May 31, 2010
2010 NCAA Tournament Bracket (PDF)
INDIANAPOLIS - The Texas A&M baseball team earned the Big 12's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament and will open regional play on Friday in Coral Gables, Florida, the selection committee announced Monday.
The Aggies, the No. 2-seed in the regional, will face No. 3-seed FIU (36-23) in the regional opener on Friday at 11 a.m. (CDT) at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field. Top-seeded Miami (40-17) will meet Dartmouth (26-17) in a 3 p.m. game. All games of the regional will be televised live by ESPNU.
The Aggies (40-19-1) are making their 26th appearance all-time in the NCAA Championship and the fourth in a row under head coach Rob Childress, marking just the third time in school history that an A&M coach has accomplished that feat.
"It's always exciting to know that you have an opportunity to be one of the 64 teams that have a chance to move on in the NCAA Championships," A&M coach Rob Childress said. "We're really looking forward to the challenge that the tournament in Miami will present. It was a big, big surprise and I'm excited we're going down there."
Texas A&M earned its spot in the field of 64 after a 5-3, 10-inning win over Baylor on Sunday in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship game in Oklahoma City. The Aggies have won six straight and 18 of their last 21 as they head to South Florida this weekend.
FIU, the regional's No. 3 seed, earned the Sun Belt's automatic bid after downing Troy, 14-10, in the league championship game. The Golden Panthers fell in the tourney opener before rattling off five straight wins to punch their ticket to the field of 64. Headlining FIU baseball this season is sophomore Garrett Wittels, who carries a 54-game hit streak into regional play.
The host Hurricanes earned an at-large bid out of the ACC, finishing conference play at 20-10 and earning the tournament's No. 4 seed. Miami downed Florida State in the opener before falling to Boston College in 12 innings and Virginia two days later.
Dartmouth (Hanover, New Hampshire) won its second consecutive Ivy League championship this season, topping Columbia in three games. The Big Green has won five of their last seven entering the regional.
Texas A&M is 2-6 all-time against Miami, 2-1 against FIU and has never faced Dartmouth. Ironically, the Aggies, Panthers and Hurricanes were all part of the last regional A&M played in the state of Florida, the 1995 Atlantic II Regional in Coral Gables. The Aggies went 1-1 against both teams in the tournament, with the Hurricanes eventually downing A&M to earn a trip to the College World Series.
"I know it's exciting for the guys, without question," Childress said. "They have the opportunity to go to the University of Miami, which has such storied tradition, and to go down there and play will be a challenge. But first and foremost is Florida International. They've done a wonderful job getting that program turned around and headed in the right direction in a hurry. It's exciting to not be going three hours down the road and play somewhere you've already played and see teams you've already played as well."
Ticket packages for the entire Coral Gables Regional are $90 for field box, $60 for chairback, $45 for adult general admission and $30 for youth, seniors and students. Those packages will go on sale at 9 a.m. (ET) on Tuesday. Single day passes will go on sale at a later time this week.
The University of Miami and the ticket office are closed for Memorial Day on Monday but normal hours will resume on Tuesday, June 1. To order tickets, call 305-284-CANE or 1-800-GO-CANES. The UM ticket office will be open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ET).
NCAA CORAL GABLES REGIONAL SCHEDULE (all times Central)
all games televised live by ESPNU
FRIDAY, JUNE 4
Game 2 - Texas A&M vs FIU, 11 a.m.
Game 1 - Miami vs Dartmouth, 3 p.m.
SATURDAY, JUNE 5
Game 3 - Loser Game 1 vs Loser Game 2, 11 a.m.
Game 4 - Winner Game 1 vs Winner Game 2, 3 p.m.
SUNDAY, JUNE 6
Game 5 - Winner Game 3 vs Loser Game 4, 11 a.m.
Game 6 - Winner Game 4 vs Winner Game 5, 3 p.m.
MONDAY, JUNE 7
Game 7 - Winner Game 6 vs Loser Game 6 (if necessary), 6 p.m.