UNO and the College World Series

Here are a few connections UNO has to the College World Series (CWS), courtesy of the Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing and the UNO Alumni Association.

• Opening Day Celebrations
• By the Numbers
• Voices from the Stands
• A Rematch with Durango
• On the Field Training
• Rub a Little Dirt on It
• Posers
• Helping Pitchers on the Mound
• Stare Down Sammy
• Scribe
• The Blatt
• Meet and Greets
• Top Dog
• Anything But a Softball
• Yerrrrr, In!
• Field of Dreams
• He Played

Looking for easy travel to and from the series? Check out the Omaha Metro's "Bus to the Ballpark." UNO students, faculty, and staff can ride any Metro bus including ORBT for free with their MavCARD. There are several convenient stops near or on campus.

Note: The Circulator in Downtown Omaha does cost 25 cents per ride.

Opening Day Celebrations 2022

A late spring thunderstorm made for interesting Opening Day Celebrations at Charles Schwab Field!

By the Numbers

Andrew Swift, associate professor of mathematics, says this is one of the more evenly matched fields for the College World Series in a while, with top-ranked Stanford and Cinderella Notre Dame having the best chances to win.

Swift, who has been making predictions like this using a statistical method developed by himself and a former graduate student for over a decade, says that picking a predicted winner may seem as simple as picking the highest-ranked team, but that's not always the case. Stanford is ranked No. 3 while Notre Dame, at No. 16, is the third-highest ranked team in this year's field of eight.

A Rematch with Durango

After a heated mascot race ended in controversy at the College World Series, Durango met up with 6-year-old Logan Smith for a rematch at UNO's Tal Anderson Field. See the story and watch the video recap of the Round 2 race on Durango's home turf.

Voices From the Stands

Since 2017, UNO's own student-led MavRadio has covered the entire College World Series from the press box, alongside broadcasters from local and national sports news outlets like ESPN. Students returned to the CWS in 2022 after last covering the event in 2019. Over the years, MavRadio has earned numerous broadcasting awards for their sports reporting, including their CWS coverage.

On the Field Training

UNO's Athletic Training program has provided important hands-on experiences for students who seek to be the sports medicine leaders of the future. In 2019, two UNO students, Jacqui Gutierrez and Tyler Gregurich, got the chance to put their skills to use supporting the teams of the College World Series.

Rub a Little Dirt on It

It's a messy job, but somebody's got to do it! Three UNO Mavericks, including softball stars Alexa Sedlack (left) and Lexi Burkhardt (right) are part of the 2022 College World Series "mud crew" meaning they have to keep more than 300 baseballs rubbed in "magic mud" to give pitchers a better grip.

Posers

The CWS statue outside Charles Schwab Field, "The Road to Omaha," was designed by former UNO student John Labja. He used 13 UNO students as models while designing the statue.

Helping Pitchers on the Mound

Lights, cameras, fastball! Using an array of technology, UNO's Department of Biomechanics and the UNO Pitching Lab are able to help pitchers improve their pitching, identify deficiencies, and avoid injury. Learn more about how the lab helped a pitcher gain speed on his pitches.

Stare Down Sammy

Viral video sensation Sammy DiDonato is a Mavericks fan! Sammy was spotted sporting his favorite Mavericks apparel during a stare down with ESPN cameras during the 2016 NCAA College World Series.

Read more about Sammy

Scribe

UNO graduate Steve Pivovar reported on hundreds of CWS games for the Omaha World-Herald over several decades. He wrote "Rosenblatt Stadium: Omaha's Diamond on the Hill," published in 2010. The book explores the history of the former CWS home and stadium where Pivovar covered more than 1,700 games.

The Blatt

Rosenblatt Stadium was named in honor of former Omaha Mayor Johnny Rosenblatt, a student at Omaha University in 1929 who played basketball and baseball for the school.

Meet and Greets

College World Series of Omaha Inc. has hosted its quarterly board of directors meetings and others gatherings at the Thompson Alumni Center for more than a decade. The nonprofit organization, formed in 1967, is the local organizing group of the CWS.

Top Dog

Omaha University Baseball Coach Virgil Yelkin in 1962 was named director of the NCAA College World Series. Omaha University was the host school that year.

Anything But a Softball

While baseball coach Vergil Yelkin led the charge in hosting the 1962 NCAA College World Series, it was in 1969 that Connie Claussen, then-chair of the Women's Physical Education program but now Athletic Director Emertia, helped bring the first-ever women's college softball championship, which would go on to become the Women's College World Series, to UNO and Omaha before Title IX was passed in 1972. In 1975, Claussen would lead her team to the championship and, in 2021, have a brand new softball field named in her honor.

Yerrrrr, In!

One-time UNO Sports Information Director Fred Gerardi — also a part-time umpire — was behind plate for CWS games in 1975 and 1976.

Field of Dreams

A $46,000 grant from the CWS Committee in 1975 enabled UNO to lease a baseball field in the Westgate baseball complex at 84th St. and Interstate 80. It became the Mavericks' first home field in more than 10 years and was named College World Series Park. Now UNO baseball calls Tal Anderson Field home.

He Played

Clarke Lange, a third baseman on the 1982 UNO baseball team, played in the 1984 CWS with the Miami Hurricanes. The only UNO student ever to have played in the CWS, Lange later was drafted by the Houston Astros in the sixth round of the MLB draft.