OMAHA, Neb. - The LSU baseball team has named Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise an honorary coach for the College World Series, and he will be given the game ball from the Tigers' opening game against Florida State on Saturday night.

  

Scalise was upgraded from "critical" to "serious condition" Saturday and continued to show signs of improvement after he was wounded in a shooting at a baseball field outside Washington on Wednesday. Scalise, among five people shot, was practicing with the House Republican team for the charity game against Democrats at Nationals Park on Thursday.

  

After Alex Lange's first pitch to Florida State's Taylor Walls, the ball was taken out of play. It will be sent to Scalise.

  

According to Scalise's House website, he earned a degree from LSU in 1989. Scalise's Twitter account also stated that he was watching the College World Series from his hospital room in D.C.