The road to Omaha and the NCAA College World Series starts today with games spread out across 16 regional host sites. 10 of the 16 sites have a Weatherstem station on site to help these hosts keep their fans, staff, and athletes safe. Weather has a major impact on baseball, from heat and humidity lowering the air density, allowing baseballs to travel farther, to rain and lightning delaying games. Learn more about weather's impact on the game of baseball below:
Let's break down the weather for these 10 sites.
Athens and Atlanta, GA Regional Host Sites
UGA is hosting Boston College, LIU, and Liberty University in Athens this weekend while Georgia Tech hosts UIC, Oklahoma and the Citadel in Atlanta. The weather for each location can be accessed below:
Organizers have already adjusted the start times of Friday's games to account for the chance of storms today in Athens, moving the games up earlier. Games on Friday start at 12 pm and 5 pm in both locations. Below is the future radar from 12 pm to 8 pm, showing widespread storms later this evening that could delay games:
Saturday and Sunday will also bring rain chances for the area with rain totals around 1-2" across the area:
Tallahassee and Gainesville Regional Host Sites
FSU will host NIU, Coastal Carolina, and St. John while the University of Florida welcomes Miami, Troy, and Rider. Track the forecast for these host sites below:
Gainesville (University of Florida)
As is typical this time of year, both sites could deal with afternoon thunderstorms, especially Friday and Sunday. Below is today's future radar from 3pm to Midnight for Tallahassee where games start at 3 pm:
As for Gainesville, games are supposed to start at 1 pm and 6 pm today. The future radar for Gainesville from 1pm to 9 pm on Friday:
The games should start on time but the chance for storms increase through the afternoon and will need to be monitoring for potential lightning impacts.
Starkville and Auburn Regional Host Sites
Mississippi State will welcome Cincinnati, Lipscomb, and Louisiana to Starkville while Auburn hosts Milwaukee, UCF, and NC State. The weather for each site can be accessed below:
Starkville (Mississippi State)
Much like the other host sites across the Southeast, both of these locations will have the chance for thunderstorms this weekend. First up is Mississippi State where games are planned for 2pm and 7 pm EDT today. In Auburn, the games are slated to start at 1 pm EDT and 6 pm EDT.
The threat for storms will continue throughout the weekend so keep checking the forecast for updates.
Austin and College Station Regional Host Sites
Fortunately, the biggest weather the host sites in Texas will have to face is the heat. Texas A&M will host Lamar, USC, and Texas State while the University of Texas will welcome Holy Cross, UCSB, and Tarleton St. Track the weather for both sites below:
Temperatures will peak in the low 90s all 3 days so hydration will be important. In fact, the wet bulb globe temperature is expected to reach black flag levels as you can see in the below hourly forecast:
Don't be surprised if the games are high scoring with the warm, humid air allowing the baseballs to travel farther.
Eugene and Chapel Hill Regional Host Sites
Eugene, OR and Chapel Hill, NC may be on opposite sides of the country but they are expecting the best weather for baseball games this weekend. The University of Oregon in Eugene will welcome Yale, Oregon St, and Washington State. Temperatures should be pleasant and no rain is expected.
University of Oregon Weatherstem
In Chapel Hill, UNC will host VCU, East Carolina, and Tennessee with mild temperatures and no rain expected.
How does weather affect college baseball games?
Weather impacts baseball through lightning delays, rain delays, heat stress, and changes in air density that can influence how far baseballs travel.
Which NCAA regional sites have the highest thunderstorm risk this weekend?
Regional sites across the Southeast, including Athens, Atlanta, Tallahassee, Gainesville, Starkville, and Auburn, all face periods of thunderstorms and lightning risk.
Why is heat important during the NCAA baseball tournament?
High temperatures and humidity increase heat stress for athletes, staff, and fans. In Texas, wet bulb globe temperature values are expected to reach black flag levels this weekend.
From lightning alerts to wet bulb globe temperature monitoring, Weatherstem helps athletic departments make weather-related game day decisions with real-time data and forecast support: https://www.getweatherstem.com/contact-weatherstem
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