NCAA Houston Regionals at a glance
5/29/2009 8:30:00 AM | Baseball
Houston NCAA Regional At A Glance
RADIO COVERAGE All Regional games will be broadcast locally in Huntsville on Classic Hits 1490 KHVL-AM and on GoBearkats.com. Jason Barfield and Kooter Roberson will have the call this weekend. To listen to the games online CLICK HERE.
NCAA HOUSTON REGIONAL INFORMATION -- TICKETS, SCHEDULE, LIVE STATS, VIDEO Watch highlight video from SLC Tournament NCAA REGIONAL SCHEDULE Friday, May 29 - Reckling Park Saturday, May 30 - Reckling Park Sunday, May 31 - Reckling Park 6 p.m. -- Winner game 4 vs. Winner game 5 Monday, June 1 - Reckling Park
No. 1 Rice
Record: 39-15
Head coach: Wayne Graham, 18th season
National ranking: The Owls are ranked No. 6
NCAA regional appearances: 15
How the Owls got here: Rice beat Southern Miss 8-6 in the championship game of the Conference USA tournament last weekend to earn the league's automatic berth.
Players to watch: Third baseman Anthony Rendon (.375, 19 home runs and 64 RBIs), second baseman Brock Holt (.344, 10 HRs and 38 RBIs), shortstop Rick Hague (.320, nine HRs and 51 RBIs), right fielder Chad Mozingo (.321, eight HRs and 46 RBIs) and pitchers Ryan Berry (7-0, 1.89 ERA), Mike Ojala (4-0, 1.79 ERA) and Taylor Wall (6-5, 3.81 ERA).
Owl notes: Rice is making its 15th-consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament, the fourth-longest active streak in Division I. Miami has the longest active streak at 37, followed by Florida State (32) and Cal State Fullerton (18). ... Since hosting its first one in 2001, Rice's record when playing at home in the NCAA regionals at Reckling Park is 22-4. The Owls have a streak of nine-straight wins at home regionals dating back to 2004. ... Rice is 9-3 in games against nationally-ranked opponents. ... The Owls have played 20 games against 10 different teams in this year's NCAA tournament and is 12-8 against almost 1/6 of the 64-team field.
No. 2 Kansas State
Record: 41-16-1
Head coach: Brad Hill, sixth season
National ranking: The Wildcats are ranked No. 14
NCAA tournament appearances: one
How the Wildcats got here: Kansas State finished fourth in the Big 12 this season and received an at-large berth.
Players to watch: Pitcher A.J. Morris (13-1, 1.84 ERA), second baseman Carter Jurica (.362, 14 doubles and 44 RBIs), first baseman Justin Bloxom (.349, nine HRs and 54 RBIs), shortstop Drew Biery (.335, nine HRs and 44 RBIs) and right fielder Jordan Cruz (.318, 10 HRs and 46 RBIs).
Wildcat notes: Kansas State is making its first-ever NCAA regional appearance. The Wildcats have tallied 41 wins this season, the most in school history, while its 11 series wins were also a school-best. ... K-State is hitting 58 points higher in 58 games in 2009 (.319) compared to 2008 (.261). It has been a rarity for the Wildcats to tally less than 10 hits this season as they have reached the double-digit hit total on 40 occasions in its 58 games.
No. 3 Xavier
Record: 38-19
Head coach: Scott Googins, fourth season
Nation ranking: N/A
NCAA tournament appearances: one
How the Musketeers got here: Xavier beat Rhode Island 10-1 to win the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament and earn the league's automatic berth.
Players to watch: First baseman Ben Thomas (.355, 16 HRs and 64 RBIs), designated hitter Zac Richard (.353, eight doubles and 22 RBIs), catcher Billy O'Conner (.335, nine doubles and 38 RBIs), center fielder Adam Pasono (.314, seven HRs and 37 RBIs) and pitchers Danny Rosenbaum ( 5-5, 5.49 ERA) and Jordan Conley (13 saves, 2.39 ERA).
Musketeer notes: Xavier won five straight games out of the loser's bracket at the A-10 tournament to claim the school's first-ever NCAA regional berth. ... The Musketeers' 38 wins this season are a school record. The previous best was 32 in 1987 and 1997. Xavier had 15 nonconference victories this season which more than doubled its 2008 total (six).
No. 4 Sam Houston State
Record: 36-22
Head coach: Mark Johnson, third season
National ranking: N/A
NCAA tournament appearances: six
How the Bearkats got here: Sam Houston State won its third straight Southland Conference tournament title by beating Texas State 7-1 in the championship game to earn the league's automatic berth.
Players to watch: Left fielder Nick Zaleski (.425, nine HRs and 57 RBIs), second baseman Braeden Riley (.390, 108 hits and 38 RBIs), right fielder Tyler Knight (.341, seven HRs and 54 RBIs), catcher Mark Wyatt (.332, 14 HRs and 54 RBIs) and pitchers Sean Weatherford (8-5, 3.62 ERA), Brent Powers (3-2, 4.28 ERA) and Matt Shelton (7-0, 1.86 ERA).
Bearkat notes: Sam Houston has earned a berth in the NCAA regionals for the sixth time in school history and the third year in a row. Moving up to NCAA Division I status in 1986-87, the Bearkats played in baseball regionals in Austin in 1987, 1989 and 1996; in Oxford, Miss., in 2007 and in Houston last year. ... SHSU's best NCAA regional performance came in 2007 at Ole Miss when the Bearkats posted come-from-behind victories over Troy (5-4) and Southern Mississippi (12-11 in 11 innings) to reach the finals before falling to Mississippi. SHSU stands 5-10 in NCAA regional action, defeating Oklahoma and Indiana State in 1987 and upsetting No. 2 Miami 5-4 in the first round of the 1996 regional.
2 p.m. -- Kansas State (41-16) vs. Xavier (38-19)
6 p.m. - Rice (39-15) vs. Sam Houston (36-22)
2 p.m. -- Loser game 1 vs. Loser game 2
6 p.m. -- Winner game 1 vs. Winner game 2
2 p.m. -- Winner game 3 vs. loser game 4
TBA -- If necessary
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for the Houston (Rice) Regional are on sale online at RiceOwls.com, or through the Rice Athletic Ticket Office at Rice Stadium. All-session passes are available for $55. Tickets for single games will go on sale on Thursday, May 28. Tickets can be purchased in person or over the phone by calling (713) 522-OWLS during normal business hours from Tuesday through Thursday.
