Skip Bertman, LSU Baseball Coach, Dies at 88

Skip Bertman, the legendary architect of LSU's baseball dynasty and a transformative figure in college sports, died on the morning of August 14, 2026, at the age of 88. He passed away peacefully in his sleep at Baton Rouge General Hospital, surrounded by his daughters, following a brief hospitalization for heart-related issues.

Bertman's death marks the end of an era for the LSU program he built from a struggling afterthought into a national powerhouse. He took over as head coach in 1983, a time when the Tigers had never reached the College World Series and had endured eight losing seasons in the previous 17 years. Within three seasons, he led them to their first-ever College World Series appearance in 1986.

Over an 18-year coaching tenure that concluded in 2001, Bertman guided LSU to five NCAA College World Series championships in 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, and 2000. He also secured seven Southeastern Conference titles and retired with a career record of 870-330-3, a .724 winning percentage. His NCAA Tournament winning percentage of .754 remains the highest in the history of the event. He was one of only three college baseball coaches to win five national titles, joining Rod...