coached LSU for two seasons and had a 17–24 (.415) record. Jim Smith was head coach for 13 seasons from 1966 to 1978. He finished with an overall record of 238–251 (.487). When he left LSU after the 1978 season, he had the most wins of any head coach in program history. His 1975 team won an SEC championship and was LSU's first NCAA Tournament team. From 1979 to 1983, Jack Lamabe was head coach at LSU for five seasons and had a record of 134–115 (.538). Skip Bertman era (1984–2001) 1984–1990 After playing college baseball at Miami (FL), coaching high school baseball, and serving as an assistant at Miami, Skip Bertman became LSU's head coach for the start of the 1984 season. In Bertman's second season, 1985, the Tigers qualified for postseason play for the first time in ten years. In his third season, LSU made its first appearance in the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, the first of 11 appearances during Bertman's 18-year career. LSU returned to Omaha during the 1987 season, then failed to make the NCAA tournament in 1988, despite having a 39–21 record. Bertman's 1989 team returned to the postseason, an appearance that started a streak of 17 consecutive postseason appearances. The 1989 team defeated Texas A&M in a regional final to qualify for the College World Series. The program also made the College World Series in 1990. 1991 national championship The program won its first national championship in 1991, defeating Wichita State in the College World Series final. 1993 national championship The program won its second national championship in 1993, again defeating Wichita State in the College World Series final. 1996 national championship In 1996, the Tigers entered the NCAA Tournament on a two-game losing streak, after being eliminated from the SEC Tournament by consecutive losses to Florida and Kentucky. However, based on the team's regular season performance, LSU was selected as one of the eight regional host sites for the NCAA tournament. The Tigers defeated Austin Peay, UNLV, and New Orleans before defeating Georgia Tech, 29–13, in the regional final. In the game, LSU broke multiple NCAA records, two of which still stand today: 13 hits in an inning and 8 doubles in an inning. In the College World Series, the team defeated its first opponent, Wichita State, 9–8. LSU then faced Florida, which had beaten them three times in the regular