Opening Day at the 2017 College World Series
June 16, 2017 | Baseball
Photo Gallery: Travel Day to OmahaPhoto: Travel Day to CWSVideo: CWS Opening Day HighlightsVideo: Dick Howser Trophy AnnouncementVideo: Pre-Series News ConferenceVideo: News Conference HighlightsPhotos: Travel Day to CWSPhotos: Opening Day at CWS2017 CWS Game Notes (PDF)2017 CWS BracketTranscript: Pre-Series Press Conference
GoCards.com provided updates as the Cardinals participated in Friday's Opening Day of activities in Omaha
OMAHA, Neb. - The 2017 College World Series started Friday with the Opening Day of activities as the Louisville baseball team participated in a busy day of team photos, practices, interviews and autograph sessions before closing the evening with a barbecue dinner and the opening ceremonies. GoCards.com is providing running updates right here throughout the day highlighting all of the team's activities at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
No. 7 national seed Louisville is making its fourth College World Series appearance in school history, including the third in the last five seasons, as the Cardinals open the 71st edition of the event against Texas A&M (41-21) Sunday at 1 p.m., CT at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. Louisville and Texas A&M are joined in one side of the bracket by No. 3 Florida (47-18) and No. 6 TCU (47-16), while No. 1 Oregon State (54-4), Cal State Fullerton (39-22), No. 4 LSU (48-17) and Florida State (45-21) complete the field of eight teams. Every game of the 2017 CWS will be televised by either ESPN or ESPN. Radio coverage for all Louisville baseball games in the postseason will be provided by 93.9 The Ville.
7:30 PM CT | CWS Opening Ceremonies Moved Indoors Due to Weather
Due inclement weather moving through Omaha on Friday evening, the Opening Ceremonies for the 2017 College World Series were moved indoors to the Rasmussen Center on the campus of Creighton University. Each of the eight teams at this CWS enjoyed a barbecue dinner at Morrison Stadium, home to the Creighton soccer teams, before moving inside the Rasmussen Center. The abbreviated ceremony included the parade of teams, academic awards announcements and a musical performance by Aloe Blacc. Louisville junior catcher was honored as the recipient of the NCAA Elite 90 Award as the student-athlete with the highest individual GPA among final eight teams.
2:30 PM CT | Autograph Session with the Louisville Baseball Team
The Cardinals closed the daytime activities at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha with a 45-minute autograph session on the third base concourse. The line of fans, including numerous kids, remained consistent throughout the session, which ended at 3:15 p.m. The Louisville players and coaches then departed the ballpark and returned to the team hotel a couple of hours of relaxation in advance of Friday night's barbecue dinner and opening ceremonies.
2:05 PM CT | Media Availability for the Cardinals
Following Louisville's open practice session, the team met with the media during an open clubhouse session with reporters. The Cardinals talked with numerous local, regional and national reporters covering the 2017 CWS recapping their Road to Omaha while also previewing Sunday's opener.
1:10 PM CT | Open Practice Session at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha
The Cardinals made their way to the playing field at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha for the first time since arriving in Omaha on Friday afternoon for the open practice session. On a warm, breezy day in America's heartland, Louisville conducted a 50-minute session both defensive work, batting practice and baserunning serving as the key points of emphasis. The open practice, conducted with fans throughout the ballpark and members of the media watching at field level, is the only chance for the Cardinals to be on the playing surface prior to Sunday's game against Texas A&M.
Noon CT | Interviews, Videos and Photos with ESPN and NCAA
Following the team photo, head coach Dan McDonnell, senior Colin Lyman, juniors Drew Ellis, Devin Hairston, Lincoln Henzman, Devin Hairston, Kade McClure and Brendan McKay and sophomore Josh Stowers visited numerous video and photo stations on the suite level as TD Ameritrade Park Omaha to assist in the preparation of content for this week's College World Series coverage. The rest of the team met in the third base clubhouse and changed from the black game uniforms to the practice gear for this afternoon's open workout.
11:30 AM CT | Team Photo at the Road to Omaha Statue
The Louisville players and support staff arrived at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha shortly before at 11:30 a.m., CT before conducting the official team photo in front of the Road to Omaha statue. The Cardinals began with a full team photo before breaking into smaller group photos with the coaches, seniors and others as a group of fans looked on at the corner of 13th Street and Cuming Street.
10:30 AM CT | McDonnell Meets with Media During Coaches News Conference
Cardinals head coach Dan McDonnell was joined by Texas A&M's Rob Childress, Florida's Kevin O'Sullivan and TCU's Jim Schlossnagle during the news conference with the head coaches from Louisville's side of the bracket. McDonnell announced that junior lefthander Brendan McKay will start on the mound in Sunday's CWS opener (2 p.m., ET/1 p.m., CT) against the Aggies, who will throw junior righthander Corbin Martin. A transcript from today's pre-series press conference is available here.
9:30 AM CT | McKay Introduced as Dick Howser Trophy Winner on MLB Network
Louisville junior lefthanded pitcher and first baseman Brendan McKay was named Friday as the 31st recipient of the prestigious Dick Howser Trophy, presented annually to the nation's top collegiate baseball player. The announcement, presented by the Howser Trophy committee and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, was made during a live segment on MLB Network from TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
McKay is the first Louisville player to win the Dick Howser Trophy and the eighth student-athlete from the Atlantic Coast Conference to receive the trophy. Friday's announcement marked the fifth National Player of the Year award in 2017 for McKay, who received the same honor from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball newspaper, D1Baseball and Perfect Game. The Darlington, Pennsylvania also earned his third straight John Olerud Two-Way National Player of the Year Award and became the highest MLB Draft selection in school history going fourth overall to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Following the Cardinals on Social Media
Fans can follow Louisville baseball on Twitter (@UofLBaseball) at http://twitter.com/uoflbaseball and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ulbaseball.
