Omaha In February? LSU Hosts Familiar School From Trips To College World Series

After 20 trips to Omaha, Nebraska, for the College World Series from 1986 through 2023, with extremely extended stays for seven national championships, Omaha is finally returning games to LSU. Sort of.

The University of Omaha will play No. 2 LSU (4-0) for the first time anywhere today at 4 p.m. in the Tigers’ home Alex Box Stadium – when they’re not in Omaha. The series will continue with a day-night doubleheader on Saturday with games starting at noon and 5 p.m., as expected bad weather moved the scheduled Sunday game at 1 p.m. to Saturday.

The Omaha Mavericks (1-3) have not brought Barrett’s Barleycorn bar on Leavenworth Street – LSU fans’ home plate while in Omaha – with them to Baton Rouge, but it will be a reunion of sorts. The Tigers practiced at Omaha, which used to be called the University of Nebraska-Omaha, or UNO, before CWS games at Rosenblatt Stadium many times on LSU’s 16 trips north between 1986 and 2009 with six national titles over that span and before games at Charles Schwab Field on trips in 2013, ’15, ’17 and 2023.

The Tigers practiced at the Mavericks’ field several times during their national championship run in 2023 under then-second-year coach Jay Johnson.

“We’re going to continue to find out more about our team this weekend,” Johnson said. “It’s been great that we’ve been able to get so many players into the games and get some of the newness off of everybody. Most of the players have gotten their first taste of the season.”

LSU SWEEPS OVER OPENING WEEKEND

Johnson will stick with his weekend rotation from last week’s three-game sweep over Purdue-Fort Wayne.

Sophomore left-hander Kade Anderson (1-0, 0.00 ERA) will start Friday’s game against Omaha junior right-hander Brayden Curtis (0-0, 11.25 ERA).

Junior right-hander Anthony Eyanson (1-0, 1.80 ERA) will start Saturday’s first game against senior right-hander Ben Weber (0-1, 12.00 ERA). And redshirt sophomore Chase Shores (1-0, 1.80 ERA) will start the nightcap Saturday against junior right-hander CJ Hood (0-1, 9.00 ERA).

Omaha opened its season in New Orleans last week, losing three games to Tulane before winning, 5-2, at Nicholls State on Tuesday. LSU’s game at Nicholls State scheduled for Wednesday was postponed due to bad weather and rescheduled.