Huskers to Host NCAA Baseball Regional

Lincoln ? The NCAA announced Sunday evening that the University of Nebraska was selected as one of 16 sites to host NCAA Regional baseball tournament action next weekend in Lincoln.

The 2008 Lincoln Regional begins on Friday, May 30, with two opening-round games and could run through Monday, June 2 at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park and at 15 other regional sites around the country.

Tickets for the NCAA Lincoln Regional will go on sale beginning at 7 p.m. tonight (Sunday) at Huskers.com. All-session General Admission prices are set at $56 for Adults and $35 for Youth, Seniors and UNL Students with a valid NCard.

Because of the Memorial Day holiday, the Ticket Office, located across the street from Memorial Stadium, will not open until 8 a.m. on Tuesday. Fans can purchase tickets at the Ticket Office (located across the street from Memorial Stadium) in person or by calling 800-8-BIGRED from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

The 2008 season marks the sixth time in the last eight years that Nebraska has been chosen to host an NCAA Baseball Regional (2001-03, 2005-06) and the fifth time since Hawks Field opened in 2002.

The Huskers enter the NCAA Tournament with a 40-14-1 record after finishing third in the conference during the regular season. NU’s 40 wins marks the eighth time in the last 10 years at Nebraska has won 40 games, the most of any Big 12 program in that span. Sunday’s announcement of a Lincoln regional also gives the Huskers an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament, marking the program’s ninth NCAA bid in the last 10 years.

The 16 regional sites, with host institutions and records through Sunday, May 25, are as follows: Arizona State (45-11), Tempe, Ariz.; Cal State Fullerton (37-18 through Saturday, May 24), Fullerton, Calif.; Coastal Carolina (47-12), Conway, S.C.; Florida St. (48-10), Tallahassee, Fla.; Georgia (35-21-1), Athens, Ga.; Long Beach State (36-19; through Saturday, May 24), Long Beach, Calif.; LSU (43-16-1), Baton Rouge, La.; Miami (Fla.) (47-8); Coral Gables, Fla..; Michigan (45-12), Ann Arbor, Mich.; Nebraska (40-14-1), Lincoln, Neb.; North Carolina (46-12), Chapel Hill, N.C.; North Carolina State (38-20), Raleigh, N.C.; Oklahoma State (42-16), Stillwater, Okla.; Rice (42-13), Houston; Stanford (33-20-2), Stanford, Calif.; Texas A&M (43-16) College Station, Texas.

The regional hosted by North Carolina will be played at USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C.

By virtue of being awarded a regional, all 16 host institutions have also been selected to the 64-team field. Cal State Fullerton, Coastal Carolina, Florida State, Georgia, Long Beach State, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Oklahoma State, Rice, Stanford and Texas A&M have made the field as at-large selections. Arizona State (Pacific-10), LSU (Southeastern), Miami (Fla.) (Atlantic Coast) and Michigan (Big Ten) have clinched automatic berths by virtue of winning their conference tournament championship.

Tentative NCAA Lincoln Regional Schedule
Friday, May 30
Game 1: 1:05 p.m.
Game 2: 7:05 p.m.

Saturday, May 31
Game 3: 1:05 p.m. (Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2)
Game 4: 7:05 p.m. (Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2)

Sunday, June 1
Game 5: 1:05 p.m. (Winner Game 3. vs. Loser Game 4)
Game 6: 6:05 p.m. (Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5)

Monday, June 2
Game 7: 1:05 p.m. (if necessary ? same teams as Game 6)