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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, May 25, 2009

CBB: Texas chosen as top seed for NCAA tourney; Fresno St. to play UC Irvine


By DENNIS WASZAK Jr.
AP Sports Writer

The University of Texas was selected Monday as the top seed for the 64-team Division I baseball tournament.

The Longhorns (41-13-1), who won the Big 12 tournament for the fourth time, will host one of 16 four-team, double-elimination regionals that begin Friday. It’s the second time Texas, coached by Division I career victories leader Augie Garrido, has been the No. 1 overall seed.
The other national seeds, in order, are: Cal State Fullerton (42-14), LSU (46-16), North Carolina (42-16), Arizona State (44-12), UC Irvine (43-13), Oklahoma (41-18) and Florida (39-20).
The 16 regional winners move on to the best-of-three super regionals, beginning June 5. The eight super regional winners advance to the College World Series, which begins June 13 in Omaha, Neb.
Defending national champion Fresno State, the first team to win it all as a No. 4 seed in a bracket, will play UC Irvine in the first round of the Irvine, Calif., regional. UC Irvine is ranked No. 1 in most national polls, but is in arguably the tournament’s toughest bracket. It includes ACC champion Virginia and Tony Gwynn’s San Diego State squad, with ace right-hander Stephen Strasburg, the likely No. 1 overall draft pick.
The Big 12 — Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas A&M — and Southeastern Conference — Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi, South Carolina and Vanderbilt — each had eight tournament berths.
The Atlantic Coast Conference had seven teams selected, including Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina and Virginia.
Texas, last No. 1 overall in 2004, has perhaps the deepest pitching staff in the country with Chance Ruffin, Cole Green, Brandon Workman and closer Austin Wood. But being the top seed hasn’t guaranteed tournament success. The only No. 1 seed to win the College World Series since the field was expanded to 64 teams was Miami in 1999, and no top-eight seed has won it all since Rice in 2003.
The Hurricanes extended their NCAA record with its 37th consecutive appearance, while Florida State is in for the 32nd straight year.
Binghamton, Cal Poly, Georgia State, Kansas State and Xavier are making their first NCAA tournament appearances. Mountain West champion Utah is in for the first time since 1960, while Boston College last made it in 1967. Dartmouth (1987), Gonzaga (1981) and Indiana (1996) are also back after long waits.
Among teams left out of the 64-team field were Eastern Illinois (36-14), New Mexico State (44-17), Rhode Island (37-20-1) and San Jose State (41-20). Meanwhile, Oklahoma State (32-22) received an at-large bid despite not making the Big 12 tournament.