NCAA Division I Baseball Championship Bracket Released

Sixty-four team field announced, Regionals begin June 3.

INDIANAPOLIS --The field of 64 teams competing for the 2011 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship was announced today by the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee.

The national top eight seeds are Virginia (49-9), Florida (45-16), North Carolina (45-14), South Carolina (45-14), Florida State (42-17), Vanderbilt (47-10), Texas (43-15) and Rice (41-19).

The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Southeastern Conference (SEC) led all conferences in the number of teams in the championship field with seven apiece. The Big 12 and Pacific-10 had six each, while the Conference USA had four selected.

Making the tournament for the first time are Belmont of the Atlantic Sun Conference, Alcorn State of the Southwestern Athletic Conference and UALR of the Sun Belt Conference. Overall, 36 of the 64 teams were in the field last year.

Miami (Florida) is in the field for the 39th consecutive year, extending its own record. Florida State is making its 34th straight appearance, second all-time. Other long consecutive streaks: Cal State Fullerton (20), Rice (17), Oral Roberts (14) and Texas (13).

Of the 292 championship eligible Division I institutions that sponsor baseball, Virginia has the most Division I wins with 49.

• Interactive Bracket
• Printable Bracket
• Breaking Down the Field

Each of the 16 regionals features four teams, playing a double-elimination format. The regionals are scheduled to be conducted from Friday, June 3, to Monday, June 6 (if necessary). Selection of the eight super regional hosts will be announced on www.ncaa.com/cws, Monday, June 6 at approximately 11 p.m. ET.

The 65th Men’s College World Series begins play Saturday, June 18, at the new TD Ameritrade Park Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska.

FIELD BY CONFERENCE
Conference No. of Schools Schools
Atlantic Coast 7 Clemson, Florida St., Georgia Tech, Miami (Fla.), North Carolina, North Carolina St., Virginia
Southeastern 7 Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi St., South Carolina, Vanderbilt
Big 12 6 Baylor, Kansas St., Oklahoma, Oklahoma St., Texas, Texas A&M
Pacific-10 6 Arizona, Arizona St., California, Oregon St., Stanford, UCLA
Conference USA 4 East Carolina, Rice, Southern Miss., UCF
Atlantic Sun 3 Belmont, Jacksonville, Stetson
Big East 3 Connecticut, St. John’s, Seton Hall
Sun Belt 3 FIU, Troy, UALR
Big West 2 UC Irvine, Cal St. Fullerton
Mountain West 2 New Mexico, TCU
America East 1 Maine
Atlantic 10 1 Charlotte
Big South 1 Coastal Carolina
Big Ten 1 Illinois
Colonial 1 James Madison
Horizon 1 Wright St.
Independent 1 Dallas Baptist
Ivy 1 Princeton
Metro Atlantic 1 Manhattan
Mid-American 1 Kent St.
Mid-Eastern 1 Bethune-Cookman
Missouri Valley 1 Creighton
Northeast 1 Sared Heart
Ohio Valley 1 Austin Peay
Patriot 1 Navy
Southern 1 Ga. Southern
Southland 1 Texas St.
Southwestern 1 Alcorn St.
Summit 1 Oral Roberts
West Coast 1 San Francisco
Western Athletic 1 Fresno St.

FIELD BY STATE
State No. of Schools Schools
Florida 8 Bethune-Cookman, UCF, Florida, Florida St. FIU, Jacksonville, Miami (Fla.), Stetson
California 7 California, Cal St. Fullerton, UC Irvine, Fresno St., San Francisco, Stanford, UCLA
Texas 7 Baylor, Dallas Baptist, Rice, Texas, Texas A&M, TCU, Texas St.
North Carolina 4 Charlotte, East Carolina, North Carolina, North Carolina St.
Georgia 3 Georgia, Ga. Southern, Georgia Tech
Mississippi 3 Alcorn St., Mississippi St., Southern Miss.
Oklahoma 3 Oklahoma, Oklahoma St., Oral Roberts
South Carolina 3 Clemson, Coastal Caro., South Carolina
Tennessee 3 Austin Peay, Belmont, Vanderbilt
Alabama 2 Alabama, Troy
Arizona 2 Arizona, Arizona St.
Arkansas 2 Arkansas, UALR
Connecticut 2 Connecticut, Sacred Heart
New Jersey 2 Princeton, Seton Hall
New York 2 Manhattan, St. John’s
Ohio 2 Kent St., Wright St.
Virginia 2 James Madison, Virginia
Illinois 1 Illinois
Kansas 1 Kansas St.
Maine 1 Maine
Maryland 1 Navy
Nebraska 1 Creighton
New Mexico 1 New Mexico
Oregon 1 Oregon St.

