COLLEGES:UCI bids to host regional

April 17, 2007|By BARRY FAULKNER

Though the UC Irvine baseball team missed its chance to assume command of the Big West Conference race by losing two of three to visiting Cal Poly San Luis Obispo over the weekend, the athletic administration obviously believes this still could be a special season for the Anteaters.

The school decided recently to attempt to host an NCAA regional this season, which would require a $25,000 commitment, according to Paul Hope, the Anteaters' Associate Athletic Director in charge of facilities and events.

Hope said prospective bidders for one of 16 four-team regionals, scheduled June 1-4, will need to file the required paperwork with the NCAA, which will announce regional hosts the week before the 64-team field is announced on May 28. Schools agree to pay the NCAA the $25,000 fee, then hope to recoup the investment with ticket sales from the event.

Anteater Ballpark has 901 permanent seats and, with a grass berm behind the first-base dugout that extends into right field, Hope said the facility can accommodate 3,500 spectators.

Hope said the decision to pursue a regional is a natural extension of the commitment the university made when it resurrected the baseball program for the 2002 season, after a nine-season hiatus.

UCI, which will play host to the four-team NCAA men's volleyball championship in 2008, will begin its 2007 postseason quest at home Saturday against Hawaii in the quarterfinals of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament at 7 p.m.

With another event occupying the 5,000-seat Bren Events Center, where UCI played host to last year's MPSF semifinals and final, the Anteaters and Warriors will play at Crawford Court (capacity 760).

Tickets, which cost $5 for students and $20 for everyone else, are available through the UCI ticket office. Those interested in attending might want to secure their tickets early.

Coach John Speraw's Anteaters (24-5) will need to either win the MPSF Tournament or defeat BYU in the semifinals to have the inside track toward the lone at-large berth to the Final Four.

The MPSF Tournament winner earns the conference's automatic berth. Pepperdine (25-1), ranked No. 1 in the nation, is the No. 1 seed, followed by No. 2-ranked BYU (22-5) and No. 3-ranked UCI.

UCLA (19-10), which won last year's MPSF Tournament and went on to claim the NCAA crown, is ranked No. 5, but seeded No. 4, ahead of No. 4-ranked UC Santa Barbara (19-11).

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