OMAHA, Neb. — LSU loves Omaha, and Omaha loves LSU right back.
The Tigers are back in Omaha for the 18th time in school history, all trips occurring within the past 30 years.
“Omaha is amazing,” said Tiffany Deshotel, who is making her first trip to the College World Series. “People are amazing, the police are amazing. Everything to do is so much fun, we have had a blast so far.”
The large contingent of Tiger fans have created a nickname for TD Ameritrade Park.
“Alex Box North.”
Joy Hammatt is one of the reasons for that moniker.
“This is my 17th time coming,” Hammat said. “I’ve come three times without the team. I’ve been coming since ‘91, and I’ve made lots of friends so I stay with them now.”
Hammatt said that she brings a large ice chest of fish and shrimp to cook for her friends in Omaha during the first two days LSU plays.
Hammatt has also seen the change from Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium to TD Ameritrade Park, and while she said it is harder to lead cheers, the park is an upgrade aesthetically and is more suited for tailgating than the old Rosenblatt.
“The parking is way bigger and better for tailgating now,” Hammatt said. “It is nice being close to downtown, and people can ride the shuttles for a quarter. It’s different, but the stadium is nicer, the bathrooms are better. It’s kind of like going from the old Box to the new Box.”
“We always have a great time, and even back in ‘91 there is just so many more LSU fans up here than any other school. The city of Omaha has embraced LSU fans.”
With her frequent trips to Omaha, Hammatt has developed friends in the state.
One of those is Omaha native Dan Mize.
“People from down there are a lot like Nebraskans,” Mize said. “You can come up, talk to people, and if you ask a question they don’t buzz you off. The best apart that is people from Louisiana ask you a question, and then say ‘Hey come over here and try this.’”
A friend of Mize, who lived in Louisiana, but now lives in Omaha, said that LSU never fails to bring the largest crowd, and that the tradition of people in both states are similar.
“LSU has been coming up here for so long, I started watching LSU back in the 90s when Skip was coaching and I was a kid,” Mize said. “The fans were great. You’d walk by them, and they’d want you to come over and try the food, but you didn’t know what was in it.”
“It’s a wonderful love affair between Omaha and LSU fans,” Hammatt said.
