May 25, 2009

SAN DIEGO - For the first time since 1991, the San Diego State baseball team has received a berth in the NCAA Regional which gets underway on Friday, May 29, at UC Irvine. The field, in what some have called the nation's toughest of 16 first-round Regional tourneys, includes top-ranked UC Irvine, No. 7 Virginia and defending national champion Fresno State.

The Aztecs will open play against Virginia at 4:00 p.m. (PT) on Friday at UCI's Cicerone Field at Anteater Ballpark. The host school will take on Fresno State at 8:00 p.m. (PT) that evening.

"It feels good to be in," sad Aztec Head coach Tony Gwynn. "It's been rough the last couple nights, just not knowing. I felt like we could get in. I felt like we would get in, it's just a matter of where we're going and who we're playing. And now we know that, it's a nice feeling.

"It's been a long time since we've been here. The fact that our conference got three teams in is a plus. And so now you get down to the business of baseball, which is what we're here to do."

San Diego State's record sits at 40-21 after a second-place finish at the recently concluded Mountain West Conference Tournament. The Aztec offense is led by Erik Castro (.388, 11 HR, 56 RBI) and Cory Vaughn (.29, 10 HR, 51 RBI) while the pitching staff is anchored by starters Stephen Strasburg (13-0, 1.24) and Tyler Lavigne (7-2, 3.32) along with closer Addison Reed (0.68, 19 saves).

Virginia (43-12-1) won the ACC Championship by defeating seventh-ranked Florida State, 6-3. The Cavaliers defeated No. 13 Clemson, No. 4 North Carolina and Duke en route to their second-ever ACC baseball crown. Outfielders Dan Grovatt (.384, 50 RBI) and Jarrett Parker (.375, 16 HR, 60 RBI) lead the offense.

UC Irvine (43-13), ranked No. 1 in the national polls this week, clinched an automatic berth to the NCAA postseason by winning the Big West Conference championship. The Anteaters finished conference play with a 22-2 mark led by outfielder/third baseman Eric Deragisch (.362, 11 2B, 37 RBI) and pitcher Daniel Bibona (11-1, 2.65).

Fresno State (32-28) played its way into the NCAA tournament by winning the Western Athletic Conference tournament. The defending national champions survived four elimination games to win their fourth straight WAC tourney title. Third baseman Tommy Mendonca has hit 27 home runs and has 78 RBI as the Bulldogs have 88 homers as team.

"We're looking forward to it," noted Gwynn. "It's another opportunity. They put us in a tough bracket, a very competitive bracket. It should be good, it should be interesting. And it's close enough for our fans to come and watch us play too, so we're excited."

All-session reserved ticket packages are available for $100. Bleacher all-session general admission packages are $75, while lawn seating packages are $50. Single-game tickets, if available, will go on sale Wednesday (May 27). The UC Irvine ticket office phone number is (949) 824-5000. For more information, go to ucirvinesports.com/tickets.

The Irvine Regional will be televised by ESPNU.

The game schedule is as follows (All times Pacific):
Friday, May 29
Game 1: #2 Virginia vs. #3 San Diego State - 4:00 p.m.
Game 2: #1 UC Irvine vs. #4 Fresno State - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 30
Game 3: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 - 4:00 p.m.
Game 4: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 - 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 31
Game 5: Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4 - 4:00 p.m.
Game 6: Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5 - 8:00 p.m.
Monday, June 1
Game 7: Repeat of Game 6 (If Necessary) - 8:00 p.m.