Posted on: Wednesday, November 3, 2004

Conference will revive tournament for 2006

Advertiser Staff

The Western Athletic Conference will add Sacramento State as an affiliate member in baseball beginning with the 2006 season, the conference office announced yesterday.

But the addition wasn't as crucial as the league scaling back its schedule in 2006 from 30 to 24 games and bringing back the WAC tournament, Hawai'i coach Mike Trapasso said. The last conference tournament was 1999.

"That was the main thing we wanted," Trapasso said. "Having Sac State was really secondary. But (the addition) is good for our league, apparently, because the league office feels it's a matter of time before Louisiana Tech leaves (the WAC). If that's the case, that's insurance that we'll stay at six teams so (the WAC) doesn't lose our automatic (regional) bid. So it's a good situation for us next year, having a new schedule and a conference tournament."

The addition of the Hornets will give the WAC seven teams in 2006. They are, in addition to Sacramento State: Fresno State, Hawai'i, Louisiana Tech, Nevada, New Mexico State and San Jose State.

Sacramento State will be in its third season as an independent in 2005 after competing in the Big West Conference from 1998 to 2002. The Hornets were an affiliate member of the WAC from 1993 to 1996 and went 42-65 in conference games.