2013 College World Series -- TD Ameritrade Park -- Omaha

LSU players got their first glances at TD Ameritrade Park on the drive into downtown Omaha

"It was awesome,” said Katz. “We turned and looked at (TD Ameritrade Park). It is a beautiful facility. You are mesmerized when you look at it. To be here and to know that we are going to play there is an extremely great feeling."

Mainieri:
"The biggest concern, because we haven’t been here for the last three years, is whether or not the kids are going to be uptight or nervous. That is what we call the College World Series first-timer syndrome. I can’t tell you with 100 percent what is going to happen. But I can tell you if any team can handle it, it is going to be us."

 

tonight is the College World Series Opening Ceremonies where all eight teams will parade out onto the field. A concert precedes the event, while the night wraps up with a firework show. All events are free to the public.

 

KETV (ABC 7) OMAHA:

The College World Series opening ceremonies are set for 8:30 p.m. Friday at TD Ameritrade Park. Admission is free. ESPN baseball analyst and former major-league pitcher Orel Hershiser will be the featured speaker, and the participating teams will be introduced after an Olympic-style grand entrance. There also will be a tribute to Dennis Poppe, who is retiring after serving as the CWS administrator since 1988. A Flag Day celebration, patriotic music, a large American flag unfurling, and a fireworks show will end the festivities.

 

LSU Tigers posing in front on TD Ameritrade Stadium in Omaha

 

30 million watched the regionals and super regionals

New Orleans was the highest-rated market for ESPN and ESPN2’s Super Regional telecasts. of the CWS teams, looks like LSU, UNC, NCState, and Louisville did the best:

New Orleans (1st on ESPN & 1st on ESPN2)

Louisville (2nd on ESPN & tied 6th on ESPN2)

Greensboro, NC (tied 4th & 3rd)

Raleigh-Durham, NC (6th & tied 4th)

Charlotte, NC (tied 7th & tied 8th)

 

"We're finally here," Nola said. "We can't wait to step on that new field. We've seen it on TV. It's unbelievable. It's where we'll make our memories."

"Most of the guys will have some jitters; that's just natural," Nola said.

"I think I'm the right guy to go to the mound because I don't get too hyped up."

Katz:
"You couldn't ask for a better guy in the whole nation," he said of Nola. "To him, there's nothing bigger. It's like he's throwing a bullpen every day."

 

Bregman:

"We're going to soak it all in, but we also know it's a business trip and we have to stay focused," he said.

senior Alex Edward:

"This group has worked extremely hard to get here. We put in a lot of work, and haven't cut any corners."

 

SUPER REGIONAL DOGPILES

 

ESPN:

After LSU failed to make the College World Series for a third straight season in 2012, head coach Paul Mainieri called infielder Mason Katz and asked him if he wanted to accept an invitation to participate in the CWS home run derby. Katz gladly accepted.
"And [Mainieri] said 'Good, I want you to have experience there for when you take the team there next year,'" Katz recalled.
That Katz and the Tigers have made it to the College World Series sort of brings that story to its happy ending, but what's odd about the story is who it's about.

LSU? Stranger to Omaha?

Believe it.

In the quick turnaround world of college sports, a three-year absence brought LSU's senior class within a year of becoming the first at LSU since the 1980s not to make it to the CWS. That's a little bit like a Duke senior class not making a Final Four
...
LSU's dominance in college baseball is well known. The Tigers have six national championships, all since 1991, five of which came under legendary coach Skip Bertman. Current coach Paul Mainieri guided the Tigers to their sixth national title in 2009. That was at old Rosenblatt Stadium, which was replaced by Omaha's shiny new TD Ameritrade Park in 2011. While many joked that Rosenblatt was "Alex Box North," a reference to LSU's Alex Box stadium and a nod to LSU's success at Rosenblatt, LSU will need to get a feel for the new park.
...
While the Tigers have indeed been absent from TD Ameritrade Park for its short history, the Tigers have hardly lost relevance in the college baseball world. At 57-9, LSU is one win away from a school record for wins in a season. The Tigers won the SEC tournament and set attendance records while sweeping Oklahoma in the super regional.

And while LSU is the No. 4 overall seed in the NCAA tournament, the Tigers finished the regular season No. 1 in almost all the major college baseball polls, a sign of respect the program still gets despite its recent absences from Omaha.
...
Led by unflappable ace Aaron Nola (12-0, 1.68), Tigers pitchers strike out almost three times as many batters as they walk. Led by national freshman of the year Alex Bregman, the Tigers bat over .300 as a team and defensively, the Tigers commit barely more than half as many errors as their opponents.

Those are the statistics of a team that, despite its accomplishments, remains consistently focused.
...
LSU may not have played a game at TD Ameritrade Park yet, but the Tigers certainly carry themselves like they belong.