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NATCHEZ — A 13.5-foot-tall and 31-foot-long fiberglass Mike the Tiger made its way through Natchez on Wednesday afternoon to get to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.

The Kern Studios float debuted Wednesday morning as more than 100 fans gathered at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge to send off the LSU baseball team.

LSU will take on SEC rival Arkansas at 6 p.m. on Saturday in the College World Series opener for both teams. The game will be televised on ESPN.

The giant tiger will be traveling for 15 hours along interstates and highways to get to the World Series, along with LSU fans who will tailgate with Mardi Gras Mike at Charles Schwab Field.

As he made his way along U.S. 61 in Natchez, orange and black stripes caught the eye of Trae James, and he stopped to take the video above.

Barry Kern, president and CEO of Kern Studios, told the Baton Rouge Advocate that the float took three months to design and another three to build. It roars and plays the LSU fight song with loudspeakers and lights up with LED lights at night.

It integrates “Mardi Gras with the spirit of LSU and LSU Tiger fans,” Kern said, adding the goal is to send Mardi Gras Mike to future games, parades and other LSU events.

“Getting to see our work come to fruition and bring joy to so many people is surreal,” he said.