The LSU Tigers (56-17) are the 2009 College World Series Champions for the sixth time and it was coach Paul Mainieri’s first.

“I’ve dreamt my whole life of having this moment. It’s almost surreal,” Mainieri said. “My first thoughts are with this wonderful university and with this state and its tenacious people. This championship is for them.”

“We’ve had a wonderful group of kids. They’ve done everything you’ve asked them to do. They did everything they needed to do to be called champions,” the coach said

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On Wednesday night, the Tigers pulled off an 11-4 victory over the Texas Longhorns in Game 3 of the CWS and won the series two games to one at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb.

Junior outfielder Jared Mitchell, who was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the first round (23rd overall), was named the Most Outstanding Player of the CWS. He hit .347, going 8-23, with two home runs, seven RBIs along with two doubles and a triple.

Tigers’ junior and St. Paul’s graduate Ryan Schimpf, who was drafted by Toronto Blue Jays in the fifth round (160th overall) made the all-tournament team as an outfielder. He was joined on the squad by teammates in sophomore pitcher Anthony Ranaudo, sophomore second baseman DJ LeMahieu and Mitchell. LeMahieu was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the second round (79th overall).

During the three game championship series, Schimpf, the No. 2 hitter, recorded two knocks and three RBIs. He got LSU on the board in the first game with a solo homer, a no-doubter to the right-centerfield bleachers. In Game 3, he posted an RBI single in the second inning, which gave the Tigers a 4-0 advantage. After Texas tied the game at 4-4, Schimpf was hit by a pitch during a five-run sixth inning. He also added a run for LSU with an eight-inning sacrifice fly, which made it 10-4.

Schimpf had an outstanding season. He batted .336 with 22 home runs and 70 runs batted in 73 games (72 started). He led the team with a .668 slugging percentage and 73 runs scored. He got on base at a .449 clip. He also showed off his speed this year, stealing 18-of-25 bases.

In the field, he was just as tough making just three errors and posting a .987 fielding percentage.

LSU never trailed in the championship game. The Tigers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning when Mitchell belted a three-run homer inside the right-field foul pole.

The Tigers added another run in the second inning on Schimpf’s sacrifice fly, which scored Micah Gibbs, and LSU looked to be in control leading 4-0.

But Texas wasn’t going away. In the third inning, Cameron Rupp’s RBI groundout made it 4-1. Later in the frame, Preston Clark coaxed a run-scoring walk and it was 4-2.

The Longhorns tied the game in the fifth as Kevin Keyes hit his ninth homer of the year, this one a two-run shot and it was 4-4 through five innings.

But in the sixth, LSU put up five runs. Mikie Mahtook’s RBI double gave the Tigers a 5-4 lead. They added four more that inning and never looked back.

Schimpf had a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning to make it 10-4 and in the ninth Sean Ochinko, an 11th round draft pick (340th overall) of the Toronto Blue Jays, blasted a home run deep into the Omaha night to cap the scoring.

Anthony Ranaudo (12-3) was the winning pitcher. He threw five and one-third and allowed four runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and four walks.

Sophomore Chad Jones relieved him retired five of the six batters he faced. He hit the only one he didn’t get out. Senior Louis Coleman finished the final two innings allowing one hit, one walk and he struck out four. Coleman, who started the first game, was drafted in the fifth round (152nd overall), by the Kansas City Royals.

The other LSU draft pick was junior Blake Dean, who was taken by the Minnesota Twins in the fifth round (312th overall).