the greatest pitchers’ duels in College World Series history

So, where does this game rank in the annals of greatest college baseball games of all time? It may be too early to know for sure, but many who witnessed it have placed it on a high pedestal.

Bishop: I don’t think I’ve ever called a better baseball game because it had everything. It didn’t have a lot of offense, but I don’t need a lot of offense to be entertained. It was dramatic. It was thrilling and I felt the buzz in the stadium (from the start).

Holmes: Sometimes you have to be careful that you don’t have a recency bias. But I’m not so sure that some of us will see a better game than that at the college level.

Owens: That matchup in Omaha last year was epic. Sort of Ali/Frazier considering the lineups.

Johnson: You knew you were watching something special. But at the time, I wouldn’t even let myself go there because we had to be so focused. We were in the loser’s bracket, and there was no margin for error. Having been to the finals before and lost, it’s so hard to get there. (Once the game was over) it was almost like, “OK, we’re gonna celebrate it and then refocus.” And then ultimately, our team did a great job of that, going into the finals against Florida. But that night, it’s one of those that you may never have another one in your entire life.

Despite the heart-breaking loss, Walter can look back now and savor it all. 

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Walter: I did enjoy the game. … It was intense. It was awesome to be a part of.

Bishop: I’ve been involved with these radio broadcasts for over a decade and we’ve seen a lot of great players come through (Omaha). … That was one of the first times I can remember watching a game and going, I am watching something that I would be seeing on MLB TV, that I would be seeing in a big-league ballpark.

Skenes: That was a great baseball game, all around, for sure. Obviously I played with (Lowder) the summer before, so I knew who he was. I had obviously seen his stats, and see what he’s doing now. It’s cool to look back on. In the moment, I wasn’t thinking about that. But it’s definitely cool.

Owens: The Wake/LSU Skenes/Lowder classic will make every top-10 College World Series matchup in Omaha lore. What a game!

(Top image: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic. Photos: Jay Biggerstaff / Getty Images)

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