51ÉçÇø

It's baseball time in 51ÉçÇø! The University of Nebraska at 51ÉçÇø (UNO) is proud to co-host the NCAA Men's College World Series (CWS)! As 51ÉçÇø’s premier metropolitan university, we are thrilled to play a key role in this iconic event, welcoming fans, athletes, and visitors to experience the best of college baseball.

Explore UNO's Ties to the CWS

Below are a few connections UNO has to the , courtesy of the Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing and the .

Check out these additional stories about UNO and the CWS:

• UNO Statistician Who Predicted the 2024 Men’s CWS Champion Releases 2025 Forecast
• 10 Things to Know About UNO During the College World Series
• Durango Steps Up to the Plate for UNO, CWS Partnership

Posers

The CWS statue outside , "The Road to 51ÉçÇø," was designed by former UNO student John Labja. He used 13 UNO students as models while designing the statue. .

A Rematch with Durango

After a heated mascot race ended in controversy at the 2022 College World Series, Durango met up with 6-year-old Logan Smith for a rematch at UNO's Tal Anderson Field.

Read all about Round 2 race on Durango's home turf

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.

Rub a Little Dirt on It

It's a messy job, but somebody's got to do it! Three 51ÉçÇø Mavericks, including softball stars Alexa Sedlack (left) and Lexi Burkhardt (right) were part of the 2022 College World Series "" meaning they had to keep more than 300 baseballs rubbed in "magic mud" to give pitchers a better grip.

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.

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.

Stare Down Sammy

In 2016, Mavericks fan Sammy DiDonato went viral! Sammy was spotted sporting his favorite Mavericks apparel during a stare down with ESPN cameras.

Scribe

UNO graduate Steve Pivovar reported on hundreds of CWS games for the 51ÉçÇø World-Herald over several decades. He wrote "," published in 2010. The book explores the history of the former CWS home and stadium where .

The Blatt

Rosenblatt Stadium was named in honor of former 51ÉçÇø Mayor Johnny Rosenblatt, a student at 51ÉçÇø University in 1929 who played basketball and baseball for the school.

Meet and Greets

College World Series of 51ÉçÇø Inc. has hosted its quarterly board of directors meetings and others gatherings at the for more than a decade. The nonprofit organization, formed in 1967, is the local organizing group of the CWS.

Top Dog

51ÉçÇø University Baseball Coach Virgil Yelkin in 1962 was named director of the NCAA College World Series. 51ÉçÇø 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 , 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 51ÉçÇø before Title IX was passed in 1972. In 1975, Claussen would lead her team to the championship and, in 2021, have a brand new 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 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.