BATON ROUGE — If you’re an LSU fan, live in Louisiana, or spend any time online, chances are you’ve seen Ralph Ardoin - the Tiger fan whose spirited celebration at the College World Series is lighting up social media.

The Livingston Parish native caught national attention when cameras panned to him during LSU’s third-inning rally during the championship game Saturday. Ardoin was seen enthusiastically swinging a set of beads around his neck, a move he’s since dubbed his signature.

“I love football, I love baseball, I love it all,” Ardoin said.

The lifelong LSU supporter isn’t new to Omaha. In fact, he’s been in the stands for LSU’s last two championship wins, and yes,  he was swinging those same beads in 2023 too.

“I’d like to thank my wife for that, for setting everything up and getting the tickets,” Ardoin said. “Wow, I don’t think she could’ve done any better. We’ve been very close to the field both times,  great seats.”

His now-viral move has roots far from the ballpark.

“Mardi Gras is where it all started,” he said. “You’re trying to get people’s attention so they’ll throw you something. Just acting wild and goofing off, and it kind of stuck. Anytime I have beads on, it’s a fun thing to do to get a laugh out of people.”

Ardoin admits he’s superstitious, and plans to stick with his good luck uniform.

“If you noticed, 2023 was the same shirt, same beads, same pants and everything,” he laughed. “I was a baseball player, and you may know we’re superstitious.”

He says the energy in Omaha is something every LSU fan should experience at least once.

“That’s an experience I think everyone needs to do,” he said. “Even if we go and don’t win, the atmosphere, and the way the people in Omaha accept LSU fans it’s just crazy.”

As long as the Tigers keep playing, you can bet Ardoin and his beads will be there, cheering them on.