A trip to Omaha is never determined by one swing of the bat.

Before Sunday, there were six weeks of fall practices, scrimmages in late January and early February and 62 games before Game 2 of the Baton Rouge super regional between LSU and West Virginia. Another inning and two outs passed before LSU sophomore Steven Milam walked up to the plate with the bases loaded and the Tigers nursing a 1-0 lead.

Milam, like most of his teammates, battled through the ups and downs of a long year to get to this moment. He posted a .211 batting average in Southeastern Conference play, but his play was trending upwards heading into Sunday's season-defining game.

Milam got ahead in the count 2-1 against West Virginia right-handed starter Jack Kartsonas before unleashing a swing that didn't clinch LSU's s

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