NCAA comes under fire for decision to delay start of LSU-Kentucky Super Regional amid clear weather

The skies dotted with cotton candy-esque cumulus clouds belied the possibility for foul weather in Baton Rouge on Saturday afternoon. And with some thunderstorm cells bearing down with the potential to disrupt Game 1 of the Super Regional between LSU and Kentucky, the NCAA opted to start the game shortly after 8:00 p.m. EST.

The game, originally scheduled for first pitch at 3 p.m. EST, seemingly could’ve started at the scheduled time. And many observers were left wondering why the NCAA didn’t elect to start the game and let the chips fall where they may, weather-wise.

Kentucky meteorologist and evident Wildcats partisan Chris Bailey chided the decision, quote-tweeting the announcement from LSU baseball.

“There isn’t a thunderstorm within 50 miles of you guys,” Bailey said. “If you’re using the ‘there’s a chance of storms’ excuse then you would never play a game since there’s almost a daily threat for storms in Louisiana this time of year.”

And it wasn’t solely Kentucky fans questioning whether the postponement made sense.

Jacques Doucet, a Louisiana-based sportscaster with WAFB9, noted the call to not play a game when the weather was completely fine for baseball was “unprecedented” as he shared a video showing what looked like ideal baseball weather about an hour after first pitch was scheduled.

Don’t want to get caught up in moment, but this kinda feels a bit unprecedented. @LSUbaseball #LSU pic.twitter.com/4etm4b7V9W

— Jacques Doucet (@JacquesDoucet) June 10, 2023

The decision — again, made by the NCAA — is likely in efforts to have the game go off without any disruption. Current forecasts from the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) indicate the current cluster of storm cells will dissipate as the day cools off.

“With storms containing lightning in the area, we will not start on time this afternoon. More info as it becomes available,” Kentucky baseball wrote in a statement on Twitter announcing the postponement. LSU mirrored their statement.

Nick Mingione compares Super Regional vs. LSU to SEC series

Kentucky is gearing up for its second Super Regional series in program history after coming out victorious in the Lexington Regional last weekend. 

They’re set to face the star-studded LSU lineup in Baton Rouge for a series with College World Series stakes on the line. Ahead of the matchup, UK head coach Nick Mingione praised the Tigers’ efforts this season, comparing the feeling of this weekend’s matchups to the conference series between the two teams back in April.

“It almost feels like another SEC weekend,” Mingione said ahead of the Super Regional series. “You’ve got to do anything you can to win that series. Obviously, if you don’t, your season is over.