OMAHA, Neb. — One thing that has been a constant for LSU this year has been the pitching rotation — Alex Lange, followed by Jared Poché and then Eric Walker.

That may change for the College World Series.

Lange will start tonight against Florida State, but if all goes according to plan, Walker will get the ball for Monday’s second game.

If so, Poché, a lefthander, will be available out of the bullpen for tonight’s game.

The catch is how Walker’s forearm feels.

Head coach Paul Mainieri decided several days ago to make the move, partly because the days off between games would give him another lefthander in Poché to use out of the bullpen.

But Walker, who started the games where LSU won the SEC West, the conference tournament and the regional championship, did not get his turn when LSU swept the super regional in two games against Mississippi State.

To stay sharp, he threw 70 pitches in an intrasquad game Tuesday.

“He was a little sore the next day,” Mainieri said. “It’s nothing serious, but he might need an extra day’s rest.”

So LSU will take Walker to another baseball field in Omaha sometime Saturday morning, let him throw some pitches and see how he feels.

If he’s fine — which Mainieri expects — he’ll get the ball Monday and Poché will be available out of the bullpen tonight.

If not, Poché will have to be held for Sunday’s start.

WHO’S ON FIRST?:Mainieri has not decided who will be playing first base today.

It’s been a weak link.

Freshman Jake Slaughter started the season there, but lost his job in the midseason to Nick Coomes.

But Slaughter started again in the final two games of the regional and both games in the Super regional.

He hit .250 in those four games, including a key RBI in the Tigers’ 4-3 comeback victory in the opening game of the super regional against Mississippi State.

Coomes hit .294 for the season, but had been slumping for a few weeks before Slaughter took over.

Slaughter is faster, and is considered the better defensive player, which could be a factor with the way the game is played in TD Ameritrade Park.

WEATHER REPORT:Friday was ceremony day for the CWS, but the big one didn’t happen.

LSU went through it’s traditional team picture outside TD Ameritrade Park at the famous statue that symbolizes the CWS. They met with the media. They held the autograph session at the stadium that attracts half the adolescents in Omaha. But the CWS’ official opening ceremony scheduled for Friday night had to be cancelled when a super nasty thunderstorm hit Omaha about an hour before it was to begin.

In fact, Omaha was under a tornado warning from 8 p.m. until 8:40 p.m. Friday.

The forecast is much better for the weekend, with just a 20 percent chance of rain both today and Sunday.

STREAKING:LSU’s 16 consecutive wins is the longest winning streak the Tigers have ever brought to the start of the CWS. But it need not be a law-of-averages burden. The next longest, 10, was in 2009 — Mainieri’s national championship season. The next highest after that was 9 in 2000 — Skip Bertman’s last national title.

CONSISTENCY:LSU has made it to Omaha at least once every four years since the first trip in 1986. So every freshman class since 1983 — if it stayed four years — has made a CWS appearance.

BOTH SIDES NOW:The Florida State lineup that Lange will face tonight features four switch hitters. It kind of makes the whole righty-lefty thing insignificant. The Seminoles will have catcher Cal Raleigh, second baseman Matt Henderson, shortstop Taylor Wall and leftfielder Jason Lueck hitting from both sides. LSU has one — catcher Michael Papierski.

 ON TO THE PROS:LSU had six players who were taken in the first 10 rounds of the Major League draft —P Alex Lange (1, Cubs), OF Greg Deichmann (2, A’s), SS Kramer Robertson (4, Cardinals), 2B Cole Freeman (4, Nationals), P Jared Poché (9, A’s) and C Michael Papierski (9, Astros). Lange is LSU’s seventh first-rounder in the last nine seasons.