No. 7 national seed Louisville is making its fourth College World Series appearance in school history, including the third in the last five seasons, as the Cardinals open the 71st edition of the event against Texas A&M (41-21) Sunday at 1 p.m., CT at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. Louisville and Texas A&M are joined in one side of the bracket by No. 3 Florida (47-18) and No. 6 TCU (47-16), while No. 1 Oregon State (54-4), Cal State Fullerton (39-22), No. 4 LSU (48-17) and Florida State (45-21) complete the field of eight teams. Every game of the 2017 CWS will be televised by either ESPN or ESPN. Radio coverage for all Louisville baseball games in the postseason will be provided by 93.9 The Ville.
7:30 PM CT | CWS Opening Ceremonies Moved Indoors Due to Weather
Due inclement weather moving through Omaha on Friday evening, the Opening Ceremonies for the 2017 College World Series were moved indoors to the Rasmussen Center on the campus of Creighton University. Each of the eight teams at this CWS enjoyed a barbecue dinner at Morrison Stadium, home to the Creighton soccer teams, before moving inside the Rasmussen Center. The abbreviated ceremony included the parade of teams, academic awards announcements and a musical performance by Aloe Blacc. Louisville junior catcher was honored as the recipient of the NCAA Elite 90 Award as the student-athlete with the highest individual GPA among final eight teams.
2:30 PM CT | Autograph Session with the Louisville Baseball Team
The Cardinals closed the daytime activities at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha with a 45-minute autograph session on the third base concourse. The line of fans, including numerous kids, remained consistent throughout the session, which ended at 3:15 p.m. The Louisville players and coaches then departed the ballpark and returned to the team hotel a couple of hours of relaxation in advance of Friday night's barbecue dinner and opening ceremonies.
2:05 PM CT | Media Availability for the Cardinals
Following Louisville's open practice session, the team met with the media during an open clubhouse session with reporters. The Cardinals talked with numerous local, regional and national reporters covering the 2017 CWS recapping their Road to Omaha while also previewing Sunday's opener.
1:10 PM CT | Open Practice Session at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha
The Cardinals made their way to the playing field at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha for the first time since arriving in Omaha on Friday afternoon for the open practice session. On a warm, breezy day in America's heartland, Louisville conducted a 50-minute session both defensive work, batting practice and baserunning serving as the key points of emphasis. The open practice, conducted with fans throughout the ballpark and members of the media watching at field level, is the only chance for the Cardinals to be on the playing surface prior to Sunday's game against Texas A&M.
Noon CT | Interviews, Videos and Photos with ESPN and NCAA
Following the team photo, head coach Dan McDonnell, senior Colin Lyman, juniors Drew Ellis, Devin Hairston, Lincoln Henzman, Devin Hairston, Kade McClure and Brendan McKay and sophomore Josh Stowers visited numerous video and photo stations on the suite level as TD Ameritrade Park Omaha to assist in the preparation of content for this week's College World Series coverage. The rest of the team met in the third base clubhouse and changed from the black game uniforms to the practice gear for this afternoon's open workout.
11:30 AM CT | Team Photo at the Road to Omaha Statue
The Louisville players and support staff arrived at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha shortly before at 11:30 a.m., CT before conducting the official team photo in front of the Road to Omaha statue. The Cardinals began with a full team photo before breaking into smaller group photos with the coaches, seniors and others as a group of fans looked on at the corner of 13th Street and Cuming Street.
10:30 AM CT | McDonnell Meets with Media During Coaches News Conference
Cardinals head coach Dan McDonnell was joined by Texas A&M's Rob Childress, Florida's Kevin O'Sullivan and TCU's Jim Schlossnagle during the news conference with the head coaches from Louisville's side of the bracket. McDonnell announced that junior lefthander Brendan McKay will start on the mound in Sunday's CWS opener (2 p.m., ET/1 p.m., CT) against the Aggies, who will throw junior righthander Corbin Martin. A transcript from today's pre-series press conference is available here.
9:30 AM CT | McKay Introduced as Dick Howser Trophy Winner on MLB Network
Louisville junior lefthanded pitcher and first baseman Brendan McKay was named Friday as the 31st recipient of the prestigious Dick Howser Trophy, presented annually to the nation's top collegiate baseball player. The announcement, presented by the Howser Trophy committee and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, was made during a live segment on MLB Network from TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
McKay is the first Louisville player to win the Dick Howser Trophy and the eighth student-athlete from the Atlantic Coast Conference to receive the trophy. Friday's announcement marked the fifth National Player of the Year award in 2017 for McKay, who received the same honor from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball newspaper, D1Baseball and Perfect Game. The Darlington, Pennsylvania also earned his third straight John Olerud Two-Way National Player of the Year Award and became the highest MLB Draft selection in school history going fourth overall to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Following the Cardinals on Social Media
Fans can follow Louisville baseball on Twitter (@UofLBaseball) at http://twitter.com/uoflbaseball and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ulbaseball.
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