10:56 p.m. — A long, wet day at Rosenblatt has finally come to an end. ASU will play Clemson at 10 a.m. (8 a.m. in Arizona) tomorrow morning in a game that will be telecast on ESPNU. And of course, we'll be right back here tomorrow morning covering all the action so you can have a little baseball with your breakfast.
9:34 p.m. — The Sun Devils were sitting on the bus for a couple hours awaiting word on their playing status, so as soon as they got word that their game would be postponed, the team headed back to its hotel. Esmay, though, released a statement through the ASU athletic department.
??“You can’t worry about things that are out of your control, such as the weather. We have faced weather issues and adversity all season, and this is just the latest example of something we need to battle. Whether we have to play at 3 a.m. or 10 a.m., the Sun Devils will be ready to play.”
8:07 — The ASU-Clemson game has been postponed until 10 a.m. tomorrow morning (8 a.m. in Arizona). We are hoping to speak with ASU coach Tim Esmay shortly. Because of ESPN's coverage of the World Cup, the game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
7:51 p.m. — ASU President Michael Crow and Lisa Love, the school's athletic director, are in the press box at Rosenblatt Stadium hoping to see the Sun Devils play tonight, but like plenty of fans here, they may end the night disappointed. The rain has once again begun to fall and the tarp is spread over the infield. With 3 1/2 innings of the Oklahoma-South Carolina still to be played when, and if, the current delay ends, it doesn't appear likely that ASU will begin its run for a national title tonight.
7:00 p.m. — A lightning strike "within impermissible limits" of the stadium has halted Oklahoma-South Carolina after 5 1/2 innings. There will now be a mandatory 30 minute delay before play can resume. This undoubtedly hurts the chances of ASU's game against Clemson being played tonight.
6:51 p.m. – Five innings are in the books in what has been a quick and well-played game to this point, with Oklahoma leading South Carolina, 3-2. ASU will play one of these teams on Tuesday.
6:01 p.m. – It is the top of third with Oklahoma leading South Carolina 2-1. With 37 minutes gone by since first pitch, the game appears to have a good pace so far, but as we know in this crazy game of baseball, anything can still happen. Announcement on the start time of ASU's game against Clemson, and whether it will be played tonight, is expected to come sometime around the fifth inning.
5:15 p.m. – The national anthem has been sung, players are taking the field and it looks like we are finally going to have baseball today in Omaha. It will be interesting to see how the teams come out after spending the majority of the day waiting on the bench.
TV update: The Oklahoma-South Carolina game will begin on ESPN but at 6 p.m. (4 p.m. Arizona time) will switch to ESPN2 because of a MLB game scheduled on ESPN. As of now, ASU's game against Clemson is still scheduled to be played tonight. A decision on when that game will be played is expected to come some time during the middle of the OU-USC contest. ASU-Clemson would start an hour after the first game ended, so the earliest it would start, assuming no delays, would likely be around 9:30 or 10 p.m. (7:30 or 8 p.m. in Arizona)
4:25 p.m. – First pitch of the Oklahoma-South Carolina game has been set for 5:24 p.m. (3:24 in Arizona). The weather looks to be cooperating for now. Word here is that if the ASU-Clemson game is able to start by 11 p.m. local time, then the teams will go ahead and play, but they can't begin a game after that time. That means a lot will depend on how fast Game 1 moves and whether there are any more rain delays. We will pass along any news relating to ASU's start time as it comes in.
4:05 p.m. – The tarp has been taken off the field and the rain, for now, has subsided. After dumping off the water, stadium workers put the tarp back on the infield, but they appear ready to take it off again momentarily. Fans are trickling back into their seats. Oklahoma and South Carolina players are stretching and should take infield shortly. There is still no official word on when the game will be played, but it appears, barring further weather delays, as though at least one game will be played today. There has been no news yet on whether ASU will get its game in today.
3:42 p.m. – Just as the stadium crew was about to pull the tarp off the infield dirt, the rain began pounding once again. It seems as though every time the rain looks like it is going to lighten up, it begins pouring harder just moments later. An announcement about the start time of Oklahoma-South Carolina was supposed to come about 15 minutes ago, but there is still no official word. A general guess among reporters in the press box is that there is no way two games will be played today.
3:06 p.m. – The NCAA just announced that it will now make a determination on a start time for the Oklahoma-South Carolina at 3:30, with heavy rain continuing to fall at Rosenblatt Stadium. It is increasingly unlikely that ASU will play today, as it doesn't appear there is anyway the first game will be played before 5 p.m.
2:40 p.m. – The rain is now falling harder than it has all day. An announcement for the start time of the first game is expected in about 20 minutes, but it is hard to imagine the game will be played before 4 p.m. local time. That will make fitting the ASU-Clemson game in today a dicey proposition. Rumblings in the stadium press box suggest the game would be played tomorrow morning, but nothing is official at this point.
We will continue to pass along updates as we receive them.
2:08 p.m. – One of the great things about the CWS is the interaction players have with the fans. During the rain delay, players on both teams are using the down time to sign autographs for the fans in the stadium who are braving the elements. It's refreshing to see these guys appreciating the adulation they receive from a local fan base that makes every team feel welcome in Omaha.
We are about 50 minutes away from finding out a start time for the Oklahoma/South Carolina game, which will obviously determine when, and if, ASU plays today.
1:27 p.m. – Well, it's now been announced that the CWS will wait until 3 p.m. to decide a start time for today's first game. This means that ASU's game against Clemson, if played today, will be pushed back. Stay tuned for more updates.
1:13 p.m. – The rain continues to fall and the tarp has been put back on the field. It has been announced that the South Carolina/Oklahoma game has been pushed back to 1:43 (11:43 Arizona time). This may mean that ASU's game against Clemson could be pushed back. The skies, though, look to be clearing, and it looks like both games will be able to be played today.
12:40 p.m. – The first game of the day between South Carolina and Oklahoma is slated to begin in about 20 minutes, but some rain in the area may push the start time back slightly.
