Arkansas Selected by NCAA to Host Baseball Regional

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – As expected, the University of Arkansas is one of 16 NCAA baseball regional host sites for the 61st annual NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, the NCAA announced on Sunday.

The No. 15 Razorbacks, who were 41-18 entering Sunday’s SEC Tournament championship game against No. 1 Vanderbilt, are hosting an NCAA Regional for the fourth time, including the third time in the last four years.

The regional is scheduled for June 1-4 at Baum Stadium. Tickets are on sale to the general public at the Razorback Ticket Center or online at www.hogwired.com. As of last Wednesday, approximately 1600 reserved tournament books remained. Tournament books are $70 for the regional. Super Regional ticket orders are also being accepted and are $35 each. Individual game tickets will only be available on game day. All game day tickets, reserved and general admission/HogPen are $15 each. For more ticket information, call 1-800-982-HOGS (4647). Tickets pre-ordered for the NCAA Regional or ticket orders placed prior to midnight last Thursday, May 24, will be mailed to customers. All ticket orders made after last Thursday at midnight will be available for pick up at the Baum Stadium Gate B Will Call Window beginning on June 1.

“We’ve had great support all year and I know we will again for the regional,” UA head coach Dave Van Horn says. “The atmosphere at Baum Stadium is unbelievable. It just gets better and better. Our players are looking forward to it.”

The 16 regional sites, with host institutions and records through Saturday, May 26, are as follows: Arizona St. (43-13), Tempe, Ariz.; Arkansas (41-18), Fayetteville, Ark.; Coastal Carolina (48-11), Conway, S.C.; Florida St. (47-11), Tallahassee, Fla.; Long Beach St. (36-18), Long Beach, Calif.; Missouri (40-16), Columbia, Mo.; North Carolina (47-12), Chapel Hill, N.C.; Ole Miss (37-23), Oxford, Miss.; Rice (48-12), Houston; San Diego (42-16), San Diego; South Carolina (42-18), Columbia, S.C.; Texas (44-15), Austin, Texas; Texas A&M (43-16), College Station, Texas; Vanderbilt (50-11), Nashville; Virginia (43-14), Charlottesville, Va.; Wichita St. (49-19), Wichita, Kan.

The regional hosted by Coastal Carolina will be played at Coastal Federal Field in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and the regional hosted by Texas will be played at Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas.

By virtue of being awarded a regional, eight of the host institutions also have been selected as at-large teams to the 64-team field. Florida St., Long Beach St., Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Wichita St. have made the field as at-large selections. Arkansas, North Carolina, Rice, San Diego, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt, would clinch automatic berths by winning their conference tournament championship, which are scheduled for Sunday afternoon. A loss in those tournament championship games makes them an at-large selection. Arizona St. and Coastal Carolina have already clinched automatic berths by virtue of winning the Pacific-10 and Big South Conference, respectively.

Each regional field features four teams, playing a double-elimination format. All 16 regionals are scheduled to be conducted from Friday, June 1, to Monday, June 4.

Coastal Carolina, Missouri, San Diego and Vanderbilt will host a regional for the first time, while Long Beach St., North Carolina and Virginia are hosting for the third time in school history. This will be the 26th time that Florida St. has hosted a regional, while Texas is hosting for the 23rd time and Arizona St. is hosting for the 17th time. South Carolina (11th) and Wichita St. (10th) are the only other institutions to host 10 or more times since the NCAA went to the regional format in 1975.

Rice and Texas A&M are hosting a regional for the sixth time, while Arkansas and Ole Miss are hosting for the fourth time. Long Beach St., North Carolina and Virginia are all hosting for the third time. Six sites (Arkansas, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Rice, Texas and Virginia) also hosted in 2006.

The Southeastern Conference leads the way with four members serving as regional hosts.

Arkansas also hosted in 1999, 2004 and 2006.

The remaining at-large teams, top-eight national seeds, first-round regional pairings and site assignments will be announced at 11:30 a.m. Central time, Monday, May 28, during a live, half-hour program on ESPN. The committee will set the entire 64-team bracket through both the super regionals and the first round of the Men’s College World Series, and will not reseed the field after play begins. Selection of the eight super regional hosts will be announced on www.NCAASports.com, Monday, June 4, at approximately 10 p.m. (Central).

Thirty Division I conferences receive an automatic berth in the field of 64, along with 34 at-large selections. The 61st Men’s College World Series begins play Friday, June 15, at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb.

OTHER REGIONAL SITE SELECTION INFORMATION Southeastern 4 (Arkansas, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Vanderbilt)Atlantic Coast 3 (Florida St., North Carolina, Virginia)Big 12 3 (Missouri, Texas, Texas A&M)Big South 1 (Coastal Carolina)Big West 1 (Long Beach St.)Conference USA 1 (Rice)Missouri Valley 1 (Wichita St.)Pacific-10 1 (Arizona St.)West Coast 1 (San Diego)