College World Series Begins with Opening Ceremonies
June 14, 2014 | Baseball
June 13, 2014
Photo Gallery: 2014 CWS Practice Day | Photo Gallery: 2014 CWS Opening Ceremonies
CWS Press Conference Video - Saturday Head Coaches | CWS Press Conference Transcript - Saturday Head Coaches
CardsTV Video Interviews: Senior Cole Sturgeon | Freshman Josh Rogers
Louisville Baseball Game Notes (at 2014 College World Series) | GoCards.com College World Series Central
OMAHA, Neb. - A busy day of practices, news conferences and fan events at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha concluded on Friday evening with the Louisville baseball team participating in the opening ceremonies of the 2014 College World Series.
The Cardinals, who begin the 12-day journey for a national championship against Vanderbilt on Saturday at 7 p.m., CT on ESPN2, started the day by taking a team photo in front of the famous "Road to Omaha" statue outside the ballpark. That was followed by interview sessions and the recording of other video elements for the coverage of the College World Series by ESPN, NCAA.com and inside TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
Louisville then had its only opportunity to be on the playing field prior to Saturday night's opener with a 50-minute practice session in front of fans and reporters. The Cardinals conducted their typical pregame batting practice session while also working on defensive drills during Friday's practice.
Later in the afternoon, Louisville's players and coaches participated in a 1-hour autograph session with fans along the first base concourse. Head coach Dan McDonnell closed out the afternoon with the pre-championship coaches' news conference.
After a break from organized activities early in the evening, the enjoyable day in Omaha concluded for the Cardinals with the team barbecue dinner and the annual opening ceremonies inside the ballpark. The event, which included the Cardinals receiving the award for the highest team GPA for the second straight CWS, featured the introduction of all eight CWS teams, comments from featured speaker and ESPN college baseball analyst Kyle Peterson, the presentation of the team flags by the U.S. Army Parachute Team and a fireworks display.
Fans can follow Louisville baseball on Twitter (@UofLBaseball) at http://twitter.com/uoflbaseball and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ulbaseball.
