Post by Babyboomer on May 27, 2008 10:38:08 GMT -5
The University of Louisville baseball team is surging, and now it's ready to go after another trip to the College World Series.
The Cardinals, winners of 25 of their past 31 games and champions of the Big East Conference Tournament, earned a No. 3 seed yesterday in the NCAA Tournament.
The University of Kentucky, meanwhile, got an at-large bid and a No. 3 seed, thanks to its steadily successful season in one of the nation's toughest conferences.
And Western Kentucky -- the Sun Belt Conference Tournament champ and automatic NCAA qualifier -- is a No. 4 in the 64-team tournament, which opens Friday with 16 four-team, double-elimination regionals.
The Cards (41-19) will play No. 2 seed Georgia Tech (39-19) in the Athens (Ga.) Regional.
The Wildcats (42-17), who finished the regular season fourth in the Southeastern Conference, will face No. 2 seed and host Michigan (45-12) in the Ann Arbor Regional.
WKU (33-25) will face top-seeded and host Oklahoma State (42-16) in the Stillwater Regional.
Louisville
At the close of yesterday's ESPN selection show, commentators were asked to list a No. 3 seed that could make a deep run. The Cardinals -- winners of 25 of their past 31 games -- heard their name mentioned as that team.
"It feels good to be called out on national television, but it doesn't change the way we're going to play," said U of L sophomore pitcher Justin Marks. "It makes us feel good, but we're still going in with the same outlook."
The Cards and Yellow Jackets are joined in the regional by host and top-seeded Georgia (35-21-1) and Atlantic Sun champion and fourth seed Lipscomb (32-28). The winners and losers of Friday's games will play Saturday.
The Cards will look to duplicate last year's run to Omaha, Neb., for the CWS with quite a different team. Last year's squad relied heavily on seniors, and this year's version has started as many as seven freshmen.
"It's awesome to show the country what we're about," U of L sophomore third baseman Chris Dominguez said. "People are seeing that our team is great. We've got a young team, but we've got a great team."
It's the first time U of L has made back-to-back NCAA Tournaments.
"Hopefully our kids will know that they're accepted as one of the better programs across the country," coach Dan McDonnell said.
Kentucky
Two years ago the Cats watched the NCAA Tournament pairings as a group and celebrated when their name appeared on the TV screen.
Yesterday coach John Cohen had his team on the practice field. UK didn't watch a minute of the selection show.
"At this stage of the game, I don't want it to be a celebration for the University of Kentucky to get into the NCAA Tournament," he said. "I want it to be expected. It's another workday for us."
It's UK's sixth tournament trip and first since 2006, when it hosted a regional at Cliff Hagan Stadium but failed to advance past the opening round.
The Cats and Wolverines will be joined in Ann Arbor by No. 1 seed Arizona (38-17) and fourth-seeded Eastern Michigan (25-32).Western Kentucky
The Hilltoppers picked up their third NCAA bid and first since 2004.
The Stillwater Regional also includes second-seeded Wichita State (44-15) and third-seeded Texas Christian (43-17).
www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080527/SPORTS/805270448/1029/SPORTS03
The Cardinals, winners of 25 of their past 31 games and champions of the Big East Conference Tournament, earned a No. 3 seed yesterday in the NCAA Tournament.
The University of Kentucky, meanwhile, got an at-large bid and a No. 3 seed, thanks to its steadily successful season in one of the nation's toughest conferences.
And Western Kentucky -- the Sun Belt Conference Tournament champ and automatic NCAA qualifier -- is a No. 4 in the 64-team tournament, which opens Friday with 16 four-team, double-elimination regionals.
The Cards (41-19) will play No. 2 seed Georgia Tech (39-19) in the Athens (Ga.) Regional.
The Wildcats (42-17), who finished the regular season fourth in the Southeastern Conference, will face No. 2 seed and host Michigan (45-12) in the Ann Arbor Regional.
WKU (33-25) will face top-seeded and host Oklahoma State (42-16) in the Stillwater Regional.
Louisville
At the close of yesterday's ESPN selection show, commentators were asked to list a No. 3 seed that could make a deep run. The Cardinals -- winners of 25 of their past 31 games -- heard their name mentioned as that team.
"It feels good to be called out on national television, but it doesn't change the way we're going to play," said U of L sophomore pitcher Justin Marks. "It makes us feel good, but we're still going in with the same outlook."
The Cards and Yellow Jackets are joined in the regional by host and top-seeded Georgia (35-21-1) and Atlantic Sun champion and fourth seed Lipscomb (32-28). The winners and losers of Friday's games will play Saturday.
The Cards will look to duplicate last year's run to Omaha, Neb., for the CWS with quite a different team. Last year's squad relied heavily on seniors, and this year's version has started as many as seven freshmen.
"It's awesome to show the country what we're about," U of L sophomore third baseman Chris Dominguez said. "People are seeing that our team is great. We've got a young team, but we've got a great team."
It's the first time U of L has made back-to-back NCAA Tournaments.
"Hopefully our kids will know that they're accepted as one of the better programs across the country," coach Dan McDonnell said.
Kentucky
Two years ago the Cats watched the NCAA Tournament pairings as a group and celebrated when their name appeared on the TV screen.
Yesterday coach John Cohen had his team on the practice field. UK didn't watch a minute of the selection show.
"At this stage of the game, I don't want it to be a celebration for the University of Kentucky to get into the NCAA Tournament," he said. "I want it to be expected. It's another workday for us."
It's UK's sixth tournament trip and first since 2006, when it hosted a regional at Cliff Hagan Stadium but failed to advance past the opening round.
The Cats and Wolverines will be joined in Ann Arbor by No. 1 seed Arizona (38-17) and fourth-seeded Eastern Michigan (25-32).Western Kentucky
The Hilltoppers picked up their third NCAA bid and first since 2004.
The Stillwater Regional also includes second-seeded Wichita State (44-15) and third-seeded Texas Christian (43-17).
www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080527/SPORTS/805270448/1029/SPORTS03