Other Notes:

Thirty-six of the 64 teams were in the 2010 field. Three teams are making the field for the first time in the program’s history: Alcorn State, Belmont, UALR.

Seton Hall is in the field for the first time since 2001.

Bethune-Cookman is making its 12 appearance.

Miami (Fla.) is in the field for the 39th consecutive year, extending its own record. Florida State is making its 34th consecutive appearance, which ranks second all-time. Other long consecutive streaks include Cal St. Fullerton (20), Rice (17) and Oral Roberts (14).

By NCAA Press Release

NCAA: Alcorn State to Face Rice in Houston Regional

Lorman, MS - The Alcorn State Braves will face Rice University Friday at 6PM at Reckling Park on the campus of Rice, in Houston, Texas in one of many NCAA Regionals.

The Braves, making their first NCAA baseball appearance, will enter with a 27-28 overall record. Conference USA winner Rice enters with a 41-19 record and are ranked 8th nationally.

ASU, winners of the SWAC tournament, were primed to play in the state of Mississippi. Southern Mississippi didn't get a Regional host birth, however, and are meeting rival Mississippi State in the Atlanta Regional Friday.

Junior pitcher Steve Easter of Chicago, the SWAC leader in wins with eight, says that it doesn't really matter where the Braves are sent:" I had no preference but there were several projected sites. I and we are just happy to be going anywhere."

Easter doesn't know if he will start Friday, but would be ready: "I hadn't really thought about it, but it would really be big to start. As long as I would keep my pitches down and the defense works for me we'd be okay." Easter knows nothing about the Owl lineup, but may by Friday: "I don't know anything about them, but I have faced a couple of their players before. They are always good and them winning their conference says it all. That's all I need to know about them."

The other teams in the Houston Regional are Baylor at 29-26 and California at
31-20. They meet at 3PM Friday.

Should ASU win Friday, they would play at 6PM Saturday. Should they lose they would play at 2PM Saturday.

Games will be broadcast back to Mississippi on WPRL 91.7 FM.

By Alcorn State Athletics
VISIT: ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY
VISIT: ALCORNSPORTS

Bracing for Brittney, Prairie View A&M takes the challenge

PVAMU Coach Toyelle Wilson

WACO, TX — Prairie View A&M had some fun at practice this week trying to simulate what it will take to get off a shot against the Big 12 champion Baylor Lady Bears and 6-8 center Brittney Griner. Assistant coach Rob Amboree, who is 6-5, held up a hitting pad to make the Lady Panthers shoot over it.

PVAMU vs. #1 Baylor
Time: 7:30 p.m. E.T.
TV: ESPN2
Internet: ESPN2 - Click Here

“She alters the game,” first-year Prairie View coach Toyelle Wilson said. “You’ve got to prepare for that.”

Ready or not, 16th-seeded Prairie View will take on No. 1 Baylor on Sunday at 6:40 p.m. in the first round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament. Going into the unveiling of the bracket earlier this week, Wilson said she was hoping to see her Southwestern Athletic Conference champions matched against a team other than Baylor because of Griner’s potential to make it so difficult to score.

Top-seeded Baylor very good _ and still very young; Griner among 9 Lady Bears’ underclassmen

WACO, Texas — Baylor went to the Final Four last season when Brittney Griner was a freshman. This time, the Lady Bears are a No. 1 seed for the first time with freshman starting point guard Odyssey Sims.  The Big 12 champions are very good — and still very young.

The 6-foot-8 Griner is among seven sophomores for the Lady Bears (31-2), who open the NCAA tournament against SWAC champion Prairie View (21-11) on Sunday night at home, where they are 19-0 this season.

Gifted Griner Wants to Do Even More for Baylor

Brittney Griner has already had an impact on women's basketball like few players before her. The 6-foot-8 Griner can dunk, rebound, block shots and alter games with her imposing presence in the lane. Yet as dominating as she has been in her two seasons for the Baylor Lady Bears, she isn't so sure she has lived up to the billing.

"I don't think I'm as good as what everybody says I am," Griner said. "I think I'm alright."

Baylor has already been to a Final Four with Griner, making it last year when she was a freshman on a team that had lost its top four scorers from the previous season. This year, the Lady Bears were Big 12 regular season and tournament champions and are a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament for the first time.

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