Saturday’s Game 4 of College World Series to begin at 10:15 p.m. after long weather delay

First pitch was scheduled to begin at 6:07 p.m. Storms currently southeast of Lincoln could roll through Omaha after 7 p.m.

While storms are not projected to hit Omaha before the scheduled start of the game, coaches can be reluctant to trot their pitchers out to the mound for a few innings, only to put them on the shelf due to a lengthy rain delay.

A game that starts after a rain delay preserves the starting pitchers’ arms.

For a time between 6 and 7 p.m., as the grounds crew rolled out the tarp under dry conditions, both teams hung around their dugouts, and Texas A&M players played small games in theirs. Everybody retreated from the playing field, however, after 7 p.m., as a dark cloud rolled across the Schwab Field skyline and winds gusted toward left field.

Rain began — and lightning flashed for the first time — around 7:18 p.m. A Schwab Field clock reset to 30 minutes each time lighting struck in the area. Per NCAA rules, any strike within eight miles reset the clock to 30 minutes.

After a long rainstorm and lightning delay, the Texas A&M/Florida game will start at 10 p.m., according to game officials. Fans, according to the announcement, would start to be let into Schwab Field at 9:15 p.m.

While 10 p.m. would be one of the latest starts in recent CWS history, it prevents the NCAA from having to stage three games on Sunday and preserves a day off for the Aggies and Gators.