Oklahoma vs. UNC CWS Game 1 moved up with rough weather headed for Omaha

Oklahoma has enough to focus on going into its championship series against North Carolina and now that focus has to shift about five hours earlier than anticipated. 

With inclement weather expected to roll through Omaha tomorrow evening, the time for Game 1 has been moved up to 2 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET) with the gates opening at 11 a.m. locally for fans that are planning on being in attendance. Neither the Sooners nor the Tar Heels have played since Wednesday, so there shouldn't be any issues with the pitching staffs, since both teams have already had a couple of days of rest. 

Sooners outfielder Trey Gambill said that the team already has a routine they feel comfortable with during the time off.

"I think there's not much difference from the regionals and the super regional. We know we're going to play a good baseball team. We've been preparing for them the last couple of days. And it's not out of the ordinary I think for us as far as a schedule standpoint," Gambill said.

READ MORE: Trey Gambill sends stern CWS warning to North Carolina with Oklahoma ready to battle

Weather forces a time change for Game 1 of CWS championship series

If there were any concerns about moving up the time, it would be playing during the heat of the day, but the forecast in Omaha has the temperatures in the mid-to-upper 70s and pushing 80 degrees, so it shouldn't be too bad at all. The hourly forecast on The Weather Channel's official website says showers should begin rolling in between 5 and 6 p.m., so even a mid-afternoon start is a little risky. ​​There are also some showers in the forecast for Friday evening, so the amazing grounds crew at Omaha will have their work cut out for them.

READ MORE: Oklahoma baseball has one piece of unfinished business to cap dream season

Anyone who's followed the College World Series for any amount of time knows that the weather is always the variable that can put a wrench into the best-laid plans. This time of year it can rain almost daily around the middle of the country and the storms can be quite severe. The good news is that the strong stuff looks like it won't be on the radar until around midnight or in the wee hours of Sunday morning. That should be out of the area long before the scheduled first pitch of 1:30 p.m. (local time) for Game 2. 

If anything, moving up the time should work to benefit the Sooners from a scheduling standpoint. Before the time switch, they were looking at a night finish on Saturday followed by an early afternoon start on Sunday. Now it'll be closer to 24 hours in between games, so the players should have time to refuel themselves and get whatever treatment they need before enjoying a full evening of rest. 

But if we're being honest, it's all relative at this point. The Sooners and the fans are going to be hyped up for each game whenever it happens. Oklahoma has worked so hard to get here that there's nothing Mother Nature can do to contain the excitement of playing for a national championship. 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow