Dickinson fought through broken hand in NCAA Tournament

By Hunt Palmer

OMAHA, Neb.– LSU has a history with hamate bones healing in Omaha.

Daniel Dickinson didn’t pull a Warren Morris by hitting a walk off home run to win the national title, but his contributions certainly helped LSU earn championship No. 8.

Morris famously bunted frequently late in LSU’s 1996 season as his hamate bone fracture healed. Dickinson squared often in the College World Series and dropped down two drag bunt singles in Omaha with a fracture of his own.

“He’s been playing with a broken hand since the first game of the NCAA Tournament,” said LSU head coach Jay Johnson. “Listen to what I just said. He broke his hamate bone in the game he hit two homers in the first game of the NCAA Tournament and just got (six) hits in Omaha, and we went like 10-1. If that is not toughness, I don’t know what is.”

Dickinson launched a pair of home runs in the regional opener against Little Rock. Over the next three days, he went 1-for-10 with a pair of strikeouts. Now we know that came with a fractured hand.

Dickinson was hitless the following weekend in the super regional, but with another week to heal, he got a hit in every College World Series game and went 6-for-17 (.353) in LSU’s five games.

“Danny is probably the star as far as the guys we brought in, and the person just far exceeds the player,” Johnson said. “He’s so competitive.”

Dickinson, in what figures to be his one and only year at LSU, hit .315 with 12 home runs and played a sparkling second base.

Now we know he fought through injury to get his team to the finish line. Morris used the long ball to close the deal 29 years ago. Sunday it was a chopper to Dickinson that he gloved and initialed a 4-6-3 double play to ignite the dogpile and celebration.

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