OMAHA, Neb. -- The College World Series will start on a Saturday in 2008, breaking its tradition of opening on a Friday.

The CWS finals, which pits the two bracket winners in a best-of-three series, will open on a Monday instead of a Saturday, the NCAA Division I baseball committee announced Tuesday.

The CWS will begin June 14, with the championship round starting June 23.

The Saturday start will give participating teams an extra day to prepare and provide flexibility if weather interferes with regionals and super-regionals, said Dennis Poppe, NCAA managing director of baseball.

Starting times will be 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. on days when two games are played and 6 p.m. on days when a single game is played.