National championship opener postponed until Tuesday

Rain falls on the field at TD Ameritrade Park prior to a College World Series game between Arkansas and Oregon State on Monday, June 25, 2018, in Omaha, Neb.
Rain falls on the field at TD Ameritrade Park prior to a College World Series game between Arkansas and Oregon State on Monday, June 25, 2018, in Omaha, Neb.

— Inclement weather has postponed the first game of the championship series between Arkansas and Oregon State at the College World Series.

The teams will play their first game Tuesday at 6:05 p.m. Tickets and parking passes that were used Monday should be used again Tuesday, according to NCAA officials.

As part of the restructured schedule, Game 2 will be played Wednesday and an if-necessary Game 3 would be played Thursday, according to guidelines listed in the NCAA's 100-page College World Series manual.

Reserved tickets are sold out for Game 1 of the final series, but general-admission tickets remain available at the TD Ameritrade Park box office, which opens at 10 a.m., Tuesday. Fans with additional ticket inquiries are asked to visit NCAA.com/CWS.

Heavy rain began falling at TD Ameritrade Park around 7 p.m., Monday as part of a line of storms that extended nearly 60 miles southwest to Lincoln. The storms included the potential for strong winds, lightning and small hail, according to the National Weather Service.

According to the weather service, a 60 percent chance of rain is possible in Omaha before midnight. Showers and thunderstorms have covered most of Nebraska throughout the day Monday, but the weather had cleared and the sun was shining about an hour before the scheduled 6 p.m. game time when the delay was announced.

Several fans remained in the park after the announcement of the delay and hovered under overhangs and in the concourse of the stadium as the heavy rains blew through. The heavy rains left standing water on the warning track and in the dugouts.

NCAA rules dictate games cannot be played when lightning is present within an 8-mile radius of the competition site. Each lightning strike within an 8-mile radius results in a 30-minute delay, and players typically are given an additional 25 minutes to warm up following the delay.

Rules are more ambiguous when it comes to rain. Umpires have the authority to halt the game if they determine the field is unplayable.

Games cannot begin at the College World Series after 11 p.m. The curfew is 9 p.m. for Games 2 and 3 of the final round, which can determine a national champion.

